Traveling about fifteen and a half kilometers southeast from the former urban center of Hà Giang and crossing the bridge over the Lô River onto its left bank in Phú Linh commune (Tuyên Quang province), visitors enter a level valley encircled by palm-covered hills and dark green limestone ridges in Tông Mường (Hamlet 9 / Bình Lâm) village. Amid the tranquil Tày settlement beside a clear mountain stream, Bình Lâm Pagoda (Chùa Bình Lâm) rises solemnly at the foot of the mountain, facing the archaeological foundation of the original Trần-dynasty temple that stood here more than seven centuries ago.
Right at this frontier sanctuary, archaeologists and historians uncovered a unique masterpiece of Đại Việt civilization: the National Treasure Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda. Cast at the Horse hour on the full moon of the third lunar month in the Ất Mùi year (1295) under Emperor Trần Anh Tông and inscribed with a 309-character Chinese text in the Bính Thân year (1296), it is the earliest securely dated Trần-dynasty bronze bell surviving intact anywhere in Vietnam.
IThe hereditary chieftain family of Nguyễn Anh and Nguyễn Bối and the bell of the third year of Hưng Long
The pagoda's formal Sino-Vietnamese name carved in the opening line of its thirteenth-century bell inscription is Bình Lâm Tự (平林寺), belonging to the tradition of Trần-dynasty Vietnamese Buddhism (Buddhism). The two characters Bình Lâm evoke a peaceful, level forest valley beside the left bank of the Lô River while also serving as a literary Sino-Vietnamese rendering of the ancient territory of Trường Phú Linh (present-day Phú Linh commune). Locally, because the temple stands in Tông Mường hamlet (also called Mường Nam or Hamlet 9 Bình Lâm), residents refer to it as Bình Lâm Pagoda or Tông Mường Pagoda.
Whereas Sùng Khánh Pagoda across the right bank of the Lô River was founded in 1356 under Emperor Trần Dụ Tông, Bình Lâm Pagoda on the left bank came into being at least six decades earlier, in the closing years of the thirteenth century under Emperor Trần Anh Tông (during the lifetime of Retired Emperor Trần Nhân Tông). The principal benefactors who built the pagoda and cast its great bronze bell as an offering to the Three Jewels were the indigenous chieftain family governing Trường Phú Linh: Nguyễn Anh and his principal wife Lady Nguyễn Thị Ninh, parents of the hereditary official Nguyễn Bối and direct forebears of the same Nguyễn lineage that later founded Sùng Khánh Pagoda.
Cast in high relief at the center of the 1295 Bình Lâm Pagoda bell are three large Chinese characters reading Phụng Tam Bảo (奉三寶, meaning respectfully offered to the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha). Reading the 309-character Chinese inscription engraved below reveals the full spirit of the Harmony of the Three Teachings (Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism) characteristic of the Trần era. The text praises the compassionate liberating path of the Buddha while invoking Confucian filial loyalty and the subtle cosmic transformations of Taoist thought. Tolling across the borderland mountains, the temple bell served not only to awaken wholesome minds, but also as a dharma instrument harmonizing yin and yang, praying for the enduring longevity of the dynasty and the peace of highland communities.
According to the inscription Bình Lâm tự chung minh (Bell Inscription of Bình Lâm Pagoda) engraved on the bell body, the casting took place during the golden age of the Trần dynasty: just seven years after the third victory over the Mongol-Yuan fleet on the Bạch Đằng River (1288) and only four years before Retired Emperor Trần Nhân Tông ascended Mount Yên Tử to found the Trúc Lâm Zen school (1299). At the Horse hour (noon) on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month in the Ất Mùi year, the third year of the Hưng Long era (1295) under Emperor Trần Anh Tông, at Bình Lâm estate in Trường Phú Linh, local chieftain Nguyễn Anh, his wife Nguyễn Thị Ninh, their son Nguyễn Bối, and numerous Buddhist devotees and master foundrymen set up furnaces to cast the 193-kilogram great bronze bell.
One year after the casting, on the first day of the twelfth lunar month in the Bính Thân year, the fourth year of the Hưng Long era (1296), a 309-character Chinese inscription composed by a learned monk or scholar of the time was engraved onto the body of the bell. Recording the exact hour and date of casting together with the names of the Nguyễn patrons, this text proves that by the late thirteenth century the Phú Linh - Vị Xuyên frontier already possessed a major Buddhist temple, literate clergy versed in classical Chinese, and close cultural ties with the capital Thăng Long.
Visitors arriving at Bình Lâm Pagoda today and seeing the spacious worship hall inaugurated in 2007 sometimes assume that the pagoda is a modern creation and that the ancient bell was brought here from elsewhere. Archaeological evidence proves otherwise: the original Trần-dynasty Bình Lâm Pagoda stood on the earthen mound at the foot of the mountain directly opposite the present building. Archaeological surveys and excavations at that old foundation uncovered Trần-dynasty shoe-tipped roof tiles, celadon ceramics, and, most tellingly, two fired-clay pit furnaces where the bronze mold was cast on site. The 1295 bell is an indigenous masterpiece cast and hung right on the soil of Bình Lâm for more than seven hundred and thirty years.
IIMore than seven centuries from the 1295 casting furnace to a National Treasure
Across more than seven centuries since its first toll rang out in the third year of Hưng Long (1295), Bình Lâm Pagoda has weathered the long history of the northernmost frontier. Even during periods when the ancient timber-and-tile sanctuary fell into ruin, the Tày and Nùng villagers of Tông Mường steadfastly guarded the Trần-dynasty bronze bell as the living soul of their community.
When cross-checking archaeological publications and official heritage files on Bình Lâm Pagoda and its 1295 bell, the library notes two minor documentary variations regarding physical measurements and the year of national heritage ranking for readers' reference. First, concerning the exact dimensions of the National Treasure Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda: all sources agree that the bell weighs 193 kg and bears a 309-character Chinese inscription, but two sets of height and diameter figures appear depending on where the measuring tape was placed. The official National Treasure dossier on the Department of Cultural Heritage portal (dsvh.gov.vn) records a total height of 101 cm (body height 84 cm, hanger height 17 cm) and a mouth diameter of 59 cm, whereas several archaeological monographs and regional records cite a total height of 103 cm (or 105 cm) and an outer rim mouth diameter of 65 cm. The library records both sets of measurements.
Second, regarding its National heritage site ranking: some general surveys of Trần-dynasty Buddhist monuments in Vị Xuyên refer to the 1999 archaeological survey and national heritage dossier milestone, while the formal ministerial decision designating the site and the Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda as a National architectural and artistic heritage site was issued by the Ministry of Culture and Information in November 2005. Subsequently, on November 22, 2007, the newly reconstructed Bình Lâm Pagoda was inaugurated to house and protect the bell, and on December 30, 2013, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 2599/QĐ-TTg recognizing the Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda as a National Treasure (second batch).
- Late 13th centuryFoundation of Bình Lâm Pagoda under the Trần dynastyBình Lâm Pagoda was founded by the local hereditary Nguyễn chieftain family and residents of Trường Phú Linh at the foot of the mountain in Tông Mường hamlet on the left bank of the Lô River.
- 1295Casting of the Great Bell of Bình Lâm PagodaAt the Horse hour on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month in the Ất Mùi year, the third year of the Hưng Long era under Emperor Trần Anh Tông, chieftain Nguyễn Anh, his wife Nguyễn Thị Ninh, their son Nguyễn Bối, and local villagers cast the 193 kg bronze bell.
- 1296Engraving of the 309-character Chinese inscriptionOn the first day of the twelfth lunar month in the Bính Thân year (fourth year of Hưng Long), the 309-character inscription Bình Lâm tự chung minh was engraved onto the bell body, making it the earliest dated Trần-dynasty bronze inscription in Vietnam.
- 1999 - 2005Archaeological survey and National heritage site designationArchaeologists surveyed the ancient Trần-dynasty pagoda foundation (around 1999), and in November 2005 the Ministry of Culture and Information officially ranked the monument as a National architectural and artistic heritage site.
- 2007Inauguration of the reconstructed Bình Lâm PagodaOn November 22, 2007, the reconstructed Bình Lâm Pagoda was completed in Tông Mường hamlet, Phú Linh commune, providing a dignified sanctuary for Buddhist worship and the safekeeping of the ancient bell.
- 2013Recognition of the Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda as a National TreasureOn December 30, 2013, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 2599/QĐ-TTg recognizing the Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda as a National Treasure in the second batch.
- 2025Merged into the new Phú Linh commune, Tuyên Quang provinceUnder Resolution No. 202/2025/QH15 and Resolution No. 1684/NQ-UBTVQH15 in 2025, Hà Giang province merged with Tuyên Quang province, and Kim Thạch, Kim Linh, and Phú Linh communes merged to form the new Phú Linh commune of Tuyên Quang province.
IIIReconstructed sanctuary, Trần archaeological foundation, and the 1295 Great Bell
The heritage space of Bình Lâm Pagoda in Tông Mường hamlet comprises two closely linked components: the Trần-dynasty archaeological foundation on the opposite hill slope (where thirteenth- and fourteenth-century shoe-tipped tiles, stone column bases, celadon ware, and bell-casting furnace pits were discovered) and the main worship hall reconstructed in 2007 on elevated, open ground. Designed in traditional northern Vietnamese style with curved eaves roofed in shoe-tipped tiles and a sturdy timber frame, the reconstructed hall houses solemn Three Jewels Buddha statues and a dedicated pavilion safeguarding the National Treasure Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda.
Cast in the Ất Mùi year (1295), the great bell stands as the gold standard of Trần-dynasty bronze casting and sculpture. Cast in a single piece of muted greenish-gray bronze weighing 193 kg, it measures 101 cm to 103 cm in total height (with a body height of 84 cm and a hanger height of 17 cm to 19 cm) and 59 cm to 65 cm in mouth diameter. Its most striking sculptural feature is the crown hanger (Pulao dragon loop): the hanger is cast in the form of twin Trần-dynasty dragons arched back-to-back into a powerful suspension loop. The dragons have plump, rounded, vigorous bodies covered in sharply defined carp scales, four clawed feet gripping the crown of the bell, and a delicate budding lotus resting right atop the junction where their backs meet.
The earliest securely dated Trần-dynasty bronze bell in Vietnam, cast at the Horse hour on the full moon of the 3rd lunar month in the Ất Mùi year (1295), measuring 101 - 103 cm tall, 59 - 65 cm in mouth diameter, weighing 193 kg, and recognized as a National Treasure in 2013.
A pinnacle of thirteenth-century Trần dragon sculpture: two plump, vigorous dragons joined back-to-back, their bodies covered in carp scales, crowned by a lotus bud at the apex, with four clawed feet gripping the top of the bell.
The bell body is divided into upper and lower registers by raised horizontal bands and features six round striking bosses arranged in two tiers, each encircled by 13 evenly cast lotus petals. The upper register bears the three large raised characters Phụng Tam Bảo.
An original classical Chinese text engraved into the bell body on the 1st day of the 12th lunar month in the 4th year of Hưng Long (1296), recording the exact dates, the territory of Trường Phú Linh, the chieftain family of Nguyễn Anh, Nguyễn Thị Ninh, and Nguyễn Bối, and Trần Buddhist thought.
The archaeological site at the foot of the hill where Trần-era tiles, ceramics, and bell-casting furnace pits were found, paired with the spacious Three Jewels hall reconstructed in 2007 in Tông Mường hamlet.
Historians of Vietnamese art regard the Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda (1295) as the single most important benchmark for authenticating Trần-dynasty bronzes. Whereas the dating of the Vân Bản Pagoda bell (Đồ Sơn, Hải Phòng) has long been debated among scholars, the Bình Lâm Pagoda bell states the exact hour, day, month, sexagenary year, and reign title of the third year of Hưng Long (1295) and the fourth year of Hưng Long (1296). Moreover, the fact that such a refined bronze masterpiece was cast right in the highland valley of Phú Linh dispels the old notion that the northern frontier during the Trần dynasty was an isolated backwater, demonstrating instead advanced metallurgy and deep cultural integration between the hereditary Nguyễn chieftains and the Đại Việt court.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
This section presents the library's reading through the eyes of traditional landform feng shui based on the actual topography of the Phú Linh valley and the left bank of the Lô River, rather than content copied from stele inscriptions. The library states this clearly so readers may distinguish archaeological records from geomantic interpretation.
Examined on the topographic map at approximately 22.73722 degrees north latitude and 105.01667 degrees east longitude, Bình Lâm Pagoda occupies a sheltered, fertile micro-basin in Tông Mường hamlet, Phú Linh commune (Tuyên Quang province), on the left bank of the Lô River. True to its literary name Bình Lâm (Level Forest), the terrain transitions gently from limestone ridges and high earth hills in the northeast down to a flat valley floor, forming a natural qi-gathering basin amid the highlands. Behind the pagoda rises the mountain ridge of Phú Linh serving as a protective rear backing (hậu chẩm) against northern winds, while two hill spurs extend on either side to embrace Tông Mường village as a gentle Azure Dragon on the left, White Tiger on the right.
The main facade of the pagoda opens out toward the tranquil wet-rice valley floor serving as the bright hall (minh đường), where a local stream winds year-round before flowing west to join the Lô River. Most notably, when Bình Lâm Pagoda is viewed within the broader geomantic pattern of the Vị Xuyên frontier gateway, a remarkable twin-pagoda river-guarding formation emerges: across on the right bank of the Lô River to the northwest stands Sùng Khánh Pagoda keeping the 1367 stone stele, while here on the left bank to the southeast stands Bình Lâm Pagoda keeping the 1295 bronze bell. One side holds the Stone Stele (steadfast Earth/Metal) and the other holds the Bronze Bell (far-reaching resonance), and founded by successive generations of the same hereditary Nguyễn chieftain family, the two Trần-dynasty pagodas guard opposite banks of the Giang Thông (Lô River), locking the water gate and preserving the vital energy of the northern borderland from the thirteenth century to the present day.
VSpring festivals and annual Buddhist observances at Bình Lâm Pagoda
In Phú Linh commune (former Vị Xuyên district, now part of Tuyên Quang province), Bình Lâm Pagoda serves as the primary spiritual and cultural center for Tày, Nùng, Dao, and Kinh communities living along the left bank of the Lô River. Each year, Buddhist rites at the pagoda weave closely into the agricultural calendar and the early-spring festivities of Tông Mường village.
| Lunar date | Rite and activity | Detailed content |
|---|---|---|
| 1st to 15th day of the 1st month | New Year peace prayers and Phú Linh Lồng Tồng Festival | Residents of Tông Mường and neighboring villages in Phú Linh commune visit the pagoda to offer incense for national peace and household harmony. In early spring (between the 6th and 15th days of the first lunar month), temple worship connects with the Tày Lồng Tồng (Going-to-the-Field) festival featuring Then singing, Tính lute, còn tossing, and tug-of-war. |
| 15th day of the 3rd lunar month | Commemoration of the casting of the Bình Lâm Great Bell (1295) | An occasion recalling the historic Horse hour on the full moon of the third lunar month in the Ất Mùi year (1295), when chieftain Nguyễn Anh, Lady Nguyễn Thị Ninh, and local villagers cast the National Treasure bronze bell. |
| 15th day of the 4th lunar month | Buddha's Birthday Celebration | Monks, nuns, Buddhists, and local residents across Vị Xuyên gather at Bình Lâm Pagoda for the bathing-of-the-Buddha ceremony and chants for peace and well-being. |
| 15th day of the 7th and 12th lunar months | Vu Lan filial piety festival and Year-End thanksgiving | Observances honoring ancestral merits and commemorating the founding Nguyễn chieftains, followed by the twelfth-month year-end thanksgiving (marking the lunar month in 1296 when the bell inscription was engraved). |
Visiting Bình Lâm Pagoda during the spring festival days on the left bank of the Lô River and standing before a great bronze bell now more than seven hundred and thirty years old, pilgrims cannot help but feel moved by the enduring vitality of this heritage. Amid the quiet Tày village of Tông Mường, the Chinese characters engraved in the fourth year of Hưng Long (1296) and the carp-scaled twin dragons atop the bell crown remain crisp and vivid, linking the compassionate Dharma and heroic Đông A spirit of the thirteenth century with the peaceful daily life of Tuyên Quang's ethnic communities today.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Thôn Tông Mường (thôn 9 / Bình Lâm), xã Phú Linh (xã Phú Linh cũ, huyện Vị Xuyên cũ, tỉnh Hà Giang cũ), tỉnh Tuyên Quang
- Getting there
- From central Hà Giang ward (former Hà Giang city) or from central Vị Xuyên commune, follow National Highway 2 and turn across the bridge spanning the Lô River onto the left bank along the inter-communal road to Phú Linh commune (Tuyên Quang province) for a total distance of about 15.5 km, then enter Tông Mường hamlet to reach Bình Lâm Pagoda.
- Coordinates
- 22.73722, 105.01667
When visiting Bình Lâm Pagoda in Tông Mường hamlet, Phú Linh commune, visitors are asked to dress modestly, maintain a peaceful atmosphere inside the Buddhist sanctuary, and present vegetarian offerings (incense, fresh flowers, and ripe fruit). Above all, because the 1295 Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda is the earliest dated Trần-dynasty National Treasure bronze bell and is strictly protected inside the temple, visitors must never strike the bell without permission, touch or rub hard objects against the 309-character Chinese inscription, or climb onto the bell pavilion.
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?Quick Questions
Why is the Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda considered a uniquely valuable National Treasure?
The Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda was cast at the Horse hour on the full moon of the third lunar month in the Ất Mùi year, the third year of the Hưng Long era (1295) under Emperor Trần Anh Tông, and engraved with a 309-character Chinese inscription in the Bính Thân year (1296). It is the earliest securely dated and best-preserved Trần-dynasty bronze bell in Vietnam, recognized as a National Treasure on December 30, 2013 under Decision No. 2599/QĐ-TTg.
Who commissioned the casting of the Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda in 1295?
According to the Chinese inscription engraved on the body of the bell, the principal patrons who led the bell-casting association were the local chieftain of Trường Phú Linh, Nguyễn Anh, together with his principal wife Lady Nguyễn Thị Ninh, their son the hereditary official Nguyễn Bối, and numerous village elders and Buddhist devotees.
What are the dimensions, weight, and decorative motifs of the Bell of Bình Lâm Pagoda?
Cast in monolithic bronze weighing 193 kg, the bell measures 101 cm to 103 cm in total height (body height 84 cm, hanger height 17 - 19 cm) and 59 cm to 65 cm in mouth diameter. Its crown hanger is cast in the form of twin Trần-dynasty dragons joined back-to-back and covered in carp scales, topped by a lotus bud. The body features six striking bosses ringed by 13 lotus petals, three large raised characters reading Phụng Tam Bảo, and the engraved 309-character Chinese inscription.
Which province and commune does Bình Lâm Pagoda belong to after the 2025 administrative reorganization?
Prior to July 1, 2025, the pagoda was located in Tông Mường (Hamlet 9 / Bình Lâm) village, Phú Linh commune, Vị Xuyên district, Hà Giang province. Under Resolution No. 202/2025/QH15 and Resolution No. 1684/NQ-UBTVQH15 in 2025, Hà Giang province merged with Tuyên Quang province to form the new Tuyên Quang province, while Kim Thạch, Kim Linh, and Phú Linh communes merged to form the new Phú Linh commune of Tuyên Quang province.
When was the present Bình Lâm Pagoda building reconstructed?
The original Trần-dynasty Bình Lâm Pagoda stood on the archaeological foundation at the foot of the opposite hill (where archaeologists discovered Trần-era roof tiles and the remains of the bell-casting furnace pits). To safeguard the National Treasure bronze bell and serve local worshippers, the present Bình Lâm Pagoda was reconstructed and inaugurated on November 22, 2007.