Ong Nui pagoda

On the way from Quy Nhon city to Nhon Hoi Economic Zone locates Ong Nui (also called Linh Phong) pagoda behind the Ba Mountain in Phu Cat district. It is one of the oldest pagodas in the central province of Binh Dinh.

Coming to the foot of the mountain where the pagoda locates, tourists will see a gate with hundreds of stone steps leading to the pagoda.

It is said that the road meandering along the mountain side was built three centuries ago. It has still remained intact with wild flowers and plants growing among the steps.

Covering a hundred of steps, tourists could see the pagoda, locating at the height of 400 meters above sea level.

Legend has it that a monk named Tinh Giac came to here in 1702. He built a thatched temple and lived alone. He sometimes went down the mountain to offer medical treatment to villagers living nearby. He was also called Moc Y Son Ong (the doctor who lives on the mountain and wears bark) for he used bark as his clothes.

In 1733, the Lord Nguyen Phuoc Tru ordered the local authorities to rebuild the temple and renamed it Linh Phong.

When becoming a mandarin, Dao Tan also spent money restoring the pagoda and wrote a poem praising its beauty. The book Dai Nam nhat thong chi also writes: “The pagoda backs the mountain and faces the lagoon. Around the pagoda sees streams and forest, creating a picturesque landscape.”

After it had been fired in 1965, it was rebuilt. Hang To (To cave) is the remains of the temple, reminding the image of the old temple. The precinct of the pagoda is always shadowed by ancient trees, let alone many kinds of flowers and plants grown around the big lake in front of the main chamber.

Standing at the gate of the pagoda, tourists could see Thi Nai lagoon, houses under the foot of the mountain, and a river meandering in the sun.

Behind the pagoda are old towers which are used as resting places for monks. Coming inside the mountain, tourists could see many big stones with strange shapes and stone caves.

Some caves are used as places of worship, some are so big that could shelter an army, and some are still covered by bushes. They contain many secrets which haven’t been revealed.

• Source: Doanh nhan Sai Gon cuoi tuan