Yen Tu Mountain
Núi Yên Tử
A sacred site of the Vietnamese Truc Lam Zen Buddhist school, where King Tran Nhan Tong retreated to practice. Take a cable car to Dong Pagoda at the summit. Inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2025.
Yen Tu Mountain rises 1,068 meters in Uong Bi city, Quang Ninh province, about 50 km from Ha Long. In the 13th century, King Tran Nhan Tong founded the Truc Lam Zen school here, and today it is Vietnam's most important Buddhist pilgrimage site. Dozens of pagodas and temples, including Hoa An Pagoda, Nhat Dao Pagoda, and Dong Pagoda, line the old pilgrimage path. Visitors can hike or take two cable car segments up the mountain, then walk the final stretch to Dong Pagoda at the summit. In 2025, Yen Tu was inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage Site together with Vinh Nghiem Pagoda and the Kon Son-Kiep Bac complex. Cable car returns cost several hundred thousand Vietnamese dong. Wear comfortable shoes, and plan a full day.
Opening hours
Approx. 06:00–18:00 (cable car hours to be confirmed on site)
Nearby sights
- Tuan Chau Island
- Bai Chay Beach
- Thien Cung Cave
- Dau Go Cave
- Sun World Ha Long
- Bai Chay Bridge
- Bai Tho Mountain
- Fighting Cocks Islet (Kissing Rocks)