Temporarily leave the waves or the crowded check-in points of the coastal city to come on the journey to explore Yen Tu Mountain in Quang Ninh to explore the mysterious green nature.
Yen Tu is a very famous spiritual tourist destination in Quang Ninh. The distance to climb to the top of Yen Tu mountain is more than 6km long with 6 hours of continuous walking through thousands of stone steps, forest roads… Therefore, you need quite good physical strength and careful preparation. The following article will share with you useful experiences when trekking Yen Tu. Please refer!
1. The process of trekking
Yen Tu is remembered in the hearts of Vietnamese people not only as a high mountain peak in the Northeast region but also as the origin of Buddhist stories. So the Yen Tu trekking journey is not only about conquering but also satisfying passion, going to the sacred land to fully feel the religion and life.
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The road to Yen Tu mountain is nearly 6000m long from the foot of the mountain to the top, and along the way, people have to overcome thousands of stone steps and steep steep cliffs, sometimes encountering slippery roads, they You have to use a bamboo stick to keep your balance. But that doesn’t seem to discourage the pilgrims, they just go with a sincere heart and strong belief in the protection of the gods.
And start the journey of discovering Yen Tu mountain climbing from Giai Oan stream to Hoa Yen pagoda located at an altitude of 534m. Passing Hoa Yen pagoda a short distance, there is Mot Mai pagoda (also known as Ban Mai) whose name is Ban Thien Tu (the temple in the middle of the sky) lying precariously clinging to the back of the cliff. And the last destination is Dong Pagoda, located on the top of Yen Tu, 1,068 meters high, built in the Later Le Dynasty with the name Thien Truc Tu.
On each step, we admire the lyrical nature of spring. Somewhere, there is a soft murmuring stream, ancient trees with more than 700 years old, covered with a layer of green moss, like an old man sitting quietly in the middle of the mountains. Somewhere, there are bamboo forests, soaring Tung Street mixed with the pure white of apricot flowers. All paint a colorful spring picture, but also subtly the mysterious and wild style of a sacred land.
Then when setting foot on Yen Tu peak year-round covered in fog, suddenly surprised when the lyrical nature blends in the spiritual atmosphere. Walking around sightseeing, looking at people, feeling strangely calm, all troubles are like the wind blowing through the clouds.
2. What do you need to bring when climbing Yen Tu mountain?
According to the experience of climbing Yen Tu from backpackers, the items and supplies to bring when climbing Yen Tu include:
– Money: You should not bring a lot of money, just bring enough money to use, to avoid being picked up by crooks on winter days.
– Shoes: You should wear sports shoes (maybe bata) or climbing shoes, it is better not to wear work shoes. Because the climbing path is very difficult, it is easy to get slippery in the rain, especially the stone steps, there is a climbing trail and you can send shoes and rent sandals at the foot of the mountain.
– Backpack: Because you only go during the day, you should bring a small, compact backpack to store some food and water.
Clothing: Clothing depends on the season but absolutely should not wear too sexy clothes because this is the best sacred place to dress politely. You should bring 1 or 2 spare shirts, because climbing sweats a lot, if you go in the cold season, you need to change clothes, because wearing wet clothes will catch a cold. Do not wear jeans, or wear skinny clothes (if worn, you should wear comfortable elastic), it is still best to wear sports clothes, not sweat. In the cold season, you still have to wear a warm coat to wear outside, when it’s cold, take it off and wear it when you ride the cold cable car. The light and warm feather life jackets are the best choice for you when climbing Yen Tu.
– Water: You should buy 2 bottles of 500 ml in advance or a 1.5 liter bottle to bring along the way, because water on the mountain is sold many times more expensive.
– Food: You should prepare some snacks to bring for lunch such as milk bread, banh mi, sticky rice… If you can’t bring it, you can still have lunch on the mountain with sausages, corn, potatoes. , pho… but the selling price will be higher than usual.
– Sticks: If you walk, you should buy a climbing stick. With this cane, you will not lose strength when climbing, especially when you come down, you will not have knee pain.
The first route is about 119 km long and takes about 2 and a half hours by motorbike:
From the center of Hanoi city, you go in the direction of Chuong Duong bridge. Crossing the bridge, you go straight along Nguyen Van Cu street and then continue to Bac Ninh city. Then you take Highway 18 or follow National Highway 1A. At the intersection between these two roads, you follow Highway 18.
You run along Highway 18 to reach Trinh Yen Tu Temple. From here you can either drive up the mountain or stop to burn incense. Pay attention to refueling the vehicle. Overall, this road is not difficult to go, but you should pay attention to the intersection between 2 highways 18 and 1A.
The second route you go in the direction of Hanoi – Hai Phong:
From the center of Hanoi city, you move along Highway 5 to km 14 National Highway 5 about 94km, you have arrived in Quan Toan area (Hai Phong). From here, you go straight and turn left at the first fork (turn right to go to the bridge, turn left and then go straight) and turn left at the intersection, 6km in total, you will reach the foot of Kien bridge.
From Kien Bridge, you continue to go along Highway 10 to National Highway 18 and then turn left, go about 2km to Trinh Yen Tu Temple. Here, you go straight about 10km of the pass to reach the foot of the mountain. Note for this route that the pass is quite winding, so go slow and pay attention.
2. Time to travel to Yen Tu Pagoda
In Yen Tu, there is a Spring Festival, usually held every year starting from January 10 and lasting until the end of March (lunar calendar).
The reasonable time is 1 day 1 night. Going on festivals will be crowded (especially in January), while other days Yen Tu is deserted, quiet, fresh air is very refreshing).
3. Cable car service time:
Festival season (from January to March of the lunar calendar): from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Outside the festival season (from April to December of the lunar calendar): From 7am to 6pm daily.
4. Attractions in Yen Tu
1. Trinh Pagoda/Cheng Temple: the place to visit before going to Yen Tu
2. Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen Monastery: This is the place for monks and lay people to study. Like the university, this is not a place of worship, but you can visit before climbing.
3. Giai Oan Bridge, Giai Oan Pagoda: the place to worship the palace ladies and concubines of King Tran Nhan Tong. Because they loved the king so much, they wanted to go to the mountain to beg the king to return to the court, so the women drowned themselves in the stream.
4. Hue Quang Tower: where a part of the relics of King Tran Nhan Tong is kept, the rest is worshiped in Tran temple area in Nam Dinh.
5. Hoa Yen Pagoda: the central pagoda, the largest in Yen Tu relic area. In the past, it was the place where the Emperor Buddha taught.
6. One Mai Pagoda: the place to worship Avalokitesvara Buddha, there is a very cool drinking water slot here
7. Bao Sai Temple: where the Buddha entered nirvana
8. Van Tieu Pagoda: a place of practice for monks
9. An Ky Sinh and the statue of Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong: a statue of a petrified monk and a very large bronze Buddha statue (see picture below)
10. Dong Pagoda: the highest temple on the mountain top
Order, visit schedule: Zen Monastery – Giai Oan bridge – Giai Oan pagoda – Hoa Yen pagoda – Mot Mai pagoda – Bao Sai pagoda – An Ky Sinh and Buddha statue – Dong pagoda – An Ky Sinh – Bao Sai pagoda ( down the cable car) – Hoa Yen pagoda – Giai Oan pagoda – back to the parking lot.
5. The process of trekking
Yen Tu is remembered in the hearts of Vietnamese people not only as a high mountain peak in the Northeast region but also as the origin of Buddhist stories. So the Yen Tu trekking journey is not only about conquering but also satisfying your passion, but going to the sacred land to fully feel the religion and life.
The road to Yen Tu mountain is nearly 6000m long from the foot of the mountain to the top, and along the way, people have to overcome thousands of stone steps and steep steep cliffs, sometimes encountering slippery roads, they You have to use a bamboo stick to keep your balance. But that doesn’t seem to discourage the pilgrims, they just go with a sincere heart and strong belief in the protection of the gods.
And start the journey of discovering Yen Tu mountain climbing from Giai Oan stream to Hoa Yen pagoda located at an altitude of 534m. Passing Hoa Yen pagoda a short distance, there is Mot Mai pagoda (also known as Ban Mai) whose name is Ban Thien Tu (the temple in the middle of the sky) lying precariously clinging to the back of the cliff. And the final destination is Dong Pagoda, located on the top of Yen Tu, 1,068 meters high, built in the Later Le Dynasty with the name Thien Truc Tu.
On each step, we admire the lyrical nature of spring. Somewhere, there is a soft murmuring stream, ancient trees with more than 700 years old, covered with a layer of green moss, like an old man sitting quietly in the middle of the mountains. Somewhere, there are bamboo forests, soaring Tung Street mixed with the pure white of apricot flowers. All paint a colorful spring picture, but also subtly the mysterious and wild style of a sacred land.
Then when setting foot on Yen Tu peak year-round covered in fog, suddenly surprised when the lyrical nature blends in the spiritual atmosphere. Walking around sightseeing, looking at people, feeling strangely calm, all troubles are like the wind blowing through the clouds.
Reference : Top 8 places to visit when traveling to Quang Ninh .
6. What to bring when climbing Yen Tu mountain?
According to the experience of climbing Yen Tu mountain from the people who have gone before, the items and items to bring when climbing Yen Tu mountain include:
– Money: You should not bring a lot of money with you, just bring enough money to use, avoid being picked up by crooks on winter days.
– Shoes: You should wear sports shoes (maybe bata) or climbing shoes, it is better not to wear work shoes. Because the climbing path is very difficult, it is easy to get slippery in the rain, especially the stone steps, there is a climbing trail and you can send shoes and rent sandals at the foot of the mountain.
– Backpack: Because you only go during the day, you should bring a small, compact backpack to hold some food and water.
Clothing : Clothing depends on the season but absolutely should not wear too sexy clothes because this is the best sacred place to dress politely. You should bring 1 or 2 spare shirts, because climbing sweats a lot, if you go in the cold season, you need to change clothes, because wearing wet clothes will catch a cold. Do not wear jeans, or wear skinny clothes (if worn, you should wear comfortable elastic), it is still best to wear sports clothes, not sweat. In the cold season, you still have to bring warm clothes to wear outside, when it’s cold, take it off and wear it on the cold cable car. The light and warm feather life jackets are the best choice for you when climbing Yen Tu.
– Water : You should buy 2 bottles of 500 ml in advance or a bottle of 1.5 liters to drink along the way, because water on the mountain sells for many times more expensive.
– Food: You should prepare some snacks to bring for lunch such as milk bread, banh mi, sticky rice… If you can’t bring it, you can still have lunch on the mountain with sausages, corn, potatoes. , pho… but the selling price will be higher than usual.
– Sticks: If you walk, you should buy a bamboo stick at the foot of the mountain for 5,000 VND. With this cane, you will not lose strength when climbing, especially when you come down, you will not have knee pain.
7. Things to note when climbing Yen Tu Mountain
Going to Yen Tu on Tet holiday should go very early because from the 4th, tourists from other provinces and cities to Yen Tu are very crowded, so it is normal to wait for the cable car to take a few hours. In addition, going up to Dong Pagoda will not have a place to squeeze, although the way to Dong Pagoda is not easy. When going down the mountain, it will also be very crowded at the cable car station.
– Should climb the mountain first and then go down to visit the temple later, you will feel relaxed and comfortable, when you go up, you will not have time to admire. When you go to the temple, you can also eat free vegetarian banh tet and banh chung.
The thousand-year-old tree does not produce leaves, does not flower
– Avoid buying junk along the way, note that you should not play chess, gamble, be easily deceived and be wary of pickpockets.
– Do not throw garbage indiscriminately: Please put garbage in the right place (with trash can) or put it in a backpack to bring down the mountain to the bin.
– To the pine forest, do not step on the stump: up to the middle of the mountain you will pass through a 900-1000 year old precious larch, the roots of these pine trees eat up the ground. Do not step on it, every year there are millions of people, just need to step on each person once, the life span of these pine trees is greatly reduced. Let’s protect the legacy!
– Be careful going to the bronze pagoda: this last part of the road has no steps, you should be careful on rainy days the rocks are easy to slip.