Lam Kinh

Historical Place of Interest

King Le Loi

 The area known as Vietnam's Lam Kinh historical place of interest is located in Tho Xuan District of central Vietnam's Thanh Hoa Province. Lam Kinh was the second capital of the late Le Dynasty, built in the native country of Le Loi, the national Vietnamese hero and first king of the Le Dynasty, and where the Lam Son insurrection originated.

Lam Kinh borders the Dau Mountains in the north and the Chu River and Muc Mountain to the south with high mountains and extended forests on both sides, creating a panorama with vivid landscape and mountains.

Lam Kinh is divided into two parts. The first one is the Palace and Temple (Thai Mieu) and the second is the mausolea of the Kings and Queens of the earlier Le Dynasty.

The Chu River and Muc Mountain

 The Chu River originates in Laos and passes through Thanh Hoa Province and flows into the Ma (Horse) River near the sea, several kilometres upstream of the famous Thanh Hoa Bridge which was a target of continuous bombing by the Americans during the Vietnam War. The Chu River provides water for irrigation of up to 30,000 hectares of rice paddy. A dam built by the French in the 1920s, the Bai Thuong Dam, diverts water from the Chu River into a large canal.  In addition to providing water for irrigation, water from the canal is used to provide water for the provincial capital of Thanh Hoa and numerous villages and towns along its length.  The dam is being rebuilt as part of a project being carried out by Klohn-Crippen Consultants.

The dragon-shaped veranda of Lam Kinh Palace

 Lam Kinh Palace is about the size of the Lam Kinh place of interest. In the ancient book Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi it is written that "Lam Kinh Palace leant against the Dau Mountain at the back and the Luong (Chu) River in the front, and it was surrounded by forests, rivers, and mountains.  To the west of the palace, four large lakes looked like Kim Ngu Lake, water from the mountains flowed into this lake and there was a small stream which originated from this lake and flowed past the palace and then turned back, looking bow-shaped."

The road to the Lam Kinh relics of the past

 One can reach Lam Kinh along the road from the provincial capital city of Thanh Hoa and which ends at the Bai Thuong Dam in the village of Xuan Bai.

The Mausoleum of King Thai To

The House of Stone Stele of King Le Hien Tong

The tomb of King Le Thai To

The Vinh Lang House of Stone Steles

 In the ancient book Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi it is further written that "the Palace was divided into three parts which looked like the Cong ideogram or letter, modeling as temples in that order.  This was a beautiful place to build a fortune..."

Passing through periods of time and historical changes, the remaining historical relics of the past in Lam Kinh include the diversified and varied cultural content which illustrates the history of Vietnam

Having a great historical, cultural, artistic, and architectual value, in 1994 the Government of Vietnam implemented the project to reconstruct and repair Lam Kinh, a place held very sacred in the hearts of the Vietnamese people.

Today, as in its glorious past, Lam Kinh is a beautiful, quiet place to visit and reflect on the past and, perhaps, what it means for the future.  Many religious and symbolic ceremonies are carried out at Lam Kinh each year by the people of Tho Xuan District, as it signifies the beginning of true freedom for the Vietnamese.

The traditional festival in Lam Kinh