VietNamNet Bridge – After a two-hour bus ride from central Hanoi, we arrived at Huong Pagoda area in Huong Son Commune, My Duc District, about 70 kilometers southwest of Hanoi.

Tourists join a boat trip along Yen Stream which leads to Huong Pagoda – Photo: Anh Khoa

To get to the pagoda, we headed for a pier called Duc at the famous Yen Stream where we took a small row boat. Drifting along the stream, we felt a quiet atmosphere and saw a great natural landscape.

In the past, people cultivated rice along the two banks of the stream but now visitors can only see lotus. In autumn, travelling along the stream is a fantastic experience as the lotus bloom creates a stunning scenery.

While the boat was slowly moving forward, we saw one limestone mountain after another. The view seemed somehow mysterious and unreal and the closer we came to the pagoda, the wilder the surrounding site became.

After more than an hour, we reached Tro pier from where we started trekking up to Thien Tru Pagoda, which was built in the latter half of the 15th century on Mount Lao. After reaching the pagoda, we continued the trip to Huong Tich Cave. Tourists can choose either to walk three kilometers or take a cable car ride to the cave and visit Huong Pagoda, which was built at the end of the late 17th century inside the cave.

The cave is home to tens of thousands of stalactites of various shapes. Huong Pagoda, Huong Tich Cave and Yen Stream are not just places for Buddha worshiping but for man to communicate with nature and find peace.    

SGT