Bai Dinh Pagoda Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh, Vietnam, in addition to the values ​​​​brought by the natural landscape, this place also possesses the ancient beauty of a long-standing culture and history. In Ninh Binh, there is a beautiful Bai Dinh pagoda that captivates people’s hearts. The pagoda is a massive and magnificent Buddhist architectural complex, known as the largest pagoda in Vietnam. If you have the opportunity to visit Ninh Binh, immediately add Bai Dinh Pagoda to your travel notebook. Now, let’s learn about this temple with Smile Travel through the article below.

1. Introduce about Bai Dinh Pagoda

Today, when many architectural works are springing up, Bai Dinh Pagoda still retains its own cultural beauty and holds many regional and world records. Currently, the pagoda is located in Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province, about 100km from Hanoi city center and about 23km from Ninh Binh city. The temple is open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., so visitors can comfortably take their time to visit all the attractions in the temple. So what is it about Bai Dinh Pagoda that attracts tourists so much? Join us to learn about the history of Bai Dinh Pagoda.

1.1. Bai Dinh Pagoda history

Thousands of years ago, the kings of the three feudal dynasties of Vietnam: Dinh, Early Le and Ly all attached great importance to Buddhism, so at that time they built many ancient pagodas, and Bai Dinh pagoda was one of them. The pagodas were built on top of the Trang An mountain range. Although it was formed during the Dinh Dynasty, the pagoda still carries many architecture and antiques of the Ly Dynasty.

In 1997, Bai Dinh Pagoda was recognized as a National Historical – Cultural – Revolutionary relic, attracting many Buddhists and tourists to visit. Through many ups and downs of history, Bai Dinh Pagoda has been restored and rebuilt many times.

Today, Bai Dinh Pagoda has an area of ​​80 hectares with massive architecture, giant Buddha statues and the pure, peaceful atmosphere of a meditation place. After stepping through the temple gate, you will admire the arhat corridor running along the temple grounds along with the system of green trees surrounding the temple, especially the Bodhi tree brought from Indian temples. 

Join Smile Travel to discover 9 Vietnamese and Asian records of Bai Dinh Pagoda:

(1) Asia’s largest gold-plated bronze Buddha statue: The Shakyamuni Buddha statue at the Shakyamuni Buddha Palace is cast in bronze and gold-plated, with a massive size, worthy of being one of the largest Buddha statues in Asia.

(2) The largest bronze Maitreya Buddha statue in Southeast Asia: The Maitreya Buddha statue placed outdoors, with its giant size, is one of the outstanding highlights of the pagoda.

(3) The longest Arhat corridor in Asia: Arhat corridor with hundreds of stone Arhat statues, creating a majestic and unique space.

(4) The largest bronze bell in Vietnam: The bronze bell at the bell tower of Bai Dinh Pagoda has the largest size and weight in Vietnam, the bell ringing throughout the temple space.

(5) The pagoda has the most Arhat statues in Vietnam: With hundreds of Arhat statues, Bai Dinh Pagoda deserves to be the pagoda with the most Arhat statues in Vietnam.

(6) The pagoda has the largest bronze statue of Tam The in Vietnam: The set of Tam The statues at Tam The Palace is cast in bronze with a massive size, creating a sacred space.

(7) The pagoda has the largest well in Vietnam: The well in the pagoda grounds is very large, providing water for the pagoda’s activities.

(8) The pagoda has the largest Mother Goddess worship area in Vietnam: The Mother Goddess worship area at Bai Dinh Pagoda was built on a large scale, meeting the spiritual needs of the people.

(9) The largest pagoda in Vietnam: With a very large total area and many massive architectural works, Bai Dinh Pagoda is considered the largest pagoda in Vietnam.

1.2. Bai Dinh Pagoda ticket

According to our updates, the latest ticket prices to visit Bai Dinh Pagoda are as follows:

Ticket to visit the stupa (adult)	60.000 VND
Ticket to visit the stupa (children from 1m-1m3)	40.000 VND
Round-trip tram (adult)	100.000 VND
Round-trip tram (children from 1m-1m3)	70.000 VND
Round-trip tram combo – stupa tour (adult)	150.000 VND
Round-trip tram combo – stupa tour (children from 1m-1m3)	100.000 VND
Children under 1m	Free

 

2. Instructions on how to get to Bai Dinh Pagoda

If departing from Hanoi, to move to Bai Dinh Pagoda, visitors can refer to some of the following transportation methods:

You can choose to ride a motorbike or car along the highway. On the way, you will admire many green fields or see images of peaceful, gentle villages.

If you want to relax and move slowly, you can choose to take the train from Hanoi Station to Ninh Binh station with ticket prices from only 130,000 VND. After arriving at Ninh Binh station, you can take a taxi or motorbike taxi to Bai Dinh Pagoda in about 30-40 minutes.

In addition, if you are traveling in a group and are worried about which cheap means of transportation to choose, please contact Smile Travel via hotline/ WhatsApp: (+84) 941776786 for assistance in booking a shuttle bus/ limousine from Hanoi to Ninh Binh with extremely cheap prices.

Tourists can refer to some Hanoi – Sapa – Ninh Binh – Halong Bay tours with us:

>> Tour 2D1N Hanoi – Trang An – Bai Dinh Pagoda – Tam Coc with Smile Travel

>> Tour 4D3N Hanoi – Hoa Lu – Tam Coc – Halong Bay

>> 6D5N Hanoi – Sapa – Halong Bay Tour (1 Night in Halong City)

3. What to visit and experience at Bai Dinh Pagoda

At Bai Dinh Pagoda, visitors can explore the following attractions:

Tam The Palace

Tam The Palace is the main and largest palace of Bai Dinh Pagoda, located on a prime, high location, bringing a feeling of majesty and sacredness. This palace was built on a massive scale, with unique architecture and bold traditional culture. The temple is very large in size, with a dome height of up to 34m, 59.1m long and more than 40m wide. With 3 curved roof floors, covered with dark brown Bat Trang tube enamel tiles, creating a harmonious and magnificent whole. The reliefs and patterns are intricately carved on columns, rafters, and walls, imbuing traditional culture. Tam The Palace worships three Buddhas representing the past, present and future, symbolizing the longevity and development of the universe. Therefore, visitors can enter the temple to pray, pray for peace, health and luck for themselves and their families.

Shakyamuni Buddha Hall

Shakyamuni Buddha’s Palace is one of the most prominent and sacred architectural works of Bai Dinh Pagoda. This place is not only a spiritual destination but also a symbol of the temple’s cultural and architectural wealth. The dome of the palace is designed high and wide, creating a feeling of airiness and sanctuary. The gold-plated bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is located in the center of the temple. With its massive size, it is one of the largest Buddha statues in Asia. The Buddha statue symbolizes enlightenment, compassion and wisdom, giving people faith and hope.

Arhat Corridor

The La Han corridor is one of the prominent highlights and attracts a large number of tourists when coming to Bai Dinh Pagoda. With its massive scale and profound meaning, this corridor deserves to be considered one of Vietnam’s architectural and spiritual masterpieces. The corridor stretches hundreds of meters, with hundreds of houses connected together, creating a massive and majestic architectural space. The Arhat statues are carved from monolithic green stone, with delicate and meticulous lines, each statue is about 2-2.5m high, weighing 2-4 tons, demonstrating the majesty and power of God.  500 Arhat statues, each Arhat statue has a different charisma and posture, showing the psychological states and different stages of practice of the Arhats. The Arhat Corridor is likened to a path leading to Buddha’s realm, where visitors can feel purity and peace.

Bell Tower

Bai Dinh Pagoda Bell Tower is not simply the place where the largest bell in Vietnam is located, but also a unique architectural work, demonstrating the sophistication and talent of the Vietnamese people. The tower was built according to traditional architecture, imbued with Asian culture. The tower is octagonal, 3 floors high, with soft curving lines and a sturdy column system. Each floor of the tower is decorated with sophisticated patterns, creating a harmonious and beautiful whole. The highlight of the bell tower is Dai Hong Chung, one of the largest bells in Vietnam. The bell is cast in bronze, has a massive size, and has a warm, resonant sound, bringing a feeling of serenity and relaxation to the listener.

Statue Garden

The statue garden displays many different types of statues, from statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, to Arhats and Vajra, each statue has its own meaning and beauty. The statues are crafted from many different materials such as bronze, stone, and wood, creating a richness and diversity of colors and materials. Besides compact statues, the statue garden also has large statues of massive size, creating an impressive highlight for the space. The garden is surrounded by green trees, creating an airy, quiet and close to nature space.

Ngoc Well

According to legend, Ngoc Well has existed for a long time and is said to be the place where Zen Master Nguyen Minh Khong collected water to make medicine for the king and people. The well is circular, has a large diameter, and the water is clear and cool all year round. That’s why local people often call this “magic well” or “dragon eye”.

Phap Chu Palace

Phap Chu Palace is one of the outstanding architectural works of Bai Dinh Pagoda, carrying with it solemn beauty and profound spiritual meaning. This place is not only a place of worship but also a space for monks, nuns, Buddhists and tourists to seek peace and cultivate their minds. The palace is decorated with elaborate horizontal panels, couplets, and reliefs depicting Buddhist images and meaningful verses.

Bright and dark cave

Although the cave is about 25m deep and 15m wide, it still has enough natural light. Inside is where the Buddha statue is located and going all the way to the end of the cave, you can turn to the sacred Cao Son temple. In the middle there is also a natural water well that keeps the air cool. Here, mothers and fairies are worshiped.

Stupa

Bai Dinh pagoda stupa is located west of Tam The palace, standing out among the massive architectural complex of the pagoda. The stupa with a hexagonal shape includes 13 floors, 99 meters high, and is considered one of the tallest stupas in Southeast Asia. Inside the stupa are placed Buddha relics, an extremely precious and sacred relic, brought back from India. Worshiping Buddha’s relics shows people’s respect for Buddha.

4. Share experiences of visiting Bai Dinh Pagoda

Bai Dinh Pagoda reviews, we find that the most suitable time to visit Bai Dinh Pagoda is in the spring (from January to March of the Vietnamese lunar calendar). This is the time when the weather is warm and pleasant, very suitable for outdoor activities and temple ceremonies at the beginning of the year. Bai Dinh Pagoda often organizes many festivals and cultural activities on this occasion, creating a joyful and vibrant atmosphere. However, at this time there are quite a lot of tourists traveling in spring so it can be very crowded. If you don’t like this hustle and bustle, you can visit Bai Dinh pagoda in the fall because the weather is cool at this time. Fresh air, very suitable for you to enjoy the quiet and peaceful space of the temple.

When visiting Bai Dinh Pagoda, you should note the following things to make your pilgrimage complete and meaningful:

• You should wear discreet clothes and avoid wearing revealing or offensive clothes when entering the temple
• Avoid talking loudly or making noise that affects others
• Do not litter, do not pick flowers, or break branches
• Avoid touching or drawing freely on statues and worship objects to protect cultural heritage
• To create a quiet space for yourself and those around you, you should turn off your phone ringer.

With such unique historical, cultural and architectural values, Bai Dinh Pagoda Ninh Binh deserves to be one of the spiritual symbols of Vietnam. Please visit Bai Dinh Pagoda to learn about the profound cultural values ​​of the pagoda and understand why the pagoda attracts so many visitors. 

Smile Travel is pleased to accompany tourists on Vietnam package tours, cruise tours on Ha Long Bay as well as support tourists with car booking services, restaurants, air tickets, hotels, etc. .. So tourists, please trust and choose Smile Travel on your journey to discover the endless beauty of Vietnam.

 

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