Located at the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son ("Jade Mountain") Temple is one of the most famous temples in Hanoi. Tourists in Vietnam Tourism who travel to Hoan Kiem Lake should not ignore this special temple.
Gate to Ngoc Son Temple
Hoan Kiem Lake was already considered the most beautiful lake in Hanoi when
Ngoc Son Temple was built on an island in the 19th century. Initially,
the temple was called Ngoc Son Pagoda and was later renamed Ngoc Son
Temple, since temples are dedicated to saints.
The Huc Bridge
Saint Van Xuong, considered to be one of the
brightest stars in Vietnam's literary and intellectual circles, was
worshipped there. National hero Tran Hung Dao is also worshipped after
he led the Vietnamese people to victory over the Yuan aggressors.
The temple as it is today is the result of
renovations made by Nguyen Van Sieu in 1864. A Confucian scholar, Nguyen
Van Sieu had a large pen-shaped tower built at the entrance of the
temple. On the upper section of the tower, also called Thap But, are
three Chinese characters Ta Thanh Thien, which literally means "to write
on the blue sky” is to imply the height of a genuine and righteous
person's determination and will; Dai Nghien, meaning "ink stand", is
carved from stone resembling a peach placed on the back of the three
frogs on top of the gate to the temple; and The Huc, meaning "where rays
of morning sunshine touch".
Thap But - mean to write on the blue sky
On the way to the temple there are several
parallel sentences (cau doi), written on the walls. These cau doi were
part of traditional word puzzles played by educated individuals.
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