Dong Co mountain and temple
Dong Co mountain and temple
Dong Co mountain and temple
Dong Co mountain and temple
Dong Co mountain and temple
Dong Co mountain and temple
Dong Co mountain and temple
Dong Co mountain and temple
Dong Co mountain and temple
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Price: Updating

Phone: 0973948768

Time to visit a place: No limit

Open Time: 7:00 AM - Close Time: 6:00 PM

Email: xayentho.yendinh@gmail.com

Address: xa yen tho - yen dinh - thanh hoa

Dong Co Temple, located in Yên Thọ commune, Yên Định district, Thanh Hóa province, is one of the oldest temples in Thanh. Visiting Dong Co Temple, visitors are not only able to admire the picturesque landscape with legendary stories steeped in myth, but they also gain a deeper understanding of the aspirations for independence, peace, the martial spirit, and the unyielding will of our ancestors throughout the journey of establishing and safeguarding the nation.
 

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Dong Co Temple - The Ancient Temple Beyond the Passage of Time

Dong Co Temple, located in Yên Thọ commune, Yên Định district, Thanh Hóa province, is one of the oldest temples in Thanh. Visiting Dong Co Temple, visitors are not only able to admire the picturesque landscape with legendary stories steeped in myth, but they also gain a deeper understanding of the aspirations for independence, peace, the martial spirit, and the unyielding will of our ancestors throughout the journey of establishing and safeguarding the nation.
 

The Mountain and Dong Co Temple Seen from Above

According to legend, the god of Dong Co, also known as the God of the Bronze Drum, is worshiped at Dong Co Temple, which sits on Dong Co Mountain (also called Khả Phong Mountain) in Thanh Hóa province, under the Cửu Chân region. The god volunteered to assist King Hung in fighting invaders at Hồ Tôn. Upon returning victorious, King Hung visited the temple to offer thanks, ordered the casting of a bronze drum, and honored the god with the title “Dong Co Đại Vương” (Great King of Dong Co). Dong Co Mountain, as discovered by researchers, is a cluster of three peaks named Tam Thai, located on the right bank of the Ma River, in the territory of Dan Ne village (formerly known as Khả Lao), Yên Thọ commune, Yên Định district, Thanh Hóa province.
 

Dong Co Temple

The temple was built during the time of the Hung Kings and was destroyed by French colonialists in 1948. From the Ly, Tran, Le, and Nguyen dynasties until 1994, Dong Co Temple was recorded in the list of temples recognized by the royal court, and every year, the king would send officials (usually provincial governors) to perform ritual offerings in his stead. Originally, the temple housed a large bronze drum, but it was lost during the Later Le period. During the Tay Son dynasty, around 1796, the governor of Thanh Hóa, Nguyễn Quang Bàn, offered a bronze drum to the temple that he had found along a riverbank. He also composed an inscription carved on a wooden plaque, painted with vermilion and gold leaf, recounting the event of donating the drum. Dong Co Temple was the site of rituals during the reigns of several Vietnamese dynasties. Many relics, royal decrees, and seals of various dynasties are preserved within the temple. The Tran, Le, and Trinh-Nguyen dynasties continued to maintain state rituals at Dong Co Temple in Yên Định (Thanh Hóa) and in Bưởi Ward (Hà Nội). The current Dong Co Temple, reconstructed in 1996, consists of a single main chamber with two side wings, surrounded by lush greenery. In front of the temple, the Crescent Lake reflects the sky and clouds, mirroring the surrounding mountains.

When visiting Dong Co Temple, tourists not only admire the tranquil beauty of the river, mountains, and caves but also have the chance to listen to the temple bells toll, filling the air with a peaceful, serene atmosphere. A boat tour on Crescent Lake, with views extending from the caves to the Ma River, offers an unforgettable experience.
 

Dong Co Temple Festival (Source: Internet)


Every year, on the 14th and 15th days of the 3rd lunar month, the people of Yên Thọ commune, Yên Định district, hold the Dong Co Temple Festival to honor the god's contributions in "protecting the people and safeguarding the nation." Before the main ceremony, the festival is lively with various activities full of cultural significance, including sports competitions, folk music performances, exhibitions of intangible cultural heritage, and traditional games and performances.

In 2001, Dong Co Temple was recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism) as a National Historical and Cultural Monument, and the People's Committee of Thanh Hóa province invested in its restoration and preservation. In 2019, the historical and cultural site of Dong Co Mountain and Temple was officially recognized as a tourist destination by the People's Committee of Thanh Hóa. To this day, Dong Co Temple has become an attractive spiritual tourism site that visitors cannot afford to miss.

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Dong Co Temple, located in Yên Thọ commune, Yên Định district, Thanh Hóa province, is one of the oldest temples in Thanh. Visiting Dong Co Temple, visitors are not only able to admire the picturesque landscape with legendary stories steeped in myth, but they also gain a deeper understanding of the aspirations for independence, peace, the martial spirit, and the unyielding will of our ancestors throughout the journey of establishing and safeguarding the nation.
 

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