Bao Ha Temple is a national historical-cultural relic that was ranked by the State in November 1997, located about 60km from Lao Cai city to the south, about 220km from Hanoi to the northwest. The temple is hidden in the middle of majestic mountains, the sentence is the Red River flowing poetically. In the typical morning dew in the highlands, when the sun rises, Bao Ha Temple will gradually appear in front of visitors in the subtle smoke of incense.

Between the era of Canh Hung, Bao Ha is the center of Van Ban Chau. During the Canh Hung period (1740-1786), the Northern invaders often invaded and harassed and plundered good people. Therefore, Khau Ban, Chau Van Ban and many neighboring provinces and communes had to build strong strongholds against the enemy. In the face of grief and mourning, and in danger of being invaded, General Nguyen Hoang Bay was assigned by the court to launch troops to quell rebellion in the border areas. His army advanced along the Red River to drive away the enemy, liberate Chau Van Ban, and consolidate and build Bao Ha into a large base. Here, the famous general organized for the land tycoons, the chiefs to train their soldiers... Then commanded the navy and army to fight the enemy in Lao Cai, liberated the provinces of Quy Hoa's government (Yen Bai, Lao Cai). nowadays).

Later, the Northern enemy army sent troops to invade the land, and the famous general Hoang Bay led his army to join the war. However, in an unequal battle, he heroically died. The enemy threw his body into the Red River, and drifted to Bao Ha. The people in the area were organized by Mr. Lu Van Cu to pick up his body for burial and set up a shrine.

To remember his merits, Nguyen Dynasty kings such as Minh Menh, Thieu Tri granted him the title of "Tan An Hinh Lie" and his temple was also granted the title of "God of National Guard" by the Nguyen kings. ". As for the Kinh, Tay, and Dao ethnic groups, they worship him as a human god. He entered the spiritual realm of the nations and embodied in the festivals on the Dragon day of January…

Bao Ha Temple has many festival days, in which the main holidays are: Thuong Nguyen Festival (Full moon of January), mandarin party festival (May 25th of lunar calendar), festival on the death anniversary of Mr. Hoang Bay (May 17). 7 lunar calendar), late Tet (New Year's Eve).

Because of the temple's popularity and sacredness, every spring, tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world come to visit and wish for good luck and happiness for a new year. So to have a truly satisfying spiritual trip, please consider the following tips to make the trip complete.

Vehicle:
From Hanoi, you follow the Noi Bai - Lao Cai highway, when you arrive at the intersection 279, then follow the signposts about 1km to Bao Ha. If you calculate how many kilometers from Hanoi to Bao Ha Temple, the distance will be more than 220km.

What to buy when worshiping at Bao Ha Temple:
You can bring salty ceremony such as sticky rice, whole rooster... to the ceremony of Mr. Hoang Bay. The fasting ceremony will include: beer, wine, mineral water, soft drinks, betel nut; … Gifts are not necessarily purchased enough, but depending on your conditions, the most important thing is that you have to be sincere. If it is not convenient to carry the ceremony on a long distance, there are many households selling gifts at the temple gate, which you can buy directly here.

Costumes when going to Bao Ha Temple
When going to Bao Ha Temple, you need to pay attention to choosing the right outfit for the dignified atmosphere here. Dresses that are polite and polite, long pants with sleeves are the most suitable when coming here.

Eating
On the way to Bao Ha Temple, there are many restaurants serving popular food, so you don't have to worry about this.

Personal belongings
Because in the early spring days of the year, Bao Ha Temple is very crowded with tourists from all over the world, so you should pay attention to self-preservation of personal luggage to avoid loss of the first days of the new year.

Attractions near Bao Ha Temple
Combined with visiting Bao Ha Temple, visitors can also visit tourist attractions near the temple such as: Co Doi Tan An Temple (Co Be Thuong Ngan Temple), Pho Rang Fort, Phuc Khanh Pagoda, visit tourist sites Nghia Do with hundreds of ancient houses on stilts…

Hope the information and tips in the article will be helpful for your travel.

Tran Thanh Tuan