Non Nước Pagoda (Ninh Bình)

Non Nước Pagoda in Ninh Bình Province is an ancient pagoda located at the foot of Non Nước Mountain, beside the Đáy River and at the mouth of the Vân River. The pagoda is situated in Hoa Lư Ward, Ninh Bình Province. Non Nước Mountain and Pagoda is a national historical and cultural site, as well as an important tourist attraction of Hoa Lư City.

From the time of the Lý dynasty, during the reign of King Lý Nhân Tông, the national master Nguyễn Minh Không built a Buddhist pagoda at the foot of Dục Thúy Sơn Mountain to the east. The pagoda was constructed from stone, with curved dragon-shaped roofs, and already featured a stupa as a place for worshipping the Buddha. Inside the stupa was placed a principal Buddha statue and several subsidiary statues.

In the 13th century, the stupa was separated, resulting in two distinct structures: the pagoda and the stupa. The stupa was no longer part of the pagoda but became a monk's tomb. For this reason, during the Trần dynasty, the Linh Tế Stupa collapsed. In 1337, during the reign of King Trần Hiến Tông, the Linh Tế Stupa was rebuilt. The person who presided over the reconstruction was the monk Trí Nhu (from Tràng An prefecture, Đại Hoàng district—that is, from Ninh Bình). While holding the positions of Left Division Deputy Director and Left Supervisor Nghị Đại Phu, Trương Hán Siêu wrote the essay "Dục Thúy Sơn Linh Tế Tháp Ký" (Record of the Linh Tế Stupa on Dục Thúy Mountain), on the occasion of the stupa's reconstruction. In this essay, Trương Hán Siêu stated that the rebuilt Linh Tế Stupa was four storeys high: "The stupa was built with four storeys, radiating a halo at night, visible to all near and far."

At the end of the Later Lê period, the Linh Tế Stupa collapsed. This was recorded by Phạm Đình Hồ in the book "Tam thương ngẫu lục": "After the cauldron was changed, the palace was abandoned and made into the Tràng An granary, and the Linh Tế Stupa also fell into ruin."

The pagoda has two gates, one entrance to the north, and another to the southeast facing the Đáy River, which is also the gate where many people release carp on the day of the Kitchen Gods' journey to Heaven.

From the courtyard of Non Nước Pagoda by the Đáy River, one can look out towards Ninh Bình Bridge, Non Nước Bridge, and observe the life of residents on the Đáy River.

In 2006, the pagoda was restored and newly inaugurated, but still retains its sacred and tranquil atmosphere.

Every year, Non Nước Pagoda welcomes thousands of domestic and international tourists for sightseeing and pilgrimage. From the pagoda, looking out into the distance, one can admire the peaceful and serene scenery of the Vietnamese countryside.

Since the reconstruction of the Linh Tế Stupa on Dục Thúy Mountain, many poets and scholars have composed poems praising the mountain, all mentioning the Linh Tế Stupa:

This is a remarkable poem about 'newness', no less than the poems of the 20th century in terms of content, language, and poetic form (six-syllable verse).