(HBO) – After years of implementation, a project to restore and upgrade the historical and cultural relic site of Thac Bo Temple has been completed, making it an attractive cultural, historical and spiritual tourism destination next to Hoa Binh Lake in the northern province of Hoa Binh.
The project covers about
4,500 square metreson Hang Than hill in Pho Bo hamlet, Vay Nua commune of Da Bac district. The
beautiful natural landscapes are surrounded by forests with diverse biological
systems and spectacular caves and limestone mountains.
Some items that have been accomplished include
the main temple, two houses in the left and the right, the temple’s three-door
gate, and auxiliary works. The site was constructed based on historical
documents and legendary stories about the site, ensuring the religious,
spiritual requirements as well as visitors’ demand for discovering the local
history and culture.
The Stele
of Le Loi in the Thac Bo
Templein Vay Nua commune, Da Bac district, is attractive to visitors who wish to
discover the culture and history.
Thac Bo (Bo Waterfall), which was formerly Van
Bo waterfall, is formed by hundreds of rocks of different sizes, which look
like a giant herd of elephants on the bawling Da River.
Poet, encyclopaedist Le Quy Don wrote in his
book that: "The waterway of Da River, with tough waterfalls and rapids,
comprises 83 renowned waterfalls, of which Van Bo is the most dangerous one”.
The legend has it that the Bo Temple worships
Thac Bo Goddesses Dinh Thi Van, a Muong woman, and another unknown woman from
the Dao ethnic minority group, who supplied Le Loi King with food and boats to
overcome the Bo waterfall to reach Muong Le in Son La to fight Deo Cat Han
rebels.
After they died, their souls often came back to
help people pass the waterfall safely, blessing locals with good weather
conditions. Therefore, local residents honoured them as the Goddesses and built
the temple to worship them. King Le Loi also honoured their efforts and ordered
the construction of the temple.
The building of the temple and the worshipping
of the Thac Bo Goddesses showed the people’s wish for peaceful and happy lives,
which also reflects their respect for the nature and the God, and the spiritual
beauty of local residents.
The Le Loi Stele is also known as the Hao Trang
ancient stele, which is made of a huge rock on the side of Thac Bo mountain in
Hao Trang commune, former Da Bac district. The smoothed limestone rock is over
4m in height, forming a plain surface with a thickness of 1.5m and height of
nearly 1m.
The poem carved in the Le Loi’s stele in Thac Bo
is said to be made with his sword on his way back to the capital after he
successfully fought the Deo Cat Han rebels.The poem’s major meaning is "I pass
this place after fighting Deo Cat Han. I write a poem to show the younger
generations tactics to combat the enemy”.
The poem not only affirmed the sovereignty of
the nation at that time, but also educated those with rebelling plots and highlighted
his military talent and wish for a peaceful nation.
The complex of Thac Bo temple and Le Loi Stele
has beautiful landscapes, making it a peaceful spiritual, cultural, historical
site for visitors both in and outside the province./.
Spanning thousands of hectares and winding gracefully along mountain slopes, hillsides, and riverbanks, the terraced rice fields of Lac Son District present a stunning and captivating beauty. This region, renowned for its remarkable terraced landscapes, is also the centre of Hoa Binh Culture known for numerous archaeological sites.
The life of Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district has improved much thanks to tourism development.
The man-made Hoa Binh Lake, with a water surface area of approximately 9,000 hectares and a capacity of 9.45 billion cubic meters, stretches over 200 kilometers from Hoa Binh to Son La provinces. With the goal of developing into a national tourism area, the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area is expected to not only become the largest tourism centre in the province but also one of the 12 key tourist destinations in the northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam.
Da Bia hamlet, now Duc Phong, in Tien Phong commune, Da Bac district, was once almost isolated from the outside as the only way to the hamlet was to get a boat ride across the Hoa Binh reservoir. However, as its tourism potential has been unleashed, the hamlet has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations on the tourism map. It has even received the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Awards in 2019.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province welcomed over 684 thousand visitors to visit and relax. In which, over 516 thousand domestic visitors and more than 168 thousand international visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 821 billion VND.
Da Bac district, bestowed with stunning landscapes, is developing ecological and resort tourism offerings. Several tourist sites, put into operation this year, has attracted throngs of high-spending and young domestic visitors.