Bich Dong Pagoda is one of the oldest and most beautiful shrines of Vietnam. It is located to the southwest of the city of Ninh Binh. For several centuries it has impressed both pilgrims and emperors with its beauty. Today, everyone can see and appreciate it with their own eyes.

Bich Dong Pagoda was built at the beginning of the 15th century. However, it got its modern appearance only at the end of the 18th century thanks to a great Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du. He made it to the shrine and got inspired by its landscape with cliffs, lakes, fields and forests. The poet compared the pagoda with a gem, and this metaphor stuck with this place forever.

It is difficult to imagine all the beauty of Bich Dong Pagoda if you have never seen it with your own eyes. The pagoda has been hidden from prying eyes in the thick greenery of tropical forests and among high cliffs of mountain hills for a long time. There are not many such attractions like the Bich Dong Pagoda. Tourists, who came there for the first time, feel like they are in a dream since everything there is wonderful, mysterious and majestic.

The sanctuary consists of a gallery of temples that were built at different heights. Their unique feature is that they are literally built into karst caves of the mountain. From the outside, their facades look like ordinary Asian pagodas, while inside – they are in all their glory: there are stone vaults of grottoes – an ideal mixture of architecture and nature.

According to the height and the location of the temples, Bich Dong Pagoda is divided into three levels: the lower – Ha, the middle – Trung, and the upper - Thuong. Each of the levels can be reached by a stone staircase, which is carved right in the cliff.

At the bottom, visitors can enjoy the fascinating view of the lake with water lilies. There is a stone bridge built across the lake which leads to the entrance of the pagoda.