Visit Tram Pagoda – Hanoi

Go through the monasteries to enter Tram pagoda (Photo: ST)

1. Tram Son Tu – Main Temple

The main temple campus is spacious and airy, surrounded by brick walls. Through the gate to the yard, look to the left is Tram Son Tu. Overall, the temple is located on a high ground, from the courtyard looking up at the temple floor is higher than the head. The pagoda is built with its back leaning against Tram mountain, facing the Day river. This is a familiar way of building feng shui in Vietnamese beliefs, there are rivers and mountains, rivers bring water, which is considered to bring blessings (but must be placed in the right direction, in the right position).

If you notice in the overall premises of communal houses, pagodas, or other spiritual places of worship, the ancients deliberately arranged a lotus pond or a main semicircular lake in front of the door of that temple or communal house. The lake was considered by the ancients as a gathering place for water to bring blessings, a full life, and favorable crops for the people. Having the position of leaning back against the mountain is a complete “mountain embraces water”, bringing a sense of solidity, prosperity, and vitality.

Stepping through the first layer of stone steps, you will reach the courtyard of the main temple, the yard is paved with red bricks decorated with ornamental plants on both sides. Going up the steps to enter the Trung Palace 5 compartments with tiled roofs, the porch columns are built with extremely solid stone. Looking from afar, the temple is nestled next to the mountain, feeling like a small but the “upper-autumn-low-challenge” structure is as solid as a jelly table. Going inside is the Upper Palace and the Harem. The harem is a sanctuary where outsiders are not allowed to enter. Usually only on the first, full moon, and Tet holidays, the monk opens the door of the harem to enter the sack, get used to cleaning, and practice worship.

Inside the pagoda, there are many valuable worship items, as well as unique architectural styles with many delicate carvings on the door and mosaic. In addition, there are many typical relics such as: Pairs of couplets, golden painted diaphragms, altars, altars, Buddha statues…  

2. Long Tien Cave – Hang Pagoda

Hang Pagoda is located right next to the main pagoda, taking advantage of the natural terrain at the foot of Tram mountain, there is a large cave with the entrance about 7 m wide and about 3 m high. Deep inside there is a worshiping Buddha image, above the cliffs engraved with poems in Chinese characters. When you go deep into the cave, you feel like entering another world, the space is extremely cool, walking outside in the hot weather, but entering the cave, you will feel like you are immersed in a natural air-conditioned room.

Connecting with the roof of the cave is the top of a rocky mountain with an altitude of about 30-40 m. Standing in the cave looking up feels like a small skylight with water flowing along the cliffs creating stalactites. In the cave, there is also a drainage system, but there is still a rather large natural water tank with water flowing down, it is difficult to describe the attraction of the water here, clear, cool, pure…

Previously, the only light source of Long Tien cave was from the skylight on the roof, to see the way clearly, objects in the cave had to bring a flashlight or rent a flashlight outside. Recently, the management board has repaired and installed a lighting system to serve visitors as well as conservation work.

Long Tien cave has quite a lot of Buddha statues, in addition to Buddha images carved on the cliff, outside of the cave on the left is a bronze bell, a medium-sized bronze bell, and some human figures holding a hand. The spear was carved in stone. Although it is a small cave, Long Tien will surely bring you many interesting discoveries and an unforgettable feeling of pure air.

This is also the place to mark the history of President Ho Chi Minh when he worked and issued a call to the national resistance to move people’s hearts in 1946.

3. Vi Vo Temple

From the main temple going uphill about 800 m is Vi Vo pagoda, a temple belonging to the complex of Tram pagoda relics. Vi Vo Pagoda is located on a small rocky mountain, from the bottom to go to the temple pass more than 100 stone steps. The space in this area is cool, next to the fields are fields and there are many lakes and ponds.

Coming to Tram pagoda complex, you will not only be satisfied with spiritual joy but also be satisfied with the unique landscape here. After visiting all the temples and caves, you can try rock climbing. There are two main ways to climb, one is next to Long Tien cave, the terrain is quite steep, you have to climb the rock formations, overcome the luxuriant bushes to reach the top. Going this way is for those who love adventure. Second, you go around the main road and follow the path behind the main pagoda to go up Tram mountain. The whole Tram mountain is a large rock, there are quite interesting cat ears rock outcrops, of course you should be careful in every step to go up the mountain safely.

Tram mountain area is a famous picnic place for young people on weekends. Standing on the mountain, the space seems to be reduced to your eyes, in the distance are green fields and fish ponds with a rural character. Looking far to the south, there is a small mountain range where the relic of the Hundred Gian pagoda is located.

Around Tram mountain, there are quite a few other rocky mountains, but due to the people’s occupation, most of the natural stone is exploited. There are mountain peaks on the top of which stone blockhouses are built, but the people exploiting the stone at the bottom of the mountain are left alone with the stone blockhouses precarious in the sky.

4. Tram Pagoda Festival

Tram Pagoda Festival takes place from the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month, visitors from all over the world can attend the festival of sightseeing and worshiping Buddha in the fresh space of spring. Especially in the third lunar month, you will see the red color around Tram mountain of rice flowers. Immerse yourself in the vibrant spring colors.

During the festival of Tram Pagoda, many games with Vietnamese cultural characteristics are held: wrestling, cock fighting, human chess, soccer, bamboo bridge…

Outside the festival activities take place, inside the rituals are still held in sequence. In early spring, go to Tram pagoda to pray for health, peace, and favorable reputation.

Hopefully, the article will give you a lot of useful information about the location of Tram pagoda, as well as explain why the temple attracts many young people. Wish you have meaningful and happy cultural and spiritual tours.