Summer is in full swing, it's just past 9am but after driving for a while, when I opened the car door to take pictures of the lotus ponds and water lilies blooming by the roadside, my glasses were immediately covered with a layer of fog due to the huge temperature difference.
Tam Chuc Pagoda complex makes a strong impression on visitors.
Tam Chuc Pagoda, located in Ba Sao town, Kim Bang district
The first place we went to was Tam Chuc Pagoda, located in Ba Sao town, Kim Bang district. I am a bit allergic to spiritual tourism, so I hesitated for a long time before going to Tam Chuc Pagoda, like "just to know". But when I arrived, I was really attracted. From a small pagoda, surrounded by only lakes and swamps, everything has been invested in and built to become much better and more beautiful. The scenery is like a miniature version of Ha Long Bay on land. The pagodas are arranged reasonably, from afar you can see the clouds, water, mountains and hills looming in the distance, looking quite ghostly.
Only had a small round trip from 10am to 11:40am and then had to leave. When leaving, I sat on the tram and took a look around. The scenery was peaceful, beautiful, clean and pristine. Mountains, water, trees, clouds, flowers and grass blended together in the shimmering midday sun with the wind whistling in my ears. It was truly worth the effort of braving the sun and wind to have a few dozen minutes of happiness like this.
The patterns are extremely impressive and sophisticated.
Tam Chuc Pagoda is truly a rare example of man-made structures making nature more beautiful, larger, more reasonable and more magnificent. I heard that the investor of Tam Chuc Pagoda is also the main unit "carrying stones to build Truong Sa". I really admire and respect businessmen like that.
Ksitigarbha Phi Lai Temple - a pagoda in Liem Son commune, Thanh Liem district
After lunch, we went to Dia Tang Phi Lai Tu - a pagoda in Liem Son commune, Thanh Liem district. We were really surprised by this pagoda. With a prime location: far from the main road to maintain the quiet of the place of practice, the entrance goes through the rice fields, leaning against a hill covered with pine forests all year round. The scenery is beautiful, neat, far different from the bustling and crowded pagodas in the North. The peaceful and elegant architecture is carefully cared for and preserved, making visitors walking around the pagoda feel peaceful, relaxed, nostalgic and... a bit surreal.
What impressed me the most were the layers of small gravels scattered under the rows of stones that make the path to the main gate and the left/right sides of the pagoda. Under the scorching sun, the nuns still wore hats and diligently used brooms to sweep the surface, leveling the gravel layer when any visitors accidentally slipped or stepped on it.
The campus of Dia Tang Phi Lai Pagoda is green.
Nowadays, there are probably not many temples left that truly reflect the Dharma, are peaceful and serene like this. I hope that the temple will maintain its peaceful scenery and quiet atmosphere so that every time I have the chance to visit, I can walk barefoot around the temple, admire the beautiful shrines placed in the middle of ponds with floating water hyacinths and the sound of splashing fish, and hear the sound of prayers somewhere around...
While driving from Tam Chuc Pagoda to Phu Ly City, I looked across the road and saw a sign: Ba Danh Pagoda - 01 km. I intended to go in, but it was just a little after 12 o'clock, right at noon - the time when the Elders believed that visiting temples and shrines is not advisable, so I stopped. Besides, I was both hungry and tired at that time. The sun was scorching hot, and the shirt I was wearing kept getting soaked with sweat, then drying, then soaking wet again, I don't know how many times.
The temple has many beautiful statues and decorations.
Ba Danh Pagoda - located in Danh village, Ngoc Son commune, Kim Bang district
Returning from Dia Tang Phi Lai Pagoda when the sun was setting, Ba Danh Pagoda - located in Danh village, Ngoc Son commune, Kim Bang district - is located next to the famous Day river. The special thing that interested me was that the outside of the main hall of the pagoda was covered with bamboo blinds - a typical style of old Northern houses - to prevent sunlight and rain.
I must have visited hundreds of pagodas, but this was the first time I saw the stone gong in Ba Danh pagoda. The gong (in the bell/gong/drum set that every pagoda has) is usually cast in bronze, but carving it from stone is very difficult: choosing a large and thin stone like this was a feat, carving it so that it wouldn't break, and carving it like this is truly admirable! The sound of the stone gong when struck will probably not be like the sound of a bronze gong, but will be clear and resonant like the sound of a stone instrument from the Central Highlands.
Finally got to see the place in the famous folk proverb: "As deserted as Ba Danh Pagoda".
Finally got to see the place mentioned in the famous folk proverb: "As deserted as Ba Danh Pagoda", but it was indeed deserted. Walking around the spacious pagoda without meeting anyone except a group of young people looking for a place to teach each other... take pictures, with the rustling sound of leaves and trees on Ngoc Mountain nearby.
The capital of Ha Nam is Phu Ly City, although I have been there many times, this is the first time I have visited. The impression of Phu Ly is a fairly clean city. Usually, cities near the sea or near rivers look quite clean, but small. Located in the second smallest province in the country (Ha Nam is only larger than Bac Ninh), Phu Ly's modest area is understandable. Ha Nam has only one city, one town and four districts with a population of less than one million people, but can be proud of its peaceful scenery, prosperous villages, rivers carrying heavy alluvium that have been put into poetry and music, along with ancient, peaceful pagodas and magnificent, beautiful spiritual cultural heritages.
