Located in the middle of a charming and poetic mountainous area, Thai Vi Temple is not only a sacred ancient temple from ancient times, but also an extremely valuable historical relic, associated with the history of the Tran Dynasty on the land of the ancient capital Hoa Lu.

The scenery of Ninh Hai land, Hoa Lu district, where the sacred Thai Vi temple is located, is a lush green area, with rolling mountains, along with magical caves that have captivated many people. been worn by customers for thousands of generations.

Thai Vi Temple is located in the O Lam forest, in the ancient Vu Lam canton, today in Van Lam village, Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district. The temple is located with its back against Cam Son mountain, facing Ngo Dong river in a quiet, peaceful space.

Classic and unique architectural space

Nestled within the natural landscape like a painting, Thai Vi Temple has an architectural style in the style of “Foreign Noi Cong”. All pillars inside and outside the temple are made of monolithic green stone, the outside is meticulously and elaborately carved with elegant and flexible patterns that are not inferior to those carved on wood. In front of the temple is a jade well also built of green stone, green and jade green all year round. Behind the temple is the majestic Cam Son rocky mountain range. Inside the temple there will be many statues, stone steles and ancient cast bells of great value. The stele tower will record the merits of those who paid tribute to visiting and building the temple.

As soon as you enter the temple, you will see a large dragon yard, about 40 square meters wide, paved with green stones. The main road and dragon yard are both paved with green stones. On both sides will be two rows of Vong houses – where the ancients would discuss rituals. In addition, Thai Vi temple also has Five Great Gates with extremely impressive carved architecture. The outside of the stone column will be carved with prominent parallel sentences in Chinese characters, surrounded by a delicately carved stone porch with two dragons flanking the moon.

From the dragon yard, follow the stone steps with a height of 1.2m to reach (5 large doors) with 6 parallel rows of round stone pillars all carved with dragon kings flanking the front. The outside of the stone pillars are all carved. The porch beams are also made of stone and carved.

Although there are many stone pillars inside Thai Vi temple, the stonemasons have “breathed soul” into each pillar, making them more soulful and artistic. Whether it’s sculpting parallel sentences or commemorating kings of the Tran Dynasty, they all have their own, special features. In Chinh Tam’s examination palace, statues of Tran Dynasty kings will be placed. If in the middle is the statue of Tran Thanh Tong, on the left are the statues of Tran Thanh Tong and Tran Thai Tong, then on the right will be the statue of Queen Mother Hien Tu. Every line on the face is meticulously carved, simulating the portraits of kings.

Participate in the Thai Vi temple festival – the annual national holiday of Ninh Binh province

Every 3 years, in the years of the Rat, Horse, Cat, and Rooster, Thai Vi Temple will hold an extremely large festival on the 14th, 15th, 16th of the third lunar month. Because according to the beliefs of Tam Coc local people, after defeating the Mongol invaders, March 15 is the day the king returned to Thien Truong in Nam Dinh to worship his ancestors and celebrate the victory. Therefore, organizing this festival is also a celebration of the king’s victory, as well as to thank the heroic sacrifices of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation. Thai Vi temple festival is the general village festival. On the afternoon of March 14, Van Lam villagers held a ceremony to open the temple door and process the holy incense bowl to Cac communal house. People believe that in the past, this was the place where mandarins came to report before entering the Vu Lam palace as well as to pay their respects to the Tran kings here. On the morning of March 15, the villages of the ancient Vu Lam canton will process the holy palanquin representing their village to Cac communal house to perform sacrifices.

Thai Vi Temple will definitely be a tourist destination worth your time and effort. The special feature of the temple is not only its beautiful natural scenery like a watercolor painting, but also its unique architecture, tinged with time and unique festivals. When exploring Ninh Binh, you should definitely not miss Thai Vi temple!