Tam Thanh Lang Son Pagoda is known as “the first eight scenes of Lang Son” and is a spiritual tourist destination not to be missed when traveling to Lang Son. Visiting this famous temple, visitors will admire the unique architecture, mingle with the beautiful natural space like a fairyland.
Where is Tam Thanh Pagoda in Lang Son?
Tam Thanh Pagoda, also known as Tam Thanh Cave, is located in Tam Thanh Ward, Lang Son City, Lang Son Province. This famous temple in Lang land dates back to the Le Dynasty. and become a leading tourist attraction every time they have the opportunity to visit this land. The folk song “Dong Dang has Ky don street, To Thi has Tam Thanh pagoda” is printed in the textbooks of the high school program, so this temple is more and more famous and familiar to anyone. When you come to Lang, you do not go to Tam Thanh Lang Son pagoda, it is indeed a pity and somewhat flawed.
Tam Thanh Pagoda is also known as Tam Thanh Cave
Instructions on how to move to Tam Thanh Pagoda
From Hanoi city center to Lang Son is about 154km and it takes about 2 hours. You can travel by many different means: Bus, train, motorbike are all very convenient. Please refer to the instructions below:
– Bus: There are many buses in My Dinh that run daily at different time frames. Ticket prices range from 100,000 VND to 170,000 VND/way. When coming to Lang Son city center, you can take a motorbike taxi for about 1.7km to reach Tam Thanh Lang Son pagoda.
– Train: Around 6 am, there is a DD3 train that will start running from Hanoi station to Lang Son station. Experience going to Tam Thanh pagoda , choosing to go to the train station is also loved by many young people because they will enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. After arriving at Lang Son station, you can also take a taxi or motorbike taxi for about 30,000 VND to reach this sacred temple.
– Motorcycle: You can choose the form of backpacking to explore more than Lang Son. It takes 4 to 5 hours to travel by motorbike from Hanoi to Lang Son. Follow the direction of Chuong Duong bridge -> go to Nguyen Van Linh street -> then turn towards Thanh Tri bridge -> go straight through Bac Giang to reach Lang Son. Overall the highway is very easy to get to. From the city center, you go through Le Loi/DT235C street to reach Tam Thanh pagoda. Or you can follow Phan Dinh Phung street and then turn to Yet Kieu street. 
Instructions on how to move to Tam Thanh Pagoda
Tam Thanh Lang Son Pagoda – a sacred temple with unique architecture
So what does Tam Thanh Lang Son pagoda have to attract tourists ? The temple is located inside the rocky mountain, also known as Tam Thanh cave. According to some explanations, the name Tam Thanh underground refers to 3 caves including Tam Thanh, Nhi Thanh and Nhat Thanh . The temple was built in Tam Thanh cave, so the name of this temple is named after the cave.
Tam Thanh Lang Son Pagoda – a sacred temple with unique architecture
Tam Thanh cave lies against the mountain range shaped like a herd of elephants lying on the green grass. The east gate of the cave is surrounded by countless ancient trees, like a screen guarding in front of the meditation door. The mountains echo the majesty of the land and heaven of Lang, even more exalting the mysterious sacredness of this temple.
Admire the beautiful scenery inside Tam Thanh Pagoda
To go deep into the pagoda, visitors will have to step through 30 stone steps carved deep into the mountainside to make the entrance to the temple. A special feature is that with each step, you will see the surrounding landscape gradually change. The trees along the roadside are shady with the rocky cliffs on both sides, which are very beautiful and spectacular. 
Beautiful stone blocks inside the temple
Entering the cave door through the Tam Quan gate of Tam Thanh Lang Son pagoda, you will clearly feel a mystical and magical spiritual space. Each Buddha worship space is placed in different positions. Very majestic and solemn, interspersed with painted rhinestones.
Right in front of the cave in front of the cave is a very famous poem by Ngo Thi Si (1726 – 1780) praising the beauty of heaven and earth here. In addition, when coming to Tam Thanh Pagoda, visitors also feel satisfied with the white statue of Amitabha Buddha, which is very dignified, pure and soft. The Buddha statue is 202 cm high, 65 cm wide in the posture of pointing down to the ground, with his feet in meditation and a long robe. This Buddha statue symbolizes the architecture of the Le – Mac dynasties.
The tranquil and extremely mysterious scene of Tam Thanh Pagoda
Going deeper into the cave, visitors will be surprised and impressed by the wonderful space from the clear blue lake to the waterfall. The most prominent among them is Am Ty lake which is considered as the most beautiful lake in the cave complex in Tam Thanh. The water here is bright green and covered with extremely beautiful stalactites.
Natural scenery outside Tam Thanh Pagoda
Who does Tam Thanh Lang Son Pagoda worship?
Tam Thanh Pagoda was originally built to worship Taoism about Tam Thanh (including Ngoc Thanh, Thuong Thanh and Thai Thanh). However, later, due to the profound influence of Buddhism, people brought elements of Buddhist worship. This is the place to worship the statue of Shakyamuni and Buddhas. During the period of the Three Religions of Dong Nguyen, this temple even worshiped Lao Tzu and Confucius. This is also something quite special that rarely appears in temples in Vietnam.
Tam Thanh Pagoda was originally built to worship Taoism about Tam Thanh
Tam Thanh Temple Festival in Lang Son
The time of the Tam Thanh Lang Son pagoda festival will take place on the 15th and 16th of the first lunar month. The festival has many special rituals such as: procession of palanquins, incense offering, bell-beating to open the festival, sacrifices, and chanting of Buddhist scriptures at the Tam Bao Palace.
Not only that, visitors can also attend Lang cuisine, participate in folklore festivals and many folk games and other extremely unique cultural programs. Every year, the Tam Thanh pagoda festival attracts a large number of visitors from all over the world to visit and offer incense to need health and fame for themselves and their families.
Festival at Tam Thanh Temple Lang Son
Some notes when going to Tam Thanh Pagoda
Visiting Tam Thanh Pagoda, you should also understand some of the following notes:
– Note that if you go on a festival, it will be very crowded, so if you don’t like the feeling of crowd, you can choose to go on weekdays.
– Regarding clothes, it is best to wear clothes instead of dresses. Absolutely do not wear shorts or offensive clothing to the temple.
– Because going to the temple needs to climb the holy steps, you should wear sandals or low-heeled shoes or sports shoes for convenient walking.
– You can bring water because there are no shops along the way.
When coming to Tam Thanh Lang Son pagoda, almost all worldly worries and resentments seem to be dispelled. Stepping through the door of Tam Quan to Am Ty lake, you feel like heaven has been opened. This temple is not only sacred but also has beautiful natural scenery that is idyllic but free from the world. In addition, you can also visit Mau Dong Dang Lang Son Temple, which is also an attractive destination for tourists when coming to Lang.
Photo: Internet