Ninh Binh (VNA) - Tam Coc-Bich Dong is a beautiful cave complex located in Trang An scenic landscape - a key national tourist area of Vietnam, which was ranked by the Prime Minister as a special national relic site and was recognised as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014.
Located in Ngu Nhac Son, Dam Khe village, Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province, the Tam Coc-Bich Dong scenic complex has a natural area of up to 350.3 hectares, and possesses natural landscapes. It boasts pristine nature with cave systems both on land and underwater, harmoniously combined with ancient religious architectural works and historical relics related to the Vu Lam palace of the Tran Dynasty nearly 1,000 years ago.
Tam Coc - Ha Long Bay on land
In 2015, Tam Coc was named on the list of "beautiful but little-known places" voted by the Telegraph (UK).
In early 2018, Tam Coc continued to appear on the Business Insider Magazine at the top of the list of the 50 most attractive destinations on the planet with the image of the Ngo Dong river like a soft silk strip, draped over a carpet of golden rice, winding around limestone mountains.
Tam Coc is likened to Ha Long Bay on land. Since ancient times, this area was the sea, and over hundreds of millions of years, waves had eroded and deepened the rocks, creating the cave masterpieces we see today.
To explore Tam Coc, visitors will travel by boat down the Ngo Dong river winding through rocky cliffs, water-through caves, and rice fields along the foots of the mountains. Each time of the year brings a different color. The difference makes visitors overwhelmed.
Tam Coc means three caves, including Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba. All three caves were created by the Ngo Dong river flowing through the mountain.
Of the three caves, Hang Ca is the largest with a length of about 127m, passing through a large mountain, with a dome ceiling of about 20m high.
When the boat enters the cave, visitors will clearly feel the cool clarity of the space here, with only the sound of oars gently splashing water and the boatman telling ancient legends about stalactites. All shapes and sizes appear in the cave.
After passing Hang Ca, the boat takes tourists about 1km further to Hang Hai. Hang Hai is 60m long and similar to Hang Ca, the atmosphere in the cave is very cool and pleasant with strange stalactites, carrying mysterious stories from the imagination of local people.
Hang Ba is located quite close to Hang Hai and is shorter, only about 50m long. The cave arch is also lower than Hang Ca and Hang Hai. Visitors sometimes have to lower their heads to avoid hitting the stone ceiling above.
The boat trip to explore the three water-through caves in Tam Coc lasts about two hours, including departure and return. After that, visitors will explore Thien Huong dry cave and visit Thai Vi Temple historical site.
In the past, the Tam Coc mountain area was where the Tran dynasty built the Vu Lam palace during the resistance war against the Mongolians.
The Thai Vi Temple is a place to worship Kings Tran Thai Tong, Tran Thanh Tong, Generals Tran Hung Dao and Tran Quang Khai and Queen Tran Thi Dung, 2km from Tam Coc wharf.
Before entering the temple, visitors will stop at Thien Huong Cave, a dry and bright cave located halfway up the mountain with an altitude of about 15m above the ground.
The cave is about 60m high, 40m deep, and 20m wide. The top of the cave is hollow, so the cave is also called the Heaven Cave.
Nestled inside the cave is a shrine worshiping Queen Tran Thi Dung, wife of King Ly Hue Tong, who passed on the embroidery craft to the people of Ninh Hai commune.
Bich Dong - Second most beautiful cave
Located about 2km from Tam Coc Wharf, Bich Dong consists of a dry cave located halfway up the mountain and in front is Xuyen hydro cave - a water cave through the heart of the mountain.
Because of the unique beauty bestowed by nature, the combination of rock and water has made Bich Dong known as "Nam Thien De Nhi Dong," meaning the second most beautiful cave in the country, only after Huong Tich Cave in the Huong Son region.
Bich Dong means Green Cave, the name given to this scenic spot by feudal chancellor Nguyen Khiem, father of the great poet Nguyen Du, when he came here in 1773.
Before entering the dry cave, visitors will take a boat to go through Xuyen Thuy Cave - a dark, flooded cave, shaped like a semicircular pipe, about 350m long, about 6m wide. The ceiling and walls of the cave are quite flat, arch-shaped with countless beautiful stalactites hanging down.
The unique feature of Xuyen Thuy Cave is that inside the cave there is a natural M-shaped archway divided into two paths. Local people explain it as the Father's door and the Mother's door, so there is a saying when entering Xuyen Thuy Cave: "Enter the Father's door - Go out the Mother's door."
On the way in, the boat passes through the Father's gate which is higher and narrower, while the way out through the Mother's gate is low but very wide. Only then can we see that creation is both natural and intentional.
The Bich Dong Pagoda is located behind the mountain, opposite the entrance to Xuyen Thuy Cave. When returning to finish the journey through the water cave, visitors continue climbing the mountain to reach the cave and Bich Dong Pagoda.
The Bich Dong Pagoda is an ancient pagoda built on the Truong Yen limestone mountain range in 1428 at the beginning of the Later Le Dynasty. Today, in the pagoda there is still a large bell cast during the reign of King Le Thai To, and the tombs of the monks who contributed to building the pagoda.
During the reign of Le Hien Tong (1740-1786), the pagoda was restored and expanded, including the Lower Pagoda, Middle Pagoda, and Upper Pagoda, spread out on three mountain floors.
The historical relic of Bich Dong Pagoda and the scenic spot of Bich Dong are a harmonious combination of the majestic beauty of caves and mountains with the talent and ingenuity of people. The architecture here is mainly leaning against cliffs and caves, forming a unified, solid block.
In the Trang An cave complex and the Tam Coc-Bich Dong area, there are still many relics and antiques, made of materials such as stone, bronze and wood dating mainly from the Nguyen dynasty.
The scenery of Tam Coc-Bich Dong is said to be most beautiful in the summer, around late May and early June. At this time, the rice fields on both sides of the Ngo Dong River are ripe with bright yellow colour, adding splendor to the scenic spot.
This is also the time when lotus ponds and water lily ponds near Tam Coc are in bloom. Amidst the charming landscape, pink-white lotus ponds and purple water lilies spreading their wings, emitting an ecstatic fragrance. This region is an irresistible check-in point for tourists to the area.
Not only summer, Tam Coc-Bich Dong at other times of the year also still has its own charm. For example, spring from January to March is the ideal time to explore many famous major festivals in Ninh Binh, such as the Truong Yen Festival in Hoa Lu taking place on March 8-10 of the lunar calendar.
The weather in Ninh Binh at this time is cool and the air is fresh. Visitors can participate in the festival, row boats around Ngo Dong river, and enjoy the beautiful natural scenery, charming mountains and water./.
