Top 10 Exciting Tourist Destinations in Phu Tho for Hung Kings' Commemoration Day

Hung Temple is erected on Nghia Linh Mountain, amidst Phong Chau land, now in Hy Cuong commune, Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province. The relic complex of Hung Temple stretches from the foot of the mountain to the summit of Nghia Linh peak, which is 175 meters high, within the forest area strictly protected bordering the districts of Lam Thao, Phu Ninh, and suburban areas of Viet Tri city, about 10 km from the city center.

The area of Hung Temple today lies within the territory of the ancient national capital of Phong Chau of Van Lang country. According to the book 'Ngoc Pha Hung Vuong,' the Hung Kings of that time built the Kinh Thien Palace in this Nghia Linh mountain area. The historical relic site of Hung Temple includes the Lower Temple and pagoda, Well Temple, Middle Temple, Upper Temple, and the tombs of the Hung Kings.

On the 10th of the 3rd lunar month every year, a Hung Kings' Commemoration Day ceremony is held here. This festival attracts many domestic and foreign tourists to express gratitude to the Hung Kings for their contributions to the establishment and defense of the nation.

Located 120 km from Hanoi, in Tan Son district, Phu Tho province, is the Xuan Son National Park, covering an area of over 15,000 hectares. This makes Xuan Son National Park the 12th largest national park out of 15 in Vietnam. The park boasts a typical northern ecosystem, preserving its pristine beauty, which is incredibly appealing to tourists. The air here is fresh and cool, reminiscent of a temperate summer. The lush greenery of various types of trees creates a mesmerizing sight, while in the distance, sparkling streams and simple wooden houses dot the landscape.

The natural system of mountains, caves, and forests here is remarkably untouched, especially the primary forests on the limestone mountains, known as the Green Stone Forest, forming a diverse and rich landscape. The park has three main peaks: Elephant Mountain, Ten Mountain, and Can Mountain. These three peaks form a 'balanced triangle' with each side approximately 4.5 km long, all covered in pristine forests.

Ao Chau Lake belongs to Ha Hoa town, located 50 km from Phu Tho town and 70 km from Viet Tri city. This place is considered as a miniature Ha Long Bay on the land of Phu Tho.

Ao Chau Lake is located in Ha Hoa town and the communes of Y Son, Am Ha, and Phu Khanh in Ha Hoa district. Tourists can reach here conveniently by road, rail, or waterway. By rail, Ao Chau is on the Hanoi - Lao Cai route and in the future will be part of the trans-Asia railway, connecting countries in the region with Yunnan province, China. By road, this scenic spot is located on National Highway 2 - the most important route connecting the capital Hanoi with the northwestern provinces. By waterway, there are many large rivers flowing through such as the Red River, Da River, and Lo River.

Ao Chau Lake has favorable conditions to develop into an eco-tourism destination with various types of tourism such as resorts, kayaking, fishing, mountain climbing, etc., catering to the needs of both domestic and international tourists, especially Chinese tourists.

Au Co Temple is located in Hien Luong commune, Ha Hoa district, Phu Tho province. This is a very special cultural and historical work, associated with the image of Mother Au Co giving birth to Lac Long Quan and Au Co within a hundred eggs, which has been engraved in the minds and hearts of generations of Vietnamese people.

Spring is also the time when people of Hien Luong eagerly prepare offerings, processions, and offerings for the 'Tien giang' day. And tourists from afar come together on a pilgrimage to the homeland, blending into the lively atmosphere of the Au Co Temple festival. The main festival at Au Co Temple is on the 7th day of the first lunar month every year, and it lasts for three consecutive days. Since ancient times, people living in this area have had a folk song that goes: 'On the seventh day of the lunar new year, the people of Hien celebrate with the sound of drums and gongs echoing in the sky...'

Fairy Stream - Heavenly Lake is dubbed as the picturesque land of Phu Tho province, situated on Mount Na in Quan Khe commune, Ha Hoa district, approximately 80km northwest of Viet Tri city, and about 15km from Ao Chau. This place is currently an attractive tourist destination for many visitors due to its pristine beauty of nature. The road to Fairy Stream - Heavenly Lake is surrounded by hundreds of large and small mountain peaks with an average height ranging from 500 to 600 meters above sea level. With a height of 1,200 meters, Mount Na stands tall as the focal point of the vast upper region of the midland.

The ecosystem here is extremely diverse, including hundreds of majestic and towering mountain peaks, surrounded by a dense layer of rare and precious trees such as ironwood, acacia, ebony, and golden heartwood... enhancing the landscape with vividness and uniqueness.

In recent years, alongside the development of tourism and entertainment services, the cultural and spiritual sites in Thanh Thuy district have attracted a large number of people and tourists from all over to visit, pay respects, pray for luck, peace, and happiness for their families. One of the temples and festivals eagerly awaited by the people, which attracts thousands of visitors annually for worship, is Lăng Sương Temple in Trung Nghia commune.

Linked to the era of the Hung Kings who founded and protected the nation, Lăng Sương Temple in Trung Nghia commune attracts many people and tourists from far and wide to visit, pay respects, especially during the beginning and end of the year (visiting to pay respects at the beginning of the year and to express gratitude at the end of the year). When coming here, tourists not only pray for luck, peace, and happiness for their families and loved ones but also reconnect with the ethnic origins.

This is also the only temple currently dedicated to the entire family of Saint Tan Vien Son - one of the deities revered by the people as the 'supreme divine spirit,' the 'number one lucky god,' leading the 'Four Immortals' in the folk belief of worshipping Vietnamese deities who helped the people control the waters, cultivate wild lands, teach rice cultivation, kill wild beasts, and suppress foreign invaders. Particularly, when he grew up to become talented, serving as a minister, Tan Vien Son advised the 18th Hung King to abdicate the throne to Thuc Phan to maintain unity and avoid unnecessary prolonged civil war, then went back to Mount Tan to live with his wife, Princess Ngoc Hoa. With his significant contributions, the people established temples, offering incense year-round to express gratitude for his merits.

Thu Cúc Garden located in Van Phu Ward, Viet Tri, Phu Tho, is built in a unique style, first appearing in Phu Tho, it is a model of an ecological garden combined with community tourism and homestay accommodation promising to be an ideal destination to learn about the culture of the Vietnamese people.

Thu Cúc Garden covers a total area of ​​nearly 4 hectares, including a valley of flowers planted with various types of flowers, diverse colors, and uniquely shaped such as: Heart shape, oval shape, square shape with various intertwined colors. In addition, there are cool green palm forests, underneath is a stretch of artificial grass helping to create a cool, fresh space. Along with that is a radiant cherry blossom tree, rows of roses lining up, allowing tourists to freely pose for check-in photos.

Bach Hac - Ben Got Tourist Area is located in the south of Viet Tri city, serving as a gateway connecting Phu Tho with the northwestern mountainous provinces to Hanoi and the provinces in the North Delta. This is where many historical and cultural relics still exist, along with legends and stories about the nation-building process and preservation of our ancestors such as the ancient “Hoa Long Zen Temple” on the bank of the Thong River, beside the temple is a stone with footprints carved on its surface.

According to many stories, this is where Lac Long Quan conducted a sky-worshipping ceremony and was descended upon by heavenly beings. He sat on this stone, gave names, and allocated territories to one hundred offspring born by Au Co. Later, this place became bustling with trade and business, and the dock below was named Ben Got. The Bach Hac Communal House, also known as the Viet Tri Village Communal House, is where the Hung Kings are worshipped. The Lang Dai Temple is where the two legendary figures, Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh, engaged in combat. The Ha Than Temple is where the River God is worshipped for assisting King Tran Minh Tong in subduing the Man River, ensuring peace for the land. The Bach Hac Temple is where the earth lords named Huu Tran Lan and his younger brother Thach Khanh, possessing magical healing powers, cured countless ailments for the people, and later became deified at the Tam Thanh Pagoda by the Bach Hac River, receiving the title of sacred deities at the confluence of three rivers…

Hung Vuong Museum is located on Tran Phu Street, along the Van Lang Park Lake – the heart of Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province. Positioned at the center of the ancient Van Lang capital, it houses an extensive historical and cultural treasure trove with over 12,000 original artifacts. Among them, the museum selects 2,000 beautiful and unique artifacts with high historical, cultural, and aesthetic value to display in its exhibition space, featuring 3 main contents: permanent exhibitions; thematic exhibitions; and outdoor exhibitions.

Of these, the most important is the permanent exhibition section, designed in a modern style harmoniously combining the original artifacts with 49 artistic clusters arranged along 5 themes:

• Nature and people of Phu Tho;
• Prehistoric and protohistoric periods of Phu Tho;
• Phu Tho during the Northern domination period and the establishment of an autonomous feudal national construction;
• The history of Phu Tho people's resistance against foreign invaders;
• Phu Tho in the renewal process

Tam Giang Temple – Dai Bi Pagoda is a national historical and cultural relic located in Bach Hac ward, Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province. This temple is situated on the lower reaches where three major rivers, namely the Red River, Lo River, and Da River, converge, which local people have long referred to as the Hac junction. Tam Giang Temple – Dai Bi Pagoda is a beautiful landscape of the ancestral land, attracting numerous tourists to visit and pay homage on every festival occasion.

This national historical and cultural relic site, Tam Giang Temple – Dai Bi Pagoda, is a complete and unified complex of relics, including Tam Giang Temple, Mother Temple, Dai Bi Pagoda, the footprint of Earth Commander Cao Quan Bach Hac Dai Vuong, bathing pier, statue of Chieu Van Vuong Ta Thanh Thai Su Tran Nhat Duat, and 18 representative Buddha statues of Vietnamese Buddhism.