Every time I go to Ninh Binh, I always remember the folk song: “Ninh Binh land has Non Nuoc pagoda. Phi Dien mountain, Hoi Hac around. When you come back, don’t forget me.” The Van River flows through Ninh Binh city and then merges with the Day River to form a large trading port. Duc Thuy mountain (Non Nuoc) is located at this junction. High above all year round is covered with green trees, lush grass and flowers tilting to reflect on the Van River.

Museum of “Poetry” on the cliff

For a long time, people still call Duc Thuy “Poetry” mountain, because it has been brought here by people from all over the world to write poems and engrave words. The name Duc Thuy was given by poet Truong Han Sieu more than 700 years ago. Duc Thuy is imagined through a mountain shaped like a bird bathing in the river. The bird’s beak is the mountain seam protruding into the Van River because the waves of the sea have long ago eroded into the foot of the mountain, creating a magical precarious rock arch.

Moreover, the first person to engrave the poem on the cliff was also the poet Truong Han Sieu with the autograph “Duc Thuy Son carved stone”. After that, writers of the same time or in other dynasties all came to write poems and guestbooks on the cliff praising the beauty of this place. Those are famous poets such as Nguyen Trai, Le Thanh Tong, Le Hien Tong, Ngo Thi Si, Ngo Thi Nham, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc..

Statue of hero Luong Van Tuy on the top of Mount Thuy.

Truong Han Sieu is the founder of the tradition of carving poetry into the mountains in Ninh Binh, creating a unique cultural beauty of the nation.

After Truong Han Sieu had the poem “Duc Thuy Son” engraved (now no longer available), the kings and famous guests allowed many poems to be engraved in the mountains, including: Dr. Pham Su Manh, King Le Thanh Tong ( 1442 – 1497), King Le Hien Tong (1461 – 1504), King Le Tuong Duc (1455 – 1516), Detective Nguyen Huy Oanh (1713 – 1789), Doctor Ngo Phuc Lam (1722 – 1784), Doctor Ngo Thi Nham (1746 – 1803), Provincial Government of Ninh Binh Ton That Tinh, Emperor Pham Van Nghi (1805 – 1881), Vice Chairman Bui Van Di (1833 – 1895), Doctor Nguyen Trong Hop (1834 – 1902) engraved 2 Posts, Dr. Nguyen Tai, Minister of Ninh Binh Nguyen Huu Tuong carved 2, Nirvana of Ninh Binh Nguyen Dinh Chuan engraved 2, Doctor Tu Dam (1862 – 1936) carved 3, poet Tan Da (1888 – 1939) ), Vice President of Tu Thiep (1866 – ?), Confucian Tribune Quan Tran Tam, Nguyen Dinh Giac, Trifu Yen Mo Pham Huy Toai,The week of Ninh Binh Phan Dinh Hoe (1876 – 1954), the week of Ninh Binh Bui Thien Co carved 2 articles, the week of Quang Yen Nguyen Van Dao, especially a Chinese man who lived in the reign of Emperor Qian Long, Pham Ba Dan also There are poems carved in the mountains.

Thus, at present, on Duc Thuy mountain, there are only 30 poems (30 poetic autographs) carved by 24 authors, including 23 poems in Chinese, a single poem in Nom script of the Nho Quan Tri government. Tran Tam, 6 poems carved with Quoc Ngu script by 6 authors: Nguyen Dinh Chuan, Tu Dam, Tan Da, Tu Thiep, Nguyen Dinh Giac, Pham Huy Toai. (Some books and articles written on Duc Thuy mountain, currently 44 stele with 41 poems are incorrect).

Of course, Duc Thuy mountain also has some carved poems, but because the French colonialists destroyed the mountain and built a blockhouse on the mountain, now there are no more, only 30 poems.

According to some ancient Chinese books, it is still recorded that 9 authors have 10 poems in Chinese carved on the mountain (currently on the waterfall) are: Truong Han Sieu, Nguyen Huu Nghi, Hoang Quynh Liet, King Thieu Tri, Tien Artists Truong Quoc Dung, Bui Huy Tung, Emperor Nguyen Tu Gian, Emperor Le Huu Thanh, Tran Phu Ninh Binh Tran Thien Chinh have 2 articles. On Duc Thuy mountain, these 10 poems could not be found.

In addition, Duc Thuy mountain is also engraved with the article “Duc Thuy Son Linh Te tower signing” by Truong Han Sieu written in 1343; The Holy Order of Emperor Tran Minh Tong is engraved in the Thieu Phong era, the year of the Ox (1349) of the reign of King Tran Du Tong; documents related to land, boundaries and ancient places; offerings, land of two princesses Huyen Tu and Hue Thuc; The stele “Nhat Ky Thien Long often holds the three treasures” (no longer on the mountain, only fragments remain); The stele “Northern long ten poles …” (no longer on the mountain, the piece of stone fell to the foot of the mountain); Especially, there is a large stele with the name Thieu Phong in the 2nd year of Nham Ngo (1342) talking about the construction and opening of the spring temple festival. Thus, the prose carved stele has only about 8 articles.

(Some books and newspapers written on Duc Thuy mountain today still carved 16 texts, which is incorrect).

In addition to many poems and inscriptions carved on the mountain, there are hundreds of other ancient metal poems written in Duc Thuy mountain bay by kings and poets such as: Tran Anh Tong, Thieu Tri, Nguyen Trai, Le Quy Don, Cao Bat Quat, Ninh Ton, Nguyen Khuyen, Nguyen Van Sieu, Nguyen Xuan On, Pham Van Nghi, Nguyen Quy Thu, Tran Thien Chinh, Le Huu Thanh, Nguyen Mien Tham, Vu Duy Thanh, Vu Pham Khai, Doan Trien, Vu Pham Ham, Nguyen Tu Gian, Tran Van Can, Nguyen Trong Hop, Truong Dang Que, Nguyen Can Mong, Tran Tu Man, Nguyen Thuong Hien, Vu Bang Hanh, Hoang Tao, Phan Dinh Hoe, Nguyen Van Thuat, Tran Thanh Tien, Pham Nhu Khue, Vu Tien Cu, Dao Nguyen Pho, Nguyen Tu Du, Ngo Vi Lam. Nguyen Huu Nghi, Hoang Quynh, Truong Quoc Dung, Tran Tu Thanh, Ngo The Vinh, Le Danh De, Dang Thach Ha, Bui Huy Tung, Pham Hy Luong, Nguyen Tai, Dang Huy Xan, Luong Ngoc Di, Le Thi Tu, Ngo Thuan,

No mountain in Vietnam has as many engraved poems as Duc Thuy mountain. The mountain is engraved with 30 poems that have survived in the past 07 centuries, that’s why it is also called Poetry Mountain. Those are priceless literary messages – lasting for generations to come. It also shows the creative talents, sophisticated techniques, and virtuosity of the ancient stone carving artists. Regardless of the time, through many degrees of wind, rain, rain and sunshine of heaven and earth, poems in Chinese, Nom, Quoc Ngu, large handwriting, small handwriting, are respectfully placed in the frame or not, engraved on The cliffs are still not blurred like complete sculptures for the beauty of the mountain, attracting many visitors to come spectacularly, their hearts do not want to leave, their feet do not want to go far, to be immersed in the wonderful scenery of the mountains and rivers. America.

Each poem carved in the mountain has a unique feature that shines like a jewel with many colors, making the mountain even more magical. That “giant bird” has tattooed his body and wings with immortal ancient needle poems. Poetry engraves all the slopes of Duc Thuy, even in the precarious cliffs above and below. These brocade walls, already firmly in the middle of the sky and clouds, immense mountains and water. And so, the beautiful bird bearing poetry, still perched until now.

Not only is the Museum of Natural Creation to store poetry and literature, Duc Thuy mountain is also associated with two cultural and Buddhist architectures.

At the foot of the mountain in the southwest, there is a temple to the cultural celebrity Truong Han Sieu.

Temple construction was started in 1998, completed by the end of 2000.

At the foot of the mountain in the northeast is Non Nuoc pagoda from the past, now rebuilt spaciously and beautifully completed in 2019 to worship Buddha.

These two architectures and Tho Duc Thuy mountain are a unique and special cultural and historical relic cluster of Ninh Binh city, plus the legendary Van river flowing along the middle of Ninh Binh city, “Mount Thuy – Song Van” “created a charming and poetic landscape.