Traveling about nine kilometers northwest from the urban center of Cao Bằng into the ancient land of Cao Bình (now part of Thục Phán ward), visitors encounter a gentle earthen mound projecting into the flat valley fields like the head of a dragon gazing out over the landscape. Shaded by centuries-old trees atop this mound stands a spiritual complex of remarkable composition: on one side rises the contemplative Buddhist sanctuary of Đà Quận Pagoda (Viên Minh Temple), and directly opposite within the same grounds stands Quan Triều Temple alongside an ancient bell pavilion.
Not only is this one of the oldest sacred sites of ancient Thạch Lâm prefecture, founded under the Lý dynasty and closely tied to the Mạc royal capital of Cao Bình, it is also renowned across Vietnam as the home of the National Treasure Pair of Bells of Đà Quận Pagoda. Cast in the early seventeenth century and weighing nearly a metric ton each, the two monumental bronze bells still hang intact at the pagoda and the temple, their deep resonance echoing across the northeastern karst valley every spring.
IAncient Viên Minh Temple, Duke of Đà Mạc Ngọc Liễn, and Royal Consort Dương Tự Minh
The pagoda's formal Sino-Vietnamese name cast in relief upon its great bronze bell is Viên Minh Tự (圓明寺), belonging to the tradition of Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism (Buddhism). In Buddhist doctrine, the two characters Viên Minh signify perfected and all-illuminating wisdom, completely free from the veil of ignorance. Meanwhile, its popular vernacular name, Đà Quận Pagoda, derives directly from the noble title of a pillar general of the Mạc dynasty, Duke of Đà (Đà Quận công) Mạc Ngọc Liễn (1528 - 1594), who stationed his troops and established his residence in this locality in the late sixteenth century.
What makes the sacred space at Đà Quận uniquely compelling is the parallel coexistence of a Buddhist pagoda and a hero's temple on the same mound. While Viên Minh Pagoda on the upper terrace worships the Buddhas of the Three Times, the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteshvara, and commemorates the benefactions of the Mạc royal house, Quan Triều Temple standing directly opposite in front honors general Dương Tự Minh (the ethnic Tày chieftain who governed Phú Lương prefecture under the Lý dynasty and is venerated as the principal deity of Đền Đuổm in Thái Nguyên) together with his consort, Princess Hồng Liên (Thiều Dung).
The side-by-side presence of Viên Minh Pagoda and Quan Triều Temple represents a vivid frontier expression of the classical Vietnamese spiritual principle of the Saint in front, the Buddha behind (tiền Thánh hậu Phật). Here, the compassionate wisdom of Buddhism and the realm-protecting valor of the Tày human deity do not stand apart, but mutually reinforce one another. Even more strikingly, the tangible bond uniting the two sanctuaries is the pair of great bronze bells: the female bell bearing a long Chinese inscription hangs in the bell tower of Viên Minh Pagoda, while the larger uninscribed male bell hangs across the courtyard at Quan Triều Temple. In local belief, the two bells form a harmonious yin-yang pair whose combined dharma sound shelters the inhabitants of the Cao Bình valley.
According to classical texts and local traditions in Cao Bằng, during the reign of Emperor Lý Anh Tông (1138 - 1175), Royal Consort Dương Tự Minh, after years of guarding the northern frontier and suppressing separatist uprisings, retired with Princess Thiều Dung to the peaceful land of Đà Quận. Seeing the auspicious dragon-head mound, he founded Viên Minh Pagoda as a place of Buddhist cultivation. After the general and the princess passed away, grateful villagers erected a shrine directly opposite the pagoda to honor them, naming it Quan Triều Temple after Dương Tự Minh's native village of Quan Triều in Phú Lương prefecture.
At the end of the sixteenth century, when the Mạc dynasty withdrew to Cao Bằng and selected Cao Bình (former Hưng Đạo commune, now part of Thục Phán ward) as its royal capital alongside King Lê Temple (Na Lữ Citadel), Royal Consort and Duke of Đà Mạc Ngọc Liễn chose the area around Viên Minh Pagoda for his command residence and final resting place. Continuing the devotion of their predecessors, in the Tân Hợi year, the nineteenth year of the Càn Thống era (1611) under Emperor Mạc Kính Cung, members of the Mạc royal family, court officials, and Buddhist devotees carried out a major restoration of Viên Minh Pagoda and cast the pair of great bronze bells that survive to this day.
Visitors encountering the name Đà Quận Pagoda often assume either that Đà Quận was an ancient Lý-era geographical name, or conversely that the pagoda itself was first founded by the Mạc dynasty. In fact, the original name of the pagoda from the Lý period is Viên Minh Tự, whereas the place name Đà Quận arose from the noble title Đà Quận công (Duke of Đà) held by general Mạc Ngọc Liễn in the late sixteenth century, subsequently becoming the name of the hamlet and the popular name of the pagoda. Recognizing how the twelfth-century Lý layer (Dương Tự Minh and the name Viên Minh) interweaves with the seventeenth-century Mạc layer (Mạc Ngọc Liễn and the 1611 bells) is essential to reading this site accurately.
IIEight centuries from the Lý dynasty and the Mạc capital of Cao Bình to a National Treasure
Standing right at the heart of Cao Bình, once the most bustling urban and administrative hub of Cao Bằng garrison throughout the Mạc and Restored Lê periods and celebrated in folk verses alongside the Nine-Tiered Pavilion of Na Lữ, the Đà Quận Pagoda and Quan Triều Temple complex has witnessed more than eight hundred years of northeastern frontier history.
In examining legal dossiers and historical publications on Đà Quận Pagoda, the library notes two important documentary divergences that warrant clear explanation. First is the question of bell-casting dates and restoration eras: some general overview texts mention the ninth year of the Chính Hòa era (1688) under the Restored Lê dynasty (referring to Later Lê repairs or recasting traditions after the Mạc left Cao Bằng in 1677), whereas the official National Treasure dossier of the Department of Cultural Heritage and the Chinese inscription cast directly onto the body of the Viên Minh Pagoda bell state the exact date line: Long Phi Càn Thống chi thập cửu niên Tân Hợi cốc nhật, meaning an auspicious day in the Tân Hợi year, the nineteenth year of the Càn Thống era (1611) under Emperor Mạc Kính Cung. Thus, the primary epigraphic date on the artifact itself is 1611 under the Mạc dynasty, while the late seventeenth-century Chính Hòa era represents a subsequent period of Later Lê administration and maintenance.
Second is the sequence of heritage ranking decisions: on September 4, 1995, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision No. 2861-QĐ/BT ranking the ancient bells of Đà Quận Pagoda and Quan Triều Temple as a National artistic heritage site. Subsequently, on November 4, 2008, the Cao Bằng Provincial People's Committee issued Decisions No. 2487/QĐ-UBND and No. 2488/QĐ-UBND designating the architectural structures of Quan Triều Temple and Đà Quận Pagoda (Viên Minh Temple) as provincial historical and cultural heritage sites, before the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 2496/QĐ-TTg on December 22, 2016 recognizing the Pair of Bells of Đà Quận Pagoda as a National Treasure (fifth batch).
- 12th centuryFoundation of Viên Minh Pagoda and Quan Triều TempleUnder Emperor Lý Anh Tông (1138 - 1175), Viên Minh Pagoda was founded on the dragon-head mound in Thạch Lâm prefecture in association with Royal Consort Dương Tự Minh and Princess Thiều Dung. After his passing, villagers built Quan Triều Temple opposite the pagoda to honor him.
- Late 16th centuryImprint of Duke of Đà Mạc Ngọc Liễn at Cao BìnhWhen the Mạc court established its capital at Cao Bình, general Mạc Ngọc Liễn (Duke of Đà) set up his residence in this area, giving rise to the place name Đà Quận and the popular name Đà Quận Pagoda.
- 1611Major restoration of Viên Minh Pagoda and casting of the twin bellsIn the Tân Hợi year, the nineteenth year of the Càn Thống era under Emperor Mạc Kính Cung, the Mạc royal family and Buddhist benefactors carried out a major restoration of Viên Minh Pagoda and cast the pair of giant bronze bells hung at Viên Minh Pagoda and Quan Triều Temple.
- Late 17th - 19th centuryRestorations under the Restored Lê and Nguyễn dynastiesFollowing 1677 (including maintenance during the late seventeenth-century Chính Hòa era and nineteenth-century Nguyễn restorations), the pagoda and temple complex continued to be cared for by provincial officials and local residents.
- 1995Ranked as a National artistic heritage siteOn September 4, 1995, the Minister of Culture and Information signed Decision No. 2861-QĐ/BT ranking the pair of ancient bells at Đà Quận Pagoda and Quan Triều Temple as a National artistic heritage site.
- 2008Provincial heritage designation for the architectural complexOn November 4, 2008, the Cao Bằng Provincial People's Committee issued Decisions No. 2487/QĐ-UBND and No. 2488/QĐ-UBND recognizing Quan Triều Temple and Đà Quận Pagoda (Viên Minh Temple) as provincial historical and cultural heritage sites.
- 2016Recognition of the Pair of Bells as a National TreasureOn December 22, 2016, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 2496/QĐ-TTg recognizing the Pair of Bells of Đà Quận Pagoda as a National Treasure in the fifth batch.
- 2025Administrative merger into the new Thục Phán wardUnder Resolution No. 1657/NQ-UBTVQH15 in 2025, Hưng Đạo commune (containing Đà Quận hamlet) was merged with Hoàng Tung commune and Sông Hiến, Đề Thám, and Hợp Giang wards to form Thục Phán ward of Cao Bằng province.
IIIComplex architecture and the National Treasure Pair of Bells of Đà Quận Pagoda
The Đà Quận Pagoda (Viên Minh Temple) and Quan Triều Temple complex is arranged harmoniously across a broad earthen mound shaded by ancient trees. Historically, Viên Minh Pagoda was built on a traditional northern Vietnamese Đinh-shaped (丁) ground plan comprising a front worship hall, middle hall, and five-bay upper sanctuary. Following historical damage over the centuries, dilapidated timber sections were restored on the original foundations using traditional highland masonry walls and yin-yang tile roofs. Inside the main Buddha hall sits a solemn pantheon including the Buddhas of the Three Times on the highest lotus dais, the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteshvara, the Benevolent and Wrathful Dharma Guardians, and altars to the Eighteen Arhats.
The priceless masterwork that elevates the site to national stature is the National Treasure Pair of Bells of Đà Quận Pagoda cast in bronze in the Tân Hợi year (1611). Regarding the exact dimensions of the two bells, the library records both the technical measurements in the Department of Cultural Heritage dossier and the rounded figures often cited in regional press reports for accurate comparison: according to the official National Treasure dossier (dsvh.gov.vn), the Viên Minh Pagoda bell (the female bell) has a total height of 160 cm (body height 132 cm, hanger height 28 cm) and a mouth diameter of 95 cm, whereas the Quan Triều Temple bell (the male bell) is larger, with a total height of 178 cm (body height 142 cm, hanger height 36 cm) and a mouth diameter of 106 cm (some regional articles round or combine these figures as 1.75 m tall, 1.03 m mouth diameter, and weighing nearly 1 metric ton). Both bells are seventeenth-century bronze-casting masterpieces weighing close to a ton each.
Measuring 160 cm in total height and 95 cm in mouth diameter, hung in the bell pavilion of Viên Minh Pagoda. Its crown hanger is cast in the form of twin dragons arched back-to-back with four sturdy claws gripping the top of the bell, and its body bears a valuable raised Chinese inscription dated to the 19th year of Càn Thống (1611).
Measuring 178 cm in total height and 106 cm in mouth diameter, hung in the bell pavilion beside Quan Triều Temple opposite the pagoda. It shares the same profile, twin-dragon hanger, raised bands, and lotus-petal striking bosses as the Viên Minh bell, but is larger in size and has an uninscribed body.
Cast across four rectangular panels on the body of the Viên Minh Pagoda bell, praising the scenic mountains and rivers of Thạch Lâm prefecture, celebrating Viên Minh Pagoda as the foremost landmark of the Cao Bình capital, and listing the Mạc royal family members and officials who contributed to casting the bell.
The central Buddhist sanctuary atop the back of the dragon-head mound, enshrining the Three Times Buddhas, the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, Dharma Guardians, and ancient stone stelae recording historical restorations.
The companion shrine within the same heritage complex, dedicated to Royal Consort Dương Tự Minh and Princess Hồng Liên (Thiều Dung), creating a harmonious pairing of Buddhist devotion and frontier hero veneration.
The exceptional historical value of the inscription on the Viên Minh Pagoda bell lies in the fact that it is one of the very few surviving original bronze epigraphic texts produced by the Mạc dynasty during its rule in Cao Bằng. The text opens with refined parallel prose describing the topography of Thạch Lâm prefecture, with overlapping peaks like crouching tigers and coiling dragons and clear waters winding around the capital of Cao Bình, where the efficacious Viên Minh Pagoda stands. Not only does the inscription attest to the extraordinary bronze-casting skill of early seventeenth-century Vietnamese artisans capable of casting single-piece bells weighing nearly a ton whose sound carried for miles, it also illuminates the flourishing Buddhist patronage of the Mạc royal court in Cao Bằng.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
This section presents the library's reading through the eyes of traditional landform feng shui alongside the landscape descriptions of Thạch Lâm prefecture preserved in the 1611 bell inscription itself. The library states this clearly so readers can appreciate the continuity between premodern geomantic perception and the physical terrain today.
Situated at approximately 22.68194 degrees north latitude and 106.19500 degrees east longitude on the floor of the Cao Bình valley (Thục Phán ward), Đà Quận Pagoda (Viên Minh Temple) occupies a landform praised in both local folklore and the seventeenth-century bell inscription as a returning dragon gazing back at its ancestor and a dragon head that gathers qi. The mound supporting the pagoda and temple is a gentle, low ridge extending outward from the rear hill chain into the level paddy plain, its front tip rising slightly in a rounded dome that closely resembles the head of a resting dragon. Viên Minh Pagoda sits directly upon the forehead and crown of the dragon's head, while Quan Triều Temple and the two bell pavilions rest at the dragon's jaw and whiskers in front, forming a unified architectural ensemble seated squarely upon the dragon vein (long mạch).
In terms of mountain orientation and water flow, the complex faces south-southeast, receiving mild breezes rising from the Bằng Giang and Dẻ Rào river valleys. In front of the pagoda, the bright hall (minh đường) opens out across the level Hưng Đạo fields, where small streams of the Cao Bình basin gather before feeding into the main river, keeping the vital energy before the sanctuary fresh and expansive. In the distance ahead, the undulating limestone peaks of the Cao Bằng arc rise tier upon tier as a natural front screen (tiền án) and court mountains bowing inward. Behind the mound, the hill chain provides a steady rear backing (hậu chẩm), while prosperous villages and low mounds on either side curve around the site as the Azure Dragon on the left, White Tiger on the right. This distinctive posture of a dragon head emerging amid the Cao Bình plain explains why both a twelfth-century Lý royal consort and a sixteenth-century Mạc duke selected this exact spot as a spiritual anchor and cast the twin great bells to hold the auspicious qi of the ancient capital.
VThe Đà Quận Pagoda festival on the eighth and ninth days of the first lunar month
While the King Lê Temple Festival at Na Lữ opens the spring season on the sixth day of the first lunar month, immediately afterward, on the night of the eighth day and throughout the ninth day of the first lunar month each year, residents from across Cao Bằng province and pilgrims from afar flock to Đà Quận hamlet in Thục Phán ward (former Hưng Đạo commune) to celebrate the Đà Quận Pagoda Festival. It is one of the oldest and most distinctive festivals blending Buddhist devotion and folk hero veneration in the Northeast.
| Lunar date | Rite and activity | Detailed content |
|---|---|---|
| Evening and night of the 8th day of the 1st month | Incense offering and opening bell tolling | Worshippers and visitors gather at Viên Minh Pagoda and Quan Triều Temple to offer incense to the Buddha and the Saint. The ceremonial striking of the ancient bells to pray for national peace and prosperity takes place solemnly on the opening night. |
| Morning of the 9th day of the 1st month | Palanquin procession and traditional grand sacrifice | A ceremonial palanquin and offering procession in traditional attire parades between Viên Minh Pagoda and Quan Triều Temple, followed by incense offerings and the reading of the ceremonial text honoring the Buddhas, Royal Consort Dương Tự Minh, Princess Hồng Liên, and Duke of Đà Mạc Ngọc Liễn. |
| All day on the 9th day of the 1st month | Spring folk songs and traditional games | Across the dragon-head mound and the Đà Quận fields, festivities unfold with còn ball tossing, human chess, tug-of-war, stick pushing, lày cỏ, and spring antiphonal performances of Then singing, Tính lute, Sli, and Lượn. |
| 15th day of the 1st month, Buddha's Birthday, and Vu Lan | Major annual Buddhist observances | The pagoda holds the New Year peace prayer on the first full moon, the Buddha's Birthday celebration (8th to 15th days of the fourth lunar month), and the Vu Lan filial piety festival (15th day of the seventh lunar month). |
The most moving moment of the Đà Quận Pagoda Festival comes when the more than four-hundred-year-old bronze bells toll through the morning mist on the ninth day of the first lunar month. Generations of Cao Bằng residents have passed down the saying that whoever visits the Đà Quận festival at the start of the year and hears the resonance of the sacred twin bells of Viên Minh Pagoda and Quan Triều Temple will enjoy a peaceful mind and a harmonious household throughout the year. As the Đà Quận festival concludes on the afternoon of the ninth day, pilgrims continue their journey onward to Kỳ Sầm Temple on the night of the ninth and the tenth day of the first lunar month, completing a vibrant chain of early-spring festivals across the Non Nước Cao Bằng landscape.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Xóm Đà Quận, phường Thục Phán (xã Hưng Đạo cũ, thành phố Cao Bằng cũ, trước đó thuộc huyện Hòa An cũ), tỉnh Cao Bằng
- Getting there
- From the center of Cao Bằng province, follow Provincial Road 203 or the national highway bypass northwest through former Hưng Đạo commune (now Thục Phán ward) for about 9 km, then turn into Đà Quận hamlet following the heritage signposts to reach the mound of Đà Quận Pagoda and Quan Triều Temple.
- Coordinates
- 22.68194, 106.195
When visiting Đà Quận Pagoda (Viên Minh Temple) and Quan Triều Temple, please note that this complex comprises both a Buddhist pagoda and a hero's shrine, so offerings presented inside Viên Minh Pagoda should be strictly vegetarian (incense, fresh flowers, ripe fruit, and sweet rice cakes). In particular, because the Pair of Bells of Đà Quận Pagoda is a National Treasure cast in 1611, visitors must never strike the bells without permission, scratch the bronze surface with hard objects, or make unauthorized ink rubbings from the bell inscription.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
Contribute photos, information or video for Đà Quận Pagoda (Viên Minh Temple)
Góp ảnh, thông tin hoặc video cho Chùa Đà Quận (Viên Minh Tự)Everyone is welcome to enrich this page: a photo you took, a detail the page misses, a short video. Every contribution is read and answered.
Thầy Ưng Khiêm mời cộng đồng cùng làm giàu trang này. Ảnh chụp tận nơi, một chi tiết lịch sử chưa được nhắc, một đoạn video ngắn: mọi đóng góp đều được đọc và trả lời.
No community contribution yet. You could be the first. Chưa có đóng góp nào từ cộng đồng. Bạn có thể là người đầu tiên.
?Quick Questions
Why does the pagoda have two names, Đà Quận Pagoda and Viên Minh Pagoda?
Viên Minh Tự (Viên Minh Pagoda) is the ancient Sino-Vietnamese formal name of the pagoda founded under Emperor Lý Anh Tông in the twelfth century and cast in relief upon its 1611 great bronze bell. Meanwhile, the popular name Đà Quận Pagoda derives from the title of Duke of Đà (Đà Quận công) Mạc Ngọc Liễn, a prominent Mạc dynasty general who established his residence here in the late sixteenth century.
When was the National Treasure Pair of Bells of Đà Quận Pagoda cast and what are their dimensions?
According to the Chinese inscription cast on the bell and the Department of Cultural Heritage dossier, the pair of bells was cast in the Tân Hợi year, the nineteenth year of the Càn Thống era (1611) under the Mạc dynasty. The Viên Minh Pagoda bell (female bell) measures 160 cm in height and 95 cm in mouth diameter and bears a raised Chinese inscription. The Quan Triều Temple bell (male bell) measures 178 cm in height and 106 cm in mouth diameter and is uninscribed. They were recognized as a National Treasure on December 22, 2016.
Which historical general is worshipped at Quan Triều Temple opposite Đà Quận Pagoda?
Quan Triều Temple, standing directly opposite Viên Minh Pagoda within the same heritage complex, honors Royal Consort Dương Tự Minh (the twelfth-century ethnic Tày general who governed Phú Lương prefecture under the Lý dynasty and defended the northern frontier) together with his consort, Princess Hồng Liên (Thiều Dung).
Which administrative unit does Đà Quận Pagoda belong to after the 2025 reorganization?
Prior to July 1, 2025, the pagoda was located in Đà Quận hamlet, Hưng Đạo commune, Cao Bằng city. Under Resolution No. 1657/NQ-UBTVQH15 issued in 2025 by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, Hưng Đạo commune was merged with Hoàng Tung commune and Sông Hiến, Đề Thám, and Hợp Giang wards to establish Thục Phán ward of Cao Bằng province.
When does the Đà Quận Pagoda Festival take place each year?
The traditional Đà Quận Pagoda Festival takes place on the night of the eighth day and throughout the ninth day of the first lunar month each year. The festival opens with incense offerings and the ceremonial tolling of the ancient bells on the night of the eighth, followed by palanquin processions and sacrificial rites on the morning of the ninth alongside Then singing, Sli folk songs, còn tossing, and human chess.