Bích Động Pagoda Chùa Bích Động
Cave pagoda in three halls up a limestone hill
Cave pagoda in three halls up a limestone hill, 2 km from the pier and on the same ticket as the boat. Climb from the lower hall past the cave shrines to the upper hall, then look back over the river and the rice. Go the same day as the boat. Skip it if a hillside climb is hard for you.
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The pagoda gate across the lotus pond, with the limestone behind
Photo: Tupham · Public domain
The pagoda climbs the hill in three separate halls: chùa Hạ at the foot, chùa Trung against the cliff, and chùa Thượng near the top. Buddha statues stand in the dark caves between them. The lower hall has five bays on a high base, and its stone columns are single blocks over 4 m tall. Under the halls runs Xuyên Thủy, a water cave through the hill.
Photo: Jakub Hałun · CC BY 4.0
The name means green cave. The pagoda and the cave were first called Bích Sơn, and the monks Trí Kiên and Trí Thể built it up in the Lê Trung Hưng period. In 1774 lord Trịnh Sâm passed through, and Nguyễn Nghiễm oversaw eight months of work to carve the characters Bích Động into the rock, each frame 1.5 m tall. The old ranking calls it Nam thiên đệ nhị động, the second cave of the south.
During the war against the French the caves held the Phan Đình Phùng arms workshop, stored rice, and printed leaflets. A branch of the Ngô Đồng and the rice lie in front of the gate. Come after the boat, on the same ticket.
Getting there and around
Bích Động is 2 km from the Tam Cốc pier along the rice road. Ride a bicycle, or buy the 350,000 VND ticket that includes the electric shuttle between the stops.
From the Tam Cốc pier
2 km by bicycle or by the electric shuttle on the shuttle ticket.
Hours and fees
- Hours
Check on arrival
- Admission
On the Tam Cốc–Bích Động ticket: adult 250,000 VND, child 1–1.3 m 120,000 VND. With the electric shuttle: adult 350,000 VND, child 1–1.3 m 190,000 VND. No separate pagoda ticket is listed.
Also in Tam Coc
The three caves Tam Cốc
Sampan ride on the Ngô Đồng through three water caves and the rice, about 2 hours out and back.
Thái Vi Temple Đền Thái Vi
Stone temple to the Trần kings among the karst, 2 km from the pier and on the same ticket as the boat.
Thung Nham Bird Park Vườn chim Thung Nham
Karst valley where thousands of egrets and storks roost: boat out to the bird island and climb to a cave.
Cố Viên Lầu old houses Cố Viên Lầu
Yard of 22 old village houses rebuilt beside the pier, a short walk before or after the boat.
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