The Sacred Ancient Pagoda of Thần Đinh Mountain

Embark on a journey to discover Non Nui Than Dinh Pagoda in Quang Binh, a truly sacred Buddhist sanctuary. Reaching this spiritual haven involves climbing an impressive 1,260 stone steps. It's often considered an ideal spiritual travel destination, particularly popular at the beginning of the year, where visitors can partake in the tradition of requesting water from the legendary Fairy Well to pray for peace and blessings.
Explore Non Pagoda on Thần Đinh Mountain – A Sacred Buddhist Sanctuary Steeped in Legend in Quảng Bình
After the Lunar New Year, tens of thousands of visitors once again flock to Non Pagoda (also known as Thần Đinh Pagoda) on Thần Đinh Mountain peak. Though not entirely intact, Non Pagoda still holds many spiritual legends and was considered a sacred Buddhist sanctuary by the ancients.
In recent years, as Quảng Bình province opened a stepped path making the ascent easier, Non Pagoda has become a popular post-Tết destination for many visitors. Beyond enjoying the scenic views and exploring the sacred temple, visitors can also delve into legends of Buddha and ancient historical tales.
Thần Đinh Mountain is located in Rào Đá Hamlet, Trường Xuân Commune (Quảng Ninh District, Quảng Bình Province), over 30km southwest of Đồng Hới City. The mountain stands at an elevation of 405m above sea level. Travelers taking the Hồ Chí Minh Highway (eastern branch) will find a fork turning west in An Ninh Commune, and after about 8km, they will reach the foot of Thần Đinh Mountain. From the base to the summit, visitors must ascend 1,260 stone steps, many of which retain their ancient form, making it feel as if you can still see the footprints of ancestors imprinted on them.

The picturesque beauty of Thần Đinh Mountain viewed from the Đại Giang River.
Following the stone-built path, we ascended Thần Đinh Mountain. The route up Thần Đinh, though now paved with stone steps, still follows the old winding trail across the mountainside, with lush trees overhanging on both sides. The higher we climbed, the cooler the air became, thanks to the refreshing spring sea breezes. Reaching the highest point, looking east from the mountain reveals a vast plain encompassing Quảng Ninh District and Đồng Hới City, where the Đại Giang River (also known as Long Đại, the headwaters of the Nhật Lệ River) gracefully meanders beneath the Long Đại railway and road bridges – a "fire coordinate" during the American War – before flowing into the Nhật Lệ River section and emptying into the sea at the Nhật Lệ estuary.
From the summit of Thần Đinh Mountain, looking down, you'll also see a section of the Hồ Chí Minh Highway stretching across the Đại Giang River, the entire landscape transforming into a vibrant ink wash painting. The Rào Trù and Rào Đá rivers around Thần Đinh also wind their way, appearing and disappearing at the foot of the mountain, amidst banks of lush green trees. From the mountain's highest peak, looking towards the sea, in the far distance, you can faintly discern an urban area of Đồng Hới city and the vast ocean stretching beyond the horizon.

A stream of people conquering the trail leading up to Non Pagoda.
On Thần Đinh peak, there's a flat area, about 400m2, with large trees, which is where the ancients chose to build Non Pagoda. Through countless years of sun and rain, many relics of the ancient pagoda still remain on the mountain. The old pagoda had eight chambers, but now only moss-covered stone walls, doorways, and altars remain. On that flat ground, several small shrines still stand intact, nestled beneath the cool shade of ancient trees. On days with many visitors, the sight of the ruined shrines and pagoda, shrouded in drifting incense smoke, appears truly mystical.

A small shrine still standing.

Visitors to the pagoda light incense sticks in remembrance of their ancestors.
Thần Đinh Mountain and Non Pagoda are places rich in legends about immortals and Buddha. In ancient times, Thần Đinh Mountain was also known as Bất Nghĩa Sơn (Unjust Mountain). Legend has it that when King Lê conquered Champa, he ordered his strongmen to strike this mountain because, while all other peaks faced west when called, Thần Đinh Mountain turned its back. Non Pagoda on Thần Đinh Mountain was built in the 21st year of Chính Hòa (1701) during the reign of King Lê Huy Tông, and later fell into disrepair due to unrest. In the 6th year of Minh Mạng (1825), the pagoda was temporarily rebuilt with a thatched roof, and it wasn't until the 10th year (1829) that local people raised funds to renovate and re-roof it with tiles.
Today, visiting Non Pagoda, the scenery remains largely unchanged from what was described in the Đại Nam Nhất Thống Chí (Comprehensive Geography of Đại Nam): "The mountainside features a deep, spacious cave, with a narrow entrance requiring one to turn sideways to enter before it widens. Inside, the cave has two levels. Rocks are arranged like tables and chairs, some resembling Buddha statues, and stalactites hang in layers. Some stalactites within the cave resemble golden canopies, others elephant figures. Outside the cave, there's a freshwater stone well that never runs dry." The entire summit of Thần Đinh Mountain is characterized by low, dark gray limestone formations, jutting out like small mountains rising from a larger peak, creating a very peculiar sight. Could this be why the ancients named it Non Pagoda?

The path up Thần Đinh Mountain is shaded by lush green trees.

Inside a cave on Thần Đinh Mountain.
Thần Đinh Mountain has three peaks. The stacked rocks inspire imagination: here, a mandarin wearing a winged hat reads a document; there, an eagle spreads its wings; yonder, a tiger bares its fangs. The old Non Pagoda, which once had eight chambers, now consists only of moss-covered, crumbling stone walls, overgrown with trees, amidst a flat area filled with ancient trees. Only a small shrine, standing solitary at the northern edge of the trees, remains relatively intact.
From this flat area, continuing for a few dozen meters and descending 100 stone steps along the mountainside, you'll find Tiên Well (Fairy Well). Water flows from the mountain crevices, collecting in a small rock hollow to form Tiên Well. Strangely, despite being surrounded by dry rocks and located on such a high mountain peak, the well is always full of cool, crystal-clear water. When visiting Non Pagoda, few visitors forget to take some of this well water home to pray for blessings and peace in the new year.

Many visitors to Thần Đinh Mountain often seek out the Tiên Well area to collect water for prayers for peace and blessings during the New Year.
Beside the path down to the well, there are several small caves, notably Chuông Cave (Bell Cave) and Trống Cave (Drum Cave). When someone taps the rocks or strong winds pass through, sounds like drums beating and bells ringing echo. Inside the cave, there are two levels, with rocks arranged like tables and chairs, some resembling Buddha statues, and stalactites hanging in layers. To the left of the main cave, there's another cave where stalactites appear and disappear, some resembling golden canopies, others elephant figures... Surrounding the cave are jagged limestone formations stacked spectacularly.
At the foot of Thần Đinh Mountain today, Quảng Bình province and Buddhist monks, nuns, and followers nationwide have built a spacious reception area, creating an attractive Thần Đinh spiritual tourism complex for visitors from all directions each spring.
Quang Tri 5749 view
Update day : 21/02/2024
Source : Du lịch TP Hồ Chí Minh .vn Affiliate links
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