Duc La Pagoda-Yen Dung -Vietnam

Duc La Pagoda, written in ancient scripts as "Vinh Nghiem Tu", is located in Quoc Khanh Hamlet, Tri Yen Commune, Yen Dung District, amongst majestic surroundings.

The area was one of the famous Buddhist centers in the northern area under the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400). Through 12 restorations, the pagoda remains in its original and unique architectural design

The entire complex lies on a horizontal axis, fac­ing Southeast and including four structures: the first comprising of three altars that worship the Protection Genie and Buddha; the second, a bit smaller than the first and with similar architecture, being the first ancestor's hall; the third, a two-storey roofed bell house; and the fourth, the second ancestor's hall and the contemplation room. These structures of different heights stand alone, separated from one another by a small yard. The entire pagoda is surrounded with shade trees and amidst a quiet environment

The villagers here are very proud of Bac Ly bronze recently found in Hiep Hoa District. Its shape and designs are basically similar with those of the Ngoc Lu and Dong Son ancient bronze drums. They are classified as the oldest artifacts and typical for the Dong Son Culture dating back 2,000 years

Besides, there are many ancient relics and worthy of note is Y Son Temple in Hoa Son Commune, Hiep Hoa District, which was built under the Le Dynasty, a cultural and religious work of the entire delta area of the ancient Ha Bac. The temple honours Hung Genie, who supported the legendary Giong Genie to fight the Yin invaders and became genies after their victory.

Built in ancient Vietnamese-style architecture, the Temple has preserved many valuable worshipping items, such as a fan having blades made from ivory, 21 hon­ourable titles conferred by the kings from the Vinh Thinh time (1705-1712) to the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), glazed terra cotta incense burners, stone elephants, wooden horses, etc

Dinh Huong Tomb was built more than 300 years ago with a magnificent architecture to worship an unnamed eunuch in the post-Le Dynasty era (1428-1789). The four surrounding walls of the tomb were made of laterite, which almost remained intact. Inside the tombs, there are stone tigers, horses and elephants placed in different positions.

 
Coming to Luc Nam District, 37km from Bac Giang City, you will visit Suoi Mo, a beauty-spot which is famous for an ancient temple complex. Located in the forest area of Yen Tu-Huyen Dinh belonging to Nghia Phuong Commune, Luc Nam District, the complex comprises of three main temples stretching for more than one km along a stream. They are called the Ha (Low), Trung (Middle) and Thuong (Upper) temples, all worshipping the female Genie of the Mountain considered to be the princess Que Mi, the daughter of King Hung Dinh (the 16th Hung king). Local records say Princess Que Mi was responsible for the clearing of the Mo stream and waterfall to bring water to the locals, helping them build villages and fields for cultivation. Through the ups and downs in history, the temples have preserved valuable worshipping items, together with traditional customs of the seven ethnic groups living in the area.

Bac Giang has been well-known for its Da Dai Vuong tree (Biggest Old Petunia) which is over six centuries old, according to local archives in Tien Luc Commune, Lang Giang District. So far, it has been the biggest of this kind in Vietnam. The tree is not only a sacred symbol in the locals' spiritual life, but also attracts attention from scientists for its historical and scientific values.

According to the commune’s record, in the time of King Canh Hung (1740-1786) the tree was granted a title by the king as “King of the Flora”. In the French Larousse dictionary, it is classified as one of the world’s oldest of this species. The tree features a trunk of rough bark and a large green canopy. It stands at the back of the ancient Vien Son Temple.

There are also many other valuable cultural relics in the ancient land of Bac Giang which sees big development with every passing day.

(Source: Vietnam Pictorial)