1. Where is Bai Dinh Pagoda?

Bai Dinh Pagoda is a large temple complex with many Asian and Vietnamese records, which is established as the temple with the largest gilded bronze Buddha in Asia, the temple with the longest Arhat corridor in Asia, and the Maitreya statue. The largest bronze temple in Southeast Asia... This is the largest temple and owns the most records in Vietnam. The items of construction and expansion of the new temple area were inaugurated by the delegates attending the World Vesak Celebration 2008. In 2010 Bai Dinh Pagoda was the place to hold the first Great Relic of the Buddha.

The pagoda is located at the western gateway of Hoa Lu ancient capital, on National Highway 38B, in Gia Sinh - Gia Vien - Ninh Binh commune, 15 km away from Ninh Binh city, 95 km away from Hanoi. Bai Dinh Pagoda is located in the north of Trang An World Heritage complex.

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2. How to go to Bai Dinh Pagoda

From Hanoi to Ninh Binh

- By bus: You can catch the bus at Giap Bat or My Dinh bus stations and get off at Ninh Binh bus station. Ticket price is about 70,000 - 150,000 VND/pax/time, moving time is about 1h30 minutes.

- By motorbike: You follow the old National Highway 1A through Ha Nam and go in the direction of Ninh Binh - Thanh Hoa.

- By train: Train fare to Hanoi - Ninh Binh is about 90,000 - 200,000 VND/pax/way, depending on the train and the type of seat you choose.

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From Ninh Binh city to Bai Dinh pagoda

From Ninh Binh city to Bai Dinh pagoda is about 15km, so you can rent a taxi or motorbike taxi. Or you can also ride a motorbike to visit other places in Ninh Binh such as Trang An, Hoa Lu ancient capital, Mua Cave...

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3. When is the ideal time to go to Bai Dinh?

Visitors can visit Bai Dinh Pagoda at any time of the year, but if you want to enjoy the bustling atmosphere of the festival, please note: Bai Dinh Pagoda festival takes place from the afternoon of the 1st day of the Lunar New Year, which opens on the 6th day of the Lunar New Year and lasts until the end of March, starting the pilgrimage festivals to the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh province. In addition to the above time of the year, visitors to the temple will enjoy the cultural activities of the festival.

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4. Attractions at Bai Dinh Pagoda

The pagoda is located on the mountainside, between the valleys of lakes and rocky mountains, at the western gateway to Hoa Lu ancient capital. The new temple architecture is monumental, massive, but imbued with traditional identity.

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New Bai Dinh pagoda area

The new Bai Dinh pagoda has been built since 2003 and covers a 80 ha area.

Outside Tam Quan gate

Bai Dinh Pagoda has 3 high and wide outside Tam Quan gates, symbolizing 3 doors to enter the temple. Each gate has 3 doors, built with reinforced concrete and stone-clad outside, with four small curved roofs roofed with stone at the top.

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Inside Tam Quan gate

The inside three-arched-entrances gate was built entirely of Tu Thiet wood,  which is 16.5m high, 32m long and 13.5m wide. The gate has 4 pillars, each column is 13.85m high, 0.87m in diameter and weighs about 10 tons. The roof of the gate has 3 floors with curved shaping on four sides, roofed with dark brown Bat Trang glazed tiles. Inside the gate, there are two bronze guardian statues, each 5.5m high and weighing 12 tons.

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Arhat Corridor

The Arhat Corridor is designed entirely of wood, the roof trusses are structured in the style of a gong rack with a double bed, consisting of 2 rows, 3,400m long with 250 compartments, each space is 4.5m x 4.5m in size. Along the left and right corridors, 500 Arhat statues carved in monolithic stone are placed, crafted by artisans of Ninh Van stone village (Hoa Lu - Ninh Binh). Each statue is 2-2.5m high and about 2-2.5 tons in weight. Each statue reveals a different shape and spirit, expressing the Taoist philosophy with joy, anger, love, and stain in people's daily lives. The Arhat Corridor has been confirmed by the Asian Record Organization as: "The longest corridor of 500 Arhats".

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Bell tower

The bell tower is 22m high, 17m in diameter, bearing the shape of a lotus flower. A special feature in Bai Dinh pagoda is “Great Bell” with the weight of 36 tons was casted and located in Bell Tower. The bell has been certified by the Vietnam Record Book Center with a record confirmation: "The largest bell in Vietnam". Below the bronze bell is a bronze drum cast according to the Dong Son bronze drum model, weighing 13 tons, more than 6m in diameter, and nearly 7m in height.

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Buddha Temple

Quan The Am Bodhisattva is built entirely of wood, including 7 compartments, 14.8m high, 40.4m long, 16.8m wide. In the middle of the hall, there is a statue of Quan De Quan Am with thousand eyes and thousand hands cast in gilded bronze, weighing 80 tons, 9.57m high. The statue has been certified by the Vietnam Book of Records Center as: "The largest bronze statue of Bodhisattva in Vietnam".

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Phong sinh Lake

Phong Sinh Lake has a width of 63m, a length of 77m, an area of ​​​​nearly 5000m2. In the lotus pond. Lotus is a symbol of Buddha and Nirvana. The lake below is yin, the pagoda above is yang. Therefore, Ho Phong Sinh creates a harmonious yin and yang, a beautiful scene of " Mountain in front, Water in behind".

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Phap Chu temple

The main temple of Bai Dinh pagoda worshiping Buddha was built entirely of reinforced concrete and imitation wood. It is nearly 30m high, 44.7m long, 43.3m wide, with an area of ​​1,945m.

In the center of this temple is a bronze Buddha Sykamuni statue with 10 meters high and 100 tons heavy which is certificated as the biggest statue in Vietnam. This statue is casted by the pure bronze bought from Russia, casted and installed by the famous artisans of casting bronze statue in Y Yen, Nam Dinh. Moreover, there are several national records in this temple such as three largest horizontal lacquered boards (Hoanh phi) and three biggest “Cua Vong” (a kind of door which is sophisticatedly sculpted and engraved).

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Tam The temple

In Tam The Temple , there are three Tam The statues representing the past, the present and the future. Each statue is 12 m high and weighs 100 tons. Bai Dinh was confirmed in the record of "The temple has the largest bronze statue of Tam The in Vietnam".

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Bodhi Garden

Bai Dinh is the temple with the most Bodhi trees in Vietnam. On May 17th, 2008, on the occasion of the United Nations Day of Vesak in Vietnam, 100 Bodhi trees from the Indian Bodhi tree were planted on the temple grounds by the leaders of Vietnam and the world.

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Stele house

The stele house consists of 55 compartments, mainly save the names of those who made offerings to build Bai Dinh pagoda. In each compartment has a stone turtle bearing a stone stele on the back. Each stele is 2.9m high, 1.45m wide, 0.40m thick. The stone turtle is 2.95m long. The stone stele in the nave is placed on the highest dragon pedestal, has a 6.9m high (including the pedestal), 3.5m wide, 0.6m thick.

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Maitreya Buddha Statue

Maitreya Buddha statue is located on the top of the highest hill in the temple area, about 100m high above the temple yard. It is the Buddha of the Future, cast in bronze in the incarnation of a monk going begging. The statue is over 10m high and weighs 80 tons.

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Stupa of Bai Dinh Pagoda

The stupa at Bai Dinh Pagoda is a place to display Buddha relics from India. With a height of 100 m, 13 floors, the stupa has an elevator and 72 climbing steps.

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The old Bai Dinh pagoda

It is located on the western slope of Dinh mountain and nestles in quiet forest . The pagoda houses an ancestor-worshipping house in the center, Bright cave on the right-hand side which worships the Buddha, the small temple worshipping Genie Cao Son. In addition, on the left hand side of the pagoda is another temple worshipping Saint Nguyen and next to it is Dark cave that worships the Fairy. With fanciful scenery and quiet atmosphere, the pagoda will make visitors feel likely to live in fairy land and they find peace in their minds.

Bright cave- Dark cave 

God Nguyen temple

Cao Son temple

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5. Reference cost when visiting Bai Dinh pagoda

Because the parking location is about 4 km far from the Tam Quan gate of Bai Dinh Pagoda, most visitors prefer to take a tram rather than walk to the temple, each person has to pay a fee of 30,000 VND / turn, both going and return cost 60,000 VND. 

Tour guide service cost 300,000 VND for new temples, for both new and old temples are 500,000 VND.

The ticket price to enter the stupa is 50,000 VND/per.

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Source: Collected