The road from the Uông Bí valley winds up the slope of Mount Thành Đẳng and through several bends before reaching a level terrace halfway up the mountain at an elevation of about 340 meters. Ahead stand Northern-style curved temple roofs looking out toward the winding Bạch Đằng River in the distance, backed by the sheltering mountain slope. Preserved here are a stone incense pillar in front of the temple and a turtle-mounted stone stele, two relics that open the historical story of this monastic site.
This is Ba Vàng Temple (Chùa Ba Vàng), known in Sino-Vietnamese as Bảo Quang Tự (Precious Light Temple). The stone incense pillar and stele inscription mark the temple in the Ất Dậu year of the Vĩnh Thịnh era under King Lê Dụ Tông, corresponding to 1705, and link it to a founding patriarch of the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử Zen lineage. Long hidden in the forest, the old foundation was rediscovered in 1987 and underwent two modest reconstructions in 1988 and 1993 before being rebuilt into the current large complex between 2011 and 2014.
IThe Sino-Vietnamese name Bảo Quang and the vernacular name Ba Vàng
Following the custom of northern Vietnamese temples, the site has both a vernacular name for everyday use and a formal Sino-Vietnamese name inscribed on its signboard. The formal name is Bảo Quang Tự. Bảo means precious and quang means light, so Bảo Quang means Precious Light. The Chinese characters at the top of the page follow this traditional literary name.
The vernacular name is Ba Vàng. The temple's official website explains this name as the Three Jewels (Tam Bảo), namely the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Because the library has not found an independent philological study of this vernacular name, it is recorded specifically as the temple's own explanation. Placed side by side, the two names point to the same idea, since both bảo in Bảo Quang and the Three Jewels in the explanation of Ba Vàng refer to the Triple Gem.
In Buddhist doctrine, the Triple Gem (Tam Bảo) comprises the three treasures in which a practitioner takes refuge. The Buddha is the awakened teacher who shows the way. The Dharma is the teaching, the path pointed out. The Sangha is the monastic community practicing along that path. Taking refuge in the Triple Gem is the first step for Buddhists across all traditions. The scriptures call these three treasures precious because they surpass all worldly wealth.
Hearing the name Ba Vàng (literally "Three Golds"), many visitors assume the temple houses three golden statues or three gold objects. No historical source records such a thing. Here, according to the temple's explanation, the word vàng (gold) is a vernacular way of referring to the three precious treasures rather than the metal. As with many northern Vietnamese temples, vernacular names often preserve a local layer of meaning and should be read with care when no ancient text directly explains them.
IIStone relics, the old foundation, and reconstruction
According to VietNamNet and the temple's official portal, two ancient stone relics survive at the site, namely a stone incense pillar (cây hương đá or thiên đài trụ) standing in front of the temple inscribed with the temple name, the mountain name, and the date of the Ất Dậu year in the Vĩnh Thịnh era of King Lê Dụ Tông, and a stone stele mounted on a turtle back recording the spirit tablet of the founding patriarch of the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử Zen lineage, titled Trúc Lâm Ma Ha Sa Môn Tuệ Bích Phổ Giác (now kept in the temple museum). Because existing sources do not preserve his birth and death dates, the library records only the title inscribed on the stele.
The phrase Ma Ha Sa Môn (Mahāśramaṇa) in his title is an honorific for a Buddhist renunciant, where mahā means great and śramaṇa means ascetic practitioner. The prefix Trúc Lâm indicates that the Zen master identified with the Zen lineage founded by Emperor-Monk Trần Nhân Tông on Mount Yên Tử.
Published accounts differ by one year when converting the early 18th-century date to the solar calendar. The stone incense pillar records the Ất Dậu year of the Vĩnh Thịnh era. VietNamNet converts this date to 1706, whereas the official website of Ba Vàng Temple dates Zen Master Tuệ Bích Phổ Giác's restoration to 1705. According to the Lê dynasty calendar, the Vĩnh Thịnh era began in the fourth lunar month of the Ất Dậu year 1705, so the sexagenary year Ất Dậu corresponds to 1705.
The temple's website and Industry and Environment newspaper (Công nghiệp và Môi trường) state that excavations of the old foundation uncovered 13th-century Trần dynasty bricks along with celadon ceramics and curved-tip roof tiles beneath the soil, leading to the view that the ancient temple originated in the Trần dynasty and was restored by Zen Master Tuệ Bích Phổ Giác in 1705.
- 13th centuryTrần dynasty tracesAccording to the temple portal and Industry and Environment newspaper, Trần dynasty bricks, roof tiles, and ceramics were found beneath the old foundation.
- 1705Restoration under King Lê Dụ TôngThe stone incense pillar records the Ất Dậu year of the Vĩnh Thịnh era (dated 1705 by the temple portal and converted to 1706 by VietNamNet), associated with Zen Master Tuệ Bích Phổ Giác.
- 1987Rediscovery of the old foundationAn elderly farmer searching for his lost herd of cattle discovered ancient brick ruins, a stone stele, and a stone incense pillar in the mountain brush.
- 1988Wooden reconstructionThe temple underwent an initial restoration in wood on the ancient ruins.
- 1993Brick-and-tile rebuildingLocal authorities and residents rebuilt the temple in brick, tile, and cement over 95 square meters, comprising a three-bay meditation hall, arched gate, one-bay sanctuary, living quarters, and dining hall.
- 2007Provincial heritage rankingThe Quảng Ninh Provincial People's Committee ranked the site a provincial historical, cultural, and scenic heritage site under Decision No. 4424/QĐ-UBND dated November 28, 2007.
- 2011 - 2014Large-scale reconstructionGround was broken in January 2011 and the complex was inaugurated on March 9, 2014 with a two-story, 4,500-square-meter Great Hero Hall along with bell and drum towers, Arhat corridors, a museum, a library, and the Shrine of the Three Trúc Lâm Patriarchs.
The account of the temple ruins coming to light in 1987 when an elderly farmer went looking for his lost herd of cattle is recorded on the temple's portal. Following two small-scale rebuildings in wood in 1988 and in brick over 95 square meters in 1993, the Quảng Ninh Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 4424/QĐ-UBND on November 28, 2007 recognizing Ba Vàng Temple as a provincial historical, cultural, and scenic heritage site.
To read more about the origin of the Trúc Lâm Zen lineage, where Emperor-Monk Trần Nhân Tông practiced among the temples and stupas of Mount Yên Tử, see Yên Tử Complex about 11 kilometers away.
IIINorthern Vietnamese liturgical layout
The present complex was built between January 2011 and March 2014, followed by the inauguration of the Shrine of the Three Trúc Lâm Patriarchs in September 2014. According to VietNamNet, the centerpiece is the two-story Great Hero Hall (Đại Hùng Bảo Điện) with a floor area of 4,500 square meters, accompanied by a bell tower (112 square meters), a drum tower (112 square meters), Arhat corridors (200 square meters), a museum (700 square meters), a library (700 square meters), a meditation hall (960 square meters), and monastic quarters (1,600 square meters). The worship space inside the main hall follows the traditional northern Vietnamese layout with a three-bay ceremonial hall in front and a one-bay rear sanctuary behind, housing large wooden statues of Amitabha Buddha, the Buddhas of the Three Times, and Avalokiteśvara alongside a single-trunk red-wood drum.
A two-story main hall covering 4,500 square meters, divided into a three-bay front ceremonial hall and a one-bay rear sanctuary in the northern Vietnamese style.
Large wooden statues including Amitabha Buddha, the Buddhas of the Three Times, and Avalokiteśvara arranged according to Northern Buddhist hierarchy, together with a single-trunk red-wood drum.
Altars to the Mother Goddesses and Đức Ông following northern temple custom, plus the Shrine of the Three Trúc Lâm Patriarchs inaugurated in September 2014.
Two symmetrical towers flanking the courtyard, each covering 112 square meters, keeping the rhythm of bell and drum during liturgical hours.
Side corridors covering 200 square meters lined with statues of the Arhats, awakened disciples of the Buddha.
A museum and library of 700 square meters each (preserving the ancient stone stele and artifacts), a 960-square-meter meditation hall, and 1,600 square meters of monastic living quarters.
The multiple layers of worship inside the temple reflect distinct liturgical roles. The Buddhas of the Three Times (Tam Thế) represent the Buddhas of the past, present, and future, traditionally placed on the highest tier of a northern Buddhist altar. Amitabha (A Di Đà) is the Buddha of the Western Pure Land invoked by Pure Land practitioners. Avalokiteśvara (Quan Âm) is the Bodhisattva of Compassion. In northern Vietnamese temples, Đức Ông is understood as the householder Anāthapiṇḍika (Cấp Cô Độc), the patron who purchased the Jeta Grove for the Buddha's community and is venerated as the temple's guardian. The Mother Goddess (Mẫu) altar represents indigenous Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship, present in many northern temples under the layout of "Buddha in front, Mother Goddess behind."
Combining Buddha altars, a Trúc Lâm Patriarchal shrine, and a Mother Goddess altar reflects the historical process by which Buddhism in northern Vietnam integrated with the local Zen lineage and accommodated indigenous beliefs within the temple precincts.
Because the stone relics date to 1705 and Trần dynasty bricks were found on the site, many visitors assume the grand halls standing today are ancient structures. In fact, all of the major buildings visible today were newly constructed between 2011 and 2014. The surviving early 18th-century relics are the stone incense pillar in front of the temple and the turtle-mounted stone stele, along with ceramic and brick fragments kept in the temple museum.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
Please read the section below as the library's interpretation through the lens of traditional feng shui, comparing the actual topography of Mount Thành Đẳng with landscape descriptions in published sources.
The temple sits on the western slope halfway up Mount Thành Đẳng at an elevation of about 340 meters, facing west and southwest over central Uông Bí. This exemplifies the classic configuration that sits on the mountain and faces water, with the higher peak of Mount Thành Đẳng rising behind as a steady backing hill while flanking ridges extend on both sides to embrace the grounds in the form of the Azure Dragon on the left, White Tiger on the right, shielding the site from strong winds.
In front of the temple, the Uông Bí valley opens wide as the bright hall (minh đường), while farther out the winding Bạch Đằng River gathers water across the foreground and the horizon extends toward the sea at Đồ Sơn and Hải Phòng. Choosing a mid-slope terrace rather than the summit or the foot of the mountain avoids the wind-dispersed qi of an exposed peak while remaining far enough above the town below to preserve monastic stillness.
In the broader mountain system, Mount Thành Đẳng belongs to the Đông Triều arc in western Quảng Ninh, part of the same range as sacred Mount Yên Tử, the ancestral cradle of the Trúc Lâm Zen lineage. Establishing a monastic retreat on this slope continues the Trúc Lâm tradition of following the dragon vein (long mạch) of the northeastern mountains for contemplative practice.
VAnnual observances
Alongside the Spring Opening Festival (held on the 8th day of the 1st lunar month) and the Chrysanthemum Festival on the Double Ninth (the 9th day of the 9th lunar month), the temple's annual liturgical calendar follows the general Northern Buddhist custom calculated by the lunar calendar.
| Lunar date | Observance | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 8th and 15th days of the 1st lunar month | Spring Opening and First Full Moon (Thượng nguyên) | The Ba Vàng Temple spring festival and the first full moon chanting assembly praying for national peace and wellbeing. |
| 15th day of the 4th lunar month | Buddha's Birthday (Phật Đản) | Celebration of the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha featuring the bathing of the baby Buddha ritual. |
| 15th day of the 4th to 15th day of the 7th lunar month | Rains Retreat (An cư kiết hạ) | Three months during which monastics remain in one place for intensive study and practice under the Vinaya rules. |
| 15th day of the 7th lunar month | Vu Lan (Ullambana) | Festival of filial piety honoring parents, coinciding with the Pavāraṇā ceremony concluding the rains retreat. |
| 9th day of the 9th and 1st day of the 11th lunar month | Double Ninth and Trúc Lâm Patriarch Commemoration | The autumn Chrysanthemum Festival and the memorial day of Emperor-Monk Trần Nhân Tông's entry into Nirvana. |
Because the temple identifies with the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử Zen lineage and maintains a Shrine of the Three Trúc Lâm Patriarchs, the memorial days of First Patriarch Trần Nhân Tông, Second Patriarch Pháp Loa, and Third Patriarch Huyền Quang are also major observances here.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Lưng chừng núi Thành Đẳng, phường Uông Bí (phường Quang Trung cũ, thành phố Uông Bí cũ), tỉnh Quảng Ninh. Nghị quyết 1679/NQ-UBTVQH15 năm 2025 gộp phường Quang Trung, Thanh Sơn, Yên Thanh và một phần Trưng Vương thành phường Uông Bí
- Getting there
- The temple sits halfway up Mount Thành Đẳng in Uông Bí Ward (formerly Quang Trung Ward, Uông Bí City), Quảng Ninh Province. A paved road leads directly from central Uông Bí up the mountain slope to the temple gate.
- Coordinates
- 21.0682, 106.7645
Ba Vàng Temple is an active monastery with a large resident community of monks and nuns. Visitors should dress modestly, remove hats and footwear before entering the Great Hero Hall, and walk and speak quietly around the monastic quarters and meditation hall. The ancient stone incense pillar in the courtyard and the stone stele inside the museum are valuable early 18th-century artifacts, so please do not touch or lean against the stone surfaces. The road up the mountain is sloped, so please stay on designated paths.
Nearby places in the library
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?Quick Questions
Where is Ba Vàng Temple located?
The temple sits halfway up Mount Thành Đẳng at an elevation of about 340 meters in Uông Bí Ward, Quảng Ninh Province (formerly Quang Trung Ward, Uông Bí City prior to 2025), looking down over the Uông Bí valley and the Bạch Đằng River.
When was Ba Vàng Temple founded?
According to the temple portal and press reports, the foundation contains brick and tile traces from the 13th-century Trần dynasty. A stone incense pillar and stele record a restoration in the Ất Dậu year of the Vĩnh Thịnh era under King Lê Dụ Tông, corresponding to 1705 (converted as 1706 by VietNamNet). The ruins were rediscovered in 1987, rebuilt in wood in 1988 and brick in 1993, and reconstructed on a large scale from 2011 to 2014.
Which Buddhist lineage does Ba Vàng Temple belong to?
The temple belongs to Northern Buddhism (Mahayana) and traces its lineage to the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử Zen school. The ancient stone stele at the temple records the founding Zen master's title as Trúc Lâm Ma Ha Sa Môn Tuệ Bích Phổ Giác.
What does the name Ba Vàng mean?
According to the temple's explanation, Ba Vàng refers to the three precious treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, known as the Triple Gem (Tam Bảo). Its Sino-Vietnamese name is Bảo Quang Tự, meaning Precious Light Temple.
When was Ba Vàng Temple ranked as a heritage site?
On November 28, 2007, the Quảng Ninh Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 4424/QĐ-UBND recognizing Ba Vàng Temple as a provincial historical, cultural, and scenic heritage site.