Bai Tho Mountain

Bai Tho (Poem) mountain, in the heart of Hon Gai, the western part of Halong City, is a famous local landmark. This 191m three peak mountain is on the coast, with vertical cliffs reaching up from the sea. At its foot on the inland side sits Long Tien, the largest pagoda in the city. From Hang Noi Street at the base of the mountain, stone steps pass six caves on the route to the top. The view from the peak presents a panorama of Halong Bay, Ha Long city and, in the distance, even some coalmines. In the past, a garrison of troops was stationed there, and lit fires on the summit to guide ships and boats at night. In those days the mountain was known as Truyen Dang (Signal Light).
In 1468, after King Le Thanh Tong (1442 – 1497) carved a poem in Chinese on the stone wall to praise the bay’s landscape, the mountain was called Bai Tho (poem). Three centuries later, in 1729, Lord Trinh Cuong also inscribed a poem in response of the King’s verses. At present, there are a total of seven poems written by famous scholars and carved on the stone cliffs.
It’s very interesting that, in Ninh Binh province, nearly 200 km south west of Halong Bay, there is another mountain named Bai Tho in the area of Hoa Lu, Vietnamese ancient capital under the Dinh and Le dynasties (968 – 1010). Interestingly, not far from this mountain is also a complex of small stone mounts quite similar to those in Halong Bay.  Thus, Hoa Lu is sometimes known as the “inland Halong”.

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