(HBO) – After restoration, Hang (Cave) Pagoda in Yen Tri commune of Hoa Binh province’s Yen Thuy district still has the unique architectural features of a pagoda in a cave maintained while the landscape improved.
The special feature of the Hang Pagoda in Yen Tri
commune (Yen Thuy district) is that its entire space of worship is located
inside a cave.
Hang Pagoda is the common name of a Buddhist
temple built in Hang Chua (Pagoda Cave), also known as Van Quang Cave. In the
past, it has the courtesy name of Thanh Lam Tu.
The pagoda and the cave accommodating it are
about 85km to the south of the centre of Hoa Binh city, 5km away from Hang Tram
town, and 13km from Nho Quan town of neighbouring Ninh Binh province.
The cave was named Hang Chua (Pagoda Cave) since
two of the four caverns in the mountain house pagodas. The caverns are
decorated with not only the temples’ architecture but also poems and texts
engraved on their stone walls.
Archaeologists also discovered traces of the Hoa
Binh civilisation in Hang Chua such as food vestiges like snail and clam shells
and tool fragments.
Not only the architectural features but the
landscape full of greenery here also makes this place special.
In 1994, the site of Hang Pagoda and Chua Cave
was recognised as a national historical and cultural relic site by the Ministry
of Culture. Since then, the Hang Pagoda festival has been organised at the
beginning of every year, offering an occasion for visitors to admire the unique
pagoda landscape, pray for wealth, and join locals in folk cultural activities.
In 2020, some of the site’s facilities were restored
and built so as to help preserve and bring into play the site’s value./.
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
Recognising the importance of cultural heritage preservation in protecting and promoting the value system of Vietnamese culture, and serving socio-economic development in the new period, Party committees and local administrations in Hoa Binh province have identified it as a key task in the cultural development strategy. The province has been making efforts in mobilising resources, creating consensus among people and engaging ethnic communities in preserving and promoting cultural identity.
Hoa Binh province has captured growing attention both domestically and internationally for its distinctive cultural heritage and rich history. Most notably, it has been renowned for its famous Hoa Binh culture, considered the cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilisation. Looking ahead to significant milestones in 2025 and the 140th anniversary of province establishment in 2026, Hoa Binh Newspaper presents a comprehensive overview of the province's development across economic, social, cultural, tourism, and security domains.
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