Phat Diem
In Kim Son village, 29 km from Ninh Binh, we have the Phat Diem Cathedral. Built at the end of the 19th century the Cathedral, built in wood and stone, took 29 years to finish its construction.
Phat Diem is one of the most important of Vietnam Catholic cathedrals and is considered one of the masterpieces of the Sino-Vietnamese architecture. and although most of the buildings and chapels are closed to the public, the area of Phat Diem is beautiful, since it is surrounded by an ornamental lake, presided over by a statue of Jesus Christ with open arms that rises in the middle of an artificial island in the middle of the Lake. The entrance to Phat Diem is free and the opening hours are from 7:00 to 17:30 without interruption.
Today Hoa Lu, with 14 square kilometers, almost everything has been reduced to dust and ashes, remaining in good conversation been Temples devoted to the Ding King, the Temple of the King you and Bai Dinh pagoda.
Hoa Lu Citadel rises at the foot of the mountains Ma Yen, place from where we have a privileged view of the ancient capital and the temples Le and Dinh.
The Citadel of Hoa Lu defensido system is designed in sections, using the surrounding as defensive elements (Ma Yen mountains and the River São Khe). The mountains are to the North of Hoa Lu and the rest of the sections (section East, West, and South) are protected by walls 10 meters high and half a meter wide.
The eastern section is the area of Hoa Lu where the palaces are, in this part have the temples of the Kings Dinh and Le, and the Pagoda Nhat Tru. The Sao Khe River flows through the sections of East and West, the latter being the place where the courts and the army were.
