Thai Vi Temple - Sacred temple in the heart of Tam Coc

The harmonious combination of architectural beauty, natural landscape and spiritual culture has turned Thai Vi Temple into an attractive tourist destination, attracting domestic and foreign tourists. Join with Booking Vietnam Tour to explore details about this temple in the article below!

Where is Thai Vi Temple?

Thai Vi Temple Located in Van Lam village, Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province, is a historical and cultural relic located in the Tam Coc – Bich Dong scenic complex.

Visitors can walk from the gate of Tam Coc tourist area to Thai Vi temple along a trail through rice fields and the foot of limestone mountains with beautiful scenery.The distance is about 2 km long, takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour.However, you should note that this trail is quite steep and can be slippery after it rains.

History of Thai Vi temple formation

Thai Vi Temple, also calledTemple of King Thai Tong, is an ancient temple built in the 13th century, associated with the heroic history of the Tran dynasty.

According to historical records, year 1258, After defeating the Mongol army for the first time, King Tran Thai Tong ceded the throne to his son Tran Anh Tong and retired to the Vu Lam mountains (now Tam Coc) to practice.Here, King Tran Thai Tong established Thai Vi hermitage to make a pure place to practice.After King Tran Thai Tong passed away (in 1293), His son, King Tran Nhan Tong, built Thai Vi temple to worship his father.

However, the name “Thai Vi” of the temple is associated with many different explanations such as:

Temple location:

• Thai Vi in Chinese means“North Pole of the Sky”, the residence of God – the supreme god in the conception of the ancients.
• Thai Vi Temple built on topLimestone Mountain highest in Tam Coc area, hidden among the clouds and sky, as if touching the northern pole of the sky.

Remembering King Tran Thai Tong:

• King Tran Thai Tong (1213 – 1277) was a wise king, founder of the Tran dynasty in Vietnamese history.
• After King Tran Thai Tong passed away, the people built itThai Vi temple to worship and commemorate his great contributions.
• “Thai Vi” Also nickname belonged to King Tran Thai Tong as a child.

Taoist philosophy:

• Thai Vi in religion isPalace of the Jade Emperor – the supreme god in the concept of Taoism.
• Thai Vi Temple built accordinglyFeng Shui andTaoist philosophy, expressing people’s respect and wishes for a peaceful, prosperous life.

Architecture of Thai Vi Temple

Thai Vi Temple Built on a high limestone mountain, with unique architecture, bearing the mark of the Tran Dynasty. The temple architecture is built according to style“foreign internal affairs”, meaning that the three main buildings (front hall, middle palace, back palace) are arranged in the shape of the word “cong”, the city wall surrounding the temple area forms the word “national” representing the steadiness, firm andsafe.

Thai Vi Temple built mainly of Greenstone and jackfruit wood. Green stone is used to build walls, temple foundations, steps, jade wells,… and jackfruit wood is used to make pillars, rafters, crossbeams, Buddha statues, god statues, etc. carved decorative details meticulous, carefully and delicate mainly flanking dragon, unicorn phoenix, Twisted rattan pattern,… not too many and diverse but exudes sophistication.

Electricity fee of Thai Vi temple

• There are three rooms, two wings, the roof is covered with funny-nosed tiles, and the ridge is covered with dragons.
• The middle room worships the statue of Tran Thai Tong made of jackfruit wood lacquered and gilded. The two side rooms worship the mandarins and children of King Tran Thai Tong.

Central hall of Thai Vi temple

• There are three rooms, two wings, the roof is covered with funny-nosed tiles, and the ridge is covered with dragons.
• The middle room worships a bronze statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. The two side rooms worship Bodhisattvas.

The back hall of Thai Vi temple

• There are three rooms, two wings, the roof is covered with funny-nosed tiles, and the ridge is covered with dragons.
• The middle room worships the statue of Quan Cong made of jackfruit wood painted with red lacquered and gilded with gold. The two side rooms worship other gods.

Some other areas of the temple

• Altar was placed in the middle of the temple, worshiping the first kings of the Tran dynasty.
• Two rows on the left and right Worshiping mandarins and talented generals of the Tran Dynasty.
• Pearl well located in front of the temple, it is said to be the place to collect water for offerings to the Tran Dynasty kings.
• Temple grounds Spacious and airy with many trees, creating a pure and sacred atmosphere.

Thai Vi Temple is a testament to the prosperity ofTran dynasty, a dynasty famous in Vietnamese history for its glorious victories against foreign invaders. Here also is a place to store a lot of precious historical value, including sacrificial items, stele, relic,…

Experience visiting Thai Vi temple

You can proactively visit Thai Vi temple on your own with the experiences that Booking Vietnam Tour has sharedVisit Trang An heritage complex. However,There is a more convenient and economical way to visit if you do not have too much experience traveling on your own, which is to choose package tours.

HNowadays, there are many tours held atTam Coc – Bich Dong, of which many tours includeVisit Thai Vi temple. Here are somePopular tours have passed byThai Vi temple:

• Tour Tam Coc – Bich Dong 1 day: This is the most basic tour, taking tourists sightseeing round 1 belonging toTam Coc Bay, Ca cave, Hang Hai, Hang Ba andThai Vi temple.
• Tam Coc – Bich Dong tour 2 days and 1 night: This tour allows visitors more time to explore the beauty of Tam Coc and nearby locations, inclThai Vi temple, traditional villages, countryside market,…
• Tam Coc – Bich Dong tour combined with Hang Mua: This tour takes visitors sightseeingTam Coc Bay, Ca cave, Hang Hai, Hang Ba, Thai Vi temple andEnjoy the panoramic view of Tam Coc from the top of Hang Mua.
• Tam Coc – Bich Dong tour combined with Trang An: This tour takes visitors sightseeingTam Coc Bay, Ca cave, Hang Hai, Hang Ba, Thai Vi temple andTrang An relic site.
• Tam Coc – Bich Dong – Dancing Cave – Thai Vi Temple 1 day tour: This tour takes visitors sightseeing round 1 belong toTam Coc Bay, Ca cave, Hang Hai, Hang Ba, Thai Vi temple, Enjoy the panoramic view of Tam Coc from the top of Hang Mua and traditional villages.
• Tam Coc – Bich Dong – Trang An – Thai Vi Temple tour 2 days 1 night: This tour allows visitors more time to explore the beauty of Tam Coc and nearby locations, inclTam Coc Bay, Ca cave, Hang Hai, Hang Ba, Thai Vi temple, Trang An relic site, traditional villages and countryside market,…
• Tam Coc – Bich Dong – Thai Vi Temple eco tour: This tour is for passionate travelers exploring nature and local culture. Visitors will be able to participate in activities such as:kayaking, ride bicycles, Visit craft villages, learn cooking,… andEnjoy specialties of Ninh Binh.
• Tam Coc – Bich Dong – Thai Vi Temple spiritual tour: This tour is for travelers who want to look for peace and peaceful. Visitors will be able to participate in activities such as:pray, drop lights posted, join the festival,… andExperience spiritual culture of Vietnamese.

Notes when visiting Thai Vi temple

Although it is a tourist destination, Thai Vi Temple is still a sacred place of worship, so when visiting the temple, you also need to pay attention to the following points:

Keep the environment clean:

• Put garbage in the right place
• Do not write or draw on monuments or temple objects

Keep silent:

• Do not talk too loudly or argue when visiting
• Do not jostle, push, jostle, etc.

Respect culture:

• Dress politely and elegantly; Avoid overly colorful outfits
• Take off your shoes before entering the temple
• Do not take photos in places with signs prohibiting photography or in places where security guards warn that taking photos is prohibited

Protecting monuments:

• Do not touch or touch relics
• Do not climb on monuments or landscapes around the temple

A little tip: That is, you should choose the time to visit the temple in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the hot sun. Hopefully, with the above suggestions, you can find for yourself the most suitable choice to come and visit the cultural and historical beauty of Thai Vi Temple.