Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang has long become a famous tourist destination of Ninh Binh land. Coming to this place, you will have the opportunity to look back at the heroic historical picture of the nation and admire the ancient majestic beauty. 

A brief overview of the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang

1.1 Where is the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang? 

Address: located in the center of the East citadel of the ancient capital Hoa Lu, now in the territory of Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province, Vietnam.

Opening hours: from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m

Entrance ticket price: 20,000 VND / person / turn.

Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang is an ancient temple with the age of more than 100 years, located in the cluster of relics in the ancient capital of Hoa Lu. This is the only place in Vietnam to worship King Dinh Tien Hoang, his parents, and sons and commemorate the generals of the Dinh court. This place is one of the architectural wonders of the country expressing gratitude to the hero Dinh Bo Linh and was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site in the Trang An world heritage complex in 2014. If you have the opportunity to experience the trip to Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex , please visit the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang!

The right time to visit the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang

You can visit the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang at any time of the year. But the most ideal time is still the festival of King Dinh Temple. Every year on the 8th day of the third lunar month, tourists from all over the world flock to visit and visit the temple. The festival takes place for 3 days, from March 8 to 10. At this time, the weather is also mild, the dry season has mild sunshine but is relatively cool, suitable for sightseeing. In addition, you can combine going to Bai Dinh pagoda festival. 

King Dinh Temple Festival is one of the special festivals with profound cultural and spiritual values. Every year, on the 8th day of the third lunar month, visitors from all over the world come back to visit the temple. The festival takes place over 3 days, from March 8-10. 

Temple Festival of King Dinh and Temple of King Le (Truong Yen Festival) is held annually in Hoa Lu Ancient Capital (in Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province), where two temples worshiping King Dinh are located. Tien Hoang and King Le Dai Hanh, along with historical figures related to the Dinh – Tien Le dynasties.

Legend has it that, after King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long, local people built a temple on the old foundation of the palace to commemorate the merits of two kings Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh. The Truong Yen festival, organized by the local community, also aims to recognize the great merits of King Dinh and King Le in the construction and defense of the country.

In the past, the preparation of the festival was very elaborate, the participants in the festival together contributed their efforts, so the community’s gratitude tray for the king was sacrificed. Today, when the material conditions are improved, each festival participant prepares a separate ceremony tray to sacrifice to the king, making the communal ceremony arrangement of the village no longer as sophisticated as before.

The festival takes place from March 8 to 10 (lunar calendar), including the following main rituals:

Temple opening ceremony: conducted one day before the festival (March 7th) to make offerings to the gods and two kings, asking for permission to hold the festival. The people who carry out this work are the prestigious seniors of the village, knowledgeable about the tradition.

Water procession: is the opening ceremony for the festival’s opening day (March 8). This is an activity that is attended by a large number of people and local people. The water procession departs from King Dinh temple, arrives at the Hoang Long river wharf, then gets off the boat to the Nhieu tree – The location where water is taken in. When the procession arrives at the temple, part of the water is brought to the inner palace to perform the wood-deck ceremony, the rest is offered to the king’s altar and to the next year’s festival.

Carpentry ceremony: ie the ceremony of bathing the gods, including the statues of King Dinh and King Le. Before carrying out this work, the villagers of Truong Yen offered a ceremony to the gods and asked for permission to do so. The scarf used to cover the statue is usually red; After packing with white water (in procession from Hoang Long river) will cover with fragrant water.

Incense offering ceremony: takes place right after the completion of the carpentry ceremony, at the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang and the temple of King Le Dai Hanh. The incense offering procession has a celebrant, a priest, a deacon and proceeds in the following order: offering incense, chrysanthemum bowing, offering weekly wine, reading wishes.

Ceremonies: also conducted at the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh. To prepare for the sacrifice, the people of Truong Yen sent a highly educated person from the village, knowledgeable in history, to compose a sacrificial essay with content associated with the biographies and merits of the kings during their lifetime. When finished reading, the sacrifice is turned right in the ceremony.

Flag rehearsal: is a performance reminiscent of King Dinh’s childhood. In the current association, there are about 60 students of Truong Yen commune participating in the performance of the Co Lau exercise. Before that, the person in charge of taking the children to the temple to sacrifice to the king, asked permission to do this. When the person in charge of the sacrifice finished, the children went to the king’s ceremony and then went out to perform. After the performance, the group returned to the temple to pay respects to the king, in order to pray for the peace of the hundred families and the prosperity of the country forever.

Drag Thai Binh: done by many people divided into teams, each team is about 50-60 people, wearing uniforms. Each person prepares a bamboo stick about 1.5m long, wrapped in green, red, white paper, tassel cut. The person pulling the letters is wrapped in leggings, wearing canvas shoes, a belt, and a scarf with sequins attached. When arranged into predetermined letters (Thai Binh), the drums rang loudly, the group of people pulled the words to stand still, at this time the word “Thai Binh” appeared.

In addition to rituals associated with religions and beliefs, Truong Yen Festival also has a special attraction because of specific cultural activities, such as swimming and wrestling competitions. These are activities not only for entertainment and health training but also to remember the merits of famous generals under King Dinh, such as Mr. (in charge of infantry)…

Truong Yen Festival has recreated the entire life and career of King Dinh Tien Hoang, from his childhood to the opening of his career. The festival shows the tradition of “drinking water, remembering its source” and respecting the ancestors who had the merit of quelling the 12 warlords who unified Jiangshan in one place, building the first centralized monarchy state. Festivals also play a special role in the spiritual life of the community, bringing positive values ​​to each citizen and the pride of the people. Everyone who comes to the festival wishes the best for himself, his family and the village…

In addition, the festival contains a lot of important historical information, contributing to clarifying a period in Vietnamese history, affirming the national bravery through each historical period.

Some notes you need to know when visiting the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang 

Hoa Lu ancient capital in Ninh Binh or Dinh Tien Hoang temple are both spiritual tourist destinations. When visiting this place, MIA.vn tells you a few points to note below. 

– You need to dress politely and discreetly, not revealing. 

– Maintain order, walk lightly, speak quietly to preserve the sanctity of this place as well as burn incense to pay respects to the kings who have contributed to the country. 

– Not to cause unsanitary, to dispose of garbage in the prescribed place, to damage the landscape of the temple. 

– It is necessary to follow the rules and instructions of the management or guide if you are traveling in groups. 

– You can chat directly with the elders in the management of the monument to gain a deeper understanding of the historical, cultural and architectural values ​​of this place. 

If you visit alone, you should preview the map to make it more convenient for your exploration. 

Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang is a work of historical value as well as architectural value. This place has a great meaning that his father’s generation has worked hard to preserve and preserve until now. Quickly pocket Ninh Binh tourist map and visit King Dinh temple. 

Some notes you need to know when visiting the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang 

Hoa Lu ancient capital in Ninh Binh or Dinh Tien Hoang temple are both spiritual tourist destinations. When visiting this place, MIA.vn tells you a few points to note below. 

– You need to dress politely and discreetly, not revealing. 

– Maintain order, walk lightly, speak quietly to preserve the sanctity of this place as well as burn incense to pay respects to the kings who have contributed to the country. 

– Not to cause unsanitary, to dispose of garbage in the prescribed place, to damage the landscape of the temple. 

– It is necessary to follow the rules and instructions of the management or guide if you are traveling in groups. 

– You can chat directly with the elders in the management of the monument to gain a deeper understanding of the historical, cultural and architectural values ​​of this place. 

If you visit alone, you should preview the map to make it more convenient for your exploration. 

Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang is a work of historical value as well as architectural value. This place has a great meaning that his father’s generation has worked hard to preserve and preserve until now. Quickly pocket Ninh Binh tourist map and visit King Dinh temple. 

In addition, the festival contains a lot of important historical information, contributing to clarifying a period in Vietnamese history, affirming the national bravery through each historical period.