Bai Dinh Pagoda is a spiritual scenic spot in Ninh Binh province, which welcomes thousands of Buddhist pilgrims every year. Find out the experience of traveling to Bai Dinh pagoda.Referring to the famous tourist destination in Ninh Binh, it is impossible not to mention Bai Dinh Pagoda. If you are intending to travel here, surely this article will help you learn more specifically about the complete Bai Dinh Ninh Binh pagoda travel experience from A – Z.

Where is Bai Dinh Pagoda?

Bai Dinh pagoda is located in Bai Dinh mountain, Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district , Ninh Binh province, about 97km long from Hanoi and 12km from Ninh Binh city.

This pagoda covers an area of ​​up to 539 hectares . This includes 27 hectares of the ancient Bai Dinh pagoda area and 80 hectares of the new Bai Dinh pagoda area.

When is the best time to visit Bai Dinh pagoda?

From January to March of the lunar calendar in the spring, the weather here is extremely warm and also the best time to go to Bai Dinh Trang An. You can combine spring sightseeing, pagoda ceremony to pray for good luck and participate in major festivals in both Trang An and Bai Dinh.

How to move to Bai Dinh pagoda?

You can refer to some popular ways to move to Bai Dinh pagoda below:

• Going by motorbike : To limit costs, you can actively travel by motorbike to Ninh Binh. In this way, you move along National Highway 1A to the city center then follow the signposts to Bai Dinh.
• By bus : From Hanoi, you can catch a bus to Ninh Binh from Giap Bat and My Dinh bus stations. Ticket price is about 70,000 – 80,000 VND/person. Stop at Ninh Binh bus station, you continue to take a bus or taxi for about 130,000 VND / time to Bai Dinh pagoda area.
• By train : With this way, you get on the train from Hanoi and get off at Ninh Binh station. From here you can take a bus or take a taxi to Bai Dinh. Train ticket price ranges from 70,000 to 120,000 VND/person depending on seat class.

How to move at Bai Dinh pagoda?

Visitors who choose to take the tram will wait for the car at the waiting area, then move 3.5km of asphalt to go straight to Tam Quan gate of Bai Dinh pagoda. The latest price of the tram ticket from the parking lot to the Tam Quan gate in 2022 is:

• Ticket price for Bai Dinh pagoda tram for adults : about 30,000 VND / ticket / time ⇔ about 60,000 VND / round trip ticket.
• Tram ticket price for children : Under 1m is free of charge, above 1m is charged as an adult.

Introduction to Bai Dinh Pagoda

Overall, Bai Dinh architecture is like a standard feature for ancient pagoda architecture in Vietnam, especially the temple area invited to build has massive works. The roof of the main temple is extremely beautiful, consisting of 3 floors and 12 curved roofs in the shape of a knife head, roofed with tiles in the shape of a traditional comedy nose. The step is decorated with stone dragons in the Ly Dynasty style, the large stone yard looks directly down to the jade well.

Around the long corridor of the Arhat statue that surrounds the temple grounds, there are also small gardens planted with green trees, the most planted tree by the temple is the Bodhi tree extracted from the temples in India. The space of Bai Dinh pagoda is extremely pure and airy, an ideal place for Buddhist monks and nuns to come to worship and practice.

Attractions around Bai Dinh Pagoda

Coming to Bai Dinh Pagoda , you can prioritize visiting some highlights with many mysterious legends.

Light cave, dark cave

Passing 300 stone steps up to the three-way gate, before turning into the gate, look to the side of the slope, there is a fork leading to the light and dark caves. Bright cave is a place to worship God and Buddha, as the name suggests, there is enough natural light, right outside the door there are statues of two majestic gods with fierce faces, deep inside is a place to worship Buddha. The cave is about 25 m deep, 15 m wide, about 2 m high, going all the way to the end of the cave you will go to the sacred Cao Son temple.

The dark side of the cave is arranged with a lighting system to create a quite fanciful scene, above the stalactites formed by underground water. The steps of the path are vividly decorated with winding dragons. In the middle, there is a natural water well that regulates the air, making visitors feel cool when entering the cave. Here, there are statues of mothers and fairies, many worshiping statues are placed deep in the rock nooks and have their own worshiping objects.

Temple of Saint Nguyen

Also from the fork at the top of the slope (towards the gate of the three gates), going in is to worship Saint Nguyen. The temple is an architectural item of the Bai Dinh pagoda complex built in the position of a mountain looking at the river. In the temple, there is a statue of Zen master Nguyen Minh Khong. Once going up the mountain to find medicine for the king, he accidentally discovered a beautiful cave, so he built a temple to worship Buddha. He is not only a famous celebrity who dispenses medicine to help people, but he is also respected as the ancestor of bronze casting. For a long time, he worked hard to research and understand the origin of Dong Son civilization in ancient Vietnam, collect antique bronzes in order to restore the lost traditional bronze casting.

To commemorate and record the merits of Zen master – famous physician Nguyen Minh Khong, people have carved statues on Bai Dinh pagoda. In addition, he is also worshiped in many places throughout Ninh Binh province.

The overall architecture of the temple follows the most pre-posterous style. The front part is designed in the style of Nhat, while the rear part is designed in the style of Cong, “Tien Nhat Hau Cong” firmly creating traditional harmonious architecture. Inside, there are many vividly carved ancient architectural pieces, fresh flowers, strong dragons and unicorns.

Well of Jade

Here, it is said that Zen master Nguyen Minh Khong took a decoction of medicinal herbs for the king and the people. Around the stone railing forming a large circle, standing from the top of the main hall looking down at the Ngoc well stands out among the large green covered campus, the emerald green water color is the highlight in the overall Bai Dinh pagoda . This is also the largest pagoda well recorded in Vietnam.

Some things to note when going to Bai Dinh Trang An pagoda

• You should bring comfortable sports shoes instead of high heels or doll shoes to protect your feet as well as for ease of movement because you will have to climb mountains and climb temples a lot. Should choose polite clothes when entering the temple, comfortable clothes should not wear tight, sweat-proof clothes.
• At Bai Dinh Pagoda, there are many stalls selling souvenirs and attractive specialties. However, the price on the mountain is much higher than outside. Therefore, if you buy specialties as gifts, you should go down to the foot of the mountain to find a cheaper price.
• In early spring, there is often a light drizzle, so you should bring a small folding umbrella as a backup
• Remember to bring change when going to temples and donating. Avoid spending money on Buddha statues that detract from the beauty of the temple, but instead you should put it right in the merit boxes here.