Located right at the foot of Dinh mountain in the Bai Dinh Pagoda complex, Tay Hoa Lu ward (Ninh Binh), Ngoc well has a crescent face, the diameter of the well face is 30m wide, 10m deep, and the stone around the well mouth is built. The well water is jade green, likened to a young moon and never dries up, so it is called "divine well" or "dragon's eye" by the people in the area.
Legend has it that in the past, the well was the place where Zen master Nguyen Minh Khong took water to decoct medicine to treat diseases for King Ly Than Tong and people in the region. Ngoc well existed nearly 1,000 years ago.
According to representatives of Bai Dinh Pagoda, Ngoc well is an underground water source and is called "loung loung" (poultry hole) by local people. In the past, when monk Minh Khong practiced on the mountain, he dug this place into a well and used water in the well to decoct medicine to treat diseases for the king and people in the area. Ngoc well is also called "lanh long lo thien", which means "dragon's eyes at the foot of the mountain".
In 2007, the Vietnam Book of Records Center confirmed the record "The pagoda with the largest well in Vietnam" and since then Ngoc well has also been dubbed the largest water well in Vietnam. Ngoc well is located in a square campus of about 6,000m2, and 4 corners of the campus are built with 4 octagonal floors. The round well symbolizes heaven, the campus is built in a square shape symbolizing earth and that is the intersection of heaven and earth.
Every time the Bai Dinh Pagoda festival starts at the beginning of spring, thousands of tourists flock here not only to sightsee but also to ask for water from the Jade Well. For local people and tourists, this green and cool water is not only a source of life but also carries prayers for peace, health and luck.
According to Mr. Truong Dinh Tuong, Chairman of the Ninh Binh Provincial Historical Science Association, the water source at Ngoc Well converges and flows underground from the cave in the medicinal valley, an ancient medicinal plant growing area of Zen master Minh Khong. People have proven this by releasing balloons from the cave when it rains heavily, the balloon will follow the underground vein and flow down to the exact location of Ngoc Well. At night on stormy days, sparkling lights reflected into the sky in the well, forming rings like five-colored pearls.
