Duyen Ninh Pagoda or Thu Pagoda, is an ancient pagoda also known by people as the love-praying pagoda. The pagoda was built in the 10th century under King Dinh Tien Hoang. The small pagoda is nestled at the foot of the limestone mountain in the Trang An World Cultural and Natural Heritage complex (belonging to Chi Phong village, Tay Hoa Lu ward, Ninh Binh province).
Legend has it that Duyen Ninh Pagoda is the place that princesses of the Dinh - Le dynasties often visited. Here, Princess Le Thi Phat Ngan (daughter of King Le Dai Hanh - PV) and General Ly Cong Uan swore an oath and then gave birth to Ly Phat Ma (later King Ly Thai Tong) in the year 1000. After suppressing the Khai Quoc Vuong rebellion, King Ly Thai Tong renamed the pagoda Duyen Ninh.
At the end of her life, Empress Phat Ngan (the first empress of the Ly Dynasty - PV) came here to practice and take care of the grave of her father, King Le Dai Hanh. Here, Empress Phat Ngan arranged for many couples to become husband and wife and from then on Duyen Ninh was considered a love temple in the ancient capital of Hoa Lu.
Duyen Ninh Pagoda, in addition to worshiping Buddha, also worships many fairies, such as Ong To - Ba Nguyet, Kim Hoa Thanh Mau (the goddess who governs childbirth, according to folk beliefs)... and 10th-century monks such as Phap Thuan, Khuong Viet and Van Hanh.
After 1,000 years of existence, the ancient architecture of the pagoda is almost gone. Located between 2 famous tourist destinations, Trang An and Bai Dinh pagoda, Duyen Ninh pagoda is known by many people, especially young people who want to pray for good luck in love.
Records of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters show that in the early spring days of Binh Ngo year 2026, there are many young people and Buddhists visiting Duyen Ninh Pagoda to offer incense to worship Buddha, pray for love and pray for children.
Mr. Tran Van Nghi (resident in Thanh Hoa), shared: "I learned that Duyen Ninh Pagoda is a famous love praying place, so I went on a spring trip with my girlfriend, stopped by to worship and worship Buddha with the hope that the relationship will be more strong".
