The lowlands where the Bach Dang river meets the sea in northern Vietnam are a place of legends and battles, and the pagodas scattered across this landscape carry centuries of history. Chua Lan Pagoda stands in Quang Ninh province on the low ground south of Uong Bi, between the Yen Tu hills and the port of Haiphong, surrounded by rice fields, fishponds and villages. Like many rural pagodas in northern Vietnam, it is a place of worship, community and memory, with incense-filled halls, statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and old trees in the courtyard. The region is associated with the Truc Lam school of Zen Buddhism, founded by the Tran dynasty king Tran Nhan Tong in the thirteenth century at nearby Yen Tu mountain.
The Bach Dang river is famous in Vietnamese history for three great battles, the most celebrated in 1288, when Tran Hung Dao defeated a Mongol fleet by planting iron-tipped wooden stakes in the riverbed, then luring the ships in at high tide so that they were impaled as the water fell. The remains of these stakes have been found in the area, including at the Yen Giang stake yard near Quang Yen, and they are now a historic site. The story is a source of great national pride.
Riding in this area means dealing with Vietnamese traffic: a constant flow of scooters, trucks, buses and cars, with horns used freely and lane discipline loose. The main roads between Haiphong, Uong Bi and Ha Long are busy and sometimes chaotic, but the side roads through the villages and rice fields are quieter, with narrow lanes, bridges and the occasional water buffalo. Surfaces vary, and flooding can be an issue in the rainy season. The hills of Yen Tu, to the north, offer better riding, with winding roads up into the forest.
Uong Bi, about ten kilometres away, has fuel stations, markets and restaurants, and Haiphong, further south, is a major city with everything. Food in this coastal region is excellent, with seafood, banh da cua, a crab noodle soup from Haiphong, and fresh spring rolls. Remove your shoes and dress modestly when entering the pagoda. Light some incense if you wish, sit quietly in the courtyard, and enjoy a moment of calm before heading back into the traffic.