Yên Tử is a well-known fabulous mountain in Việt Nam with much clear brooks, slowly flowing like silk bending immense green forests of ivory bamboo, fir-tree. Gleaming behind these forests are towers with ancient pagodas and temples. This place used to be the capital of Buddhism with a famous Zen monastery founded by King Trần Nhân Tông (1258-1308).
Đồng pagoda locates on the top of Yên Tử mount at the height of 1,068 m
Yên Tử is the highest mountain to the West of Uông Bí town, which is 17km from the centre of the town. Standing at the height of 1068m on the top of the mountain, visitors may cover an overview of a vast North East with Hạ Long Bay gleaming in the clouds, far away from the mountain is Bạch Đằng river. Along the pilgrimage, to the foot of meandering Giải Oan brook with clear water murmuring through glossy rocks.
Yên Tử was formerly known and called as Voi mountain (elephant mountain) since its shape is somewhat like an elephant heading to the sea. It is recorded in historical books that Yên Tử has another name Bạch Vân Sơn (the mountain of white cloud) since this mountain is year-round in white clouds.
Itinerary up to Yên Tử starts with Giải Oan brook, actually from a stone bridge connecting two banks of the brook. The bridge is 10m long with a simple design, but anciently nice and solid. Legend has it that King Trần Nhân Tông abdicated in favour of his son named Trần Anh Tông who own a lot of imperial maids and pretty girls. He was advised to be back to his imperial palace without any success. Eventually, he dived into the river to suicide. King Trần Nhân Tông felt pity for him to set up a pagoda to vindicate him. Since then, the brook was named "Giải Oan" (Vindication brook).
Giải Oan brook
Standing at the front of the pagoda are clusters of luxuriant clusters of lily in white and canary-colored. Surrounded the pagoda are six towers among which, the biggest is the grave tower of King Trần Nhân Tông, both sides are the grave tower of priest Pháp Loa and Huyền Quang.
Next, Hoa Yên pagoda is at the height of 543m with ancient pine-trees which is legendarily told to be planted since King Trần Nhân Tông spent his religious life there on the mountain. Above the height of 700m is Vân Tiêu pagoda gleaming in clouds on mountain sides. After this pagoda is Đồng (bronze) pagoda locating on the top of Yên Tử mount at the height of 1,068m. This pagoda was built in the later Lê dynasty alias Thiên Trúc. Early 2007, Đồng pagoda was completely casted with pure copper (3m high, 12m2 wide, 60 tons heavy) was transfered to Yên Tử.
Hoa Yên Pagoda
On the way to Yên Tử, there stand some sights such as: Một Mái pagoda (one-roof pagoda), Bảo Soái pagoda, Yên Kỳ Sinh stone statue, Ngoạ Vân hermitage, fairy chessboard, eco-resorts like Thác Vàng, Thác Bạc. Yên Tử's Zen monastery is constructed on the ground that used to be for Lân pagoda where Trần Nhân Tông used to preach beings. This is really the biggest Zen monastery of Việt Nam