Ban Long Pagoda

Ban Long is a cave pagoda at the foot of a limestone mountain in the surroundings of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu. Tradition holds that it was founded as far back as the Dinh dynasty in the 10th century, and the wooden buildings in its courtyard have been rebuilt many times since. The main prayer hall is arranged directly in a grotto, with altars standing under the stone vault among stalactites and a floor laid with coloured patterned tiles. The name is translated as the coiled dragon, after a flowstone on the wall of the grotto in whose outlines a sleeping monster is seen. The pagoda lies away from the tourist routes of Trang An, and inside there are usually only nuns and local parishioners.

On the map