The most impressive thing about Yen Tu mountain is the people who go up it.
As we made our climb, octogenarians in wrinkled suits and creased leather shoes briskly overtook us.
When they saw our three-year-old daughter gamely tackling the ragged stone steps, some stopped and cheered. Which made us wonder quite what kind of climb we had embarked on.
Posters back on the ground tell you about the cable car that takes you most of the way up to the 1,000-metre summit. What they omit to mention is that the remaining path to the top is still a heck of a climb, along a winding, barely-there path.
Once you do reach the top, the view across Quang Ninh, up in the northeast of Vietnam, is spectacular. On a good day you can spot Halong Bay. But those at the peak aren’t there to take selfies and shots of the landscape. Instead, there’s a quiet hum that pervades Dong Pagoda. That hum is the sound of people chanting as they come to worship at one of Vietnam’s most respected temples.
Seen as the birthplace of the Truc Lam Zen Sect of Buddhism in the 14th century, the mountain is home to several other places of worship, including One Roof Pagoda and a large statue of the enlightened King Tran Nhan Tong. We stayed at Dong Pagoda for a while to experience the quiet calm, and mists, that envelop this unique pagoda.
Eventually we gingerly made our way back to the cable car station and then the ground level (having completed 13,000 steps, according to our watches). It’s also possible to take the six-hour walk up the entire mountain on your own.
The mountain’s surroundings also have an ethereal feel, thanks to the immaculate Legacy Yen Tu resort. Beautifully designed using stone, wood and traditional building methods, Legacy offers guests a range of holistic treatments. We went for the meditation with candles session in the e vening and the early morning yoga. There are also herbal baths, saunas and scrubs available at the Tuệ Tĩnh Wellness Centre.
Across the road is the more humble Yen Tu Village. Rooms are basic but it’s a good jumping-off spot from which to visit the mountain. It’s worth catching the evening cultural show, with its lion and dragon dances.
Information Pack
Getting there: Cable Car – 350,000VND return. There are two routes. The one stopping at Huệ Quang Golden Stupa takes you half the way up; the other ends at Hoa Yên pagoda, leaving you with a one-hour trek to the top.
Staying: Legacy Yen Tu is a luxury five-star resort that blends in superbly with its natural surroundings. Rooms average 6,000,000VND per night.
Across the road, and part of the same group, is Yen Tu Village. Rooms here are far more modest, but you get to enjoy most of Legacy’s grounds and facilities. Expect to pay 1,500,000VND-2,000,000VND for the bunk bed-style pads.
Dong Pagoda
Legacy Yen Tu
Cultural show at Yen Tu Village.
