Exploring our land

The heritage banyan at a sacred temple

The ancient banyan at the temple dedicated to Tan Vien Son Thanh in Quyt hamlet, Ba Vi, Hanoi, is the green "treasure" of Doai - the cloud-covered land. It is believed that the tree has witnessed the history of a thousand years.
The story of the old banyan in the temple worshipping Tan Vien Son Thanh (Tan Vien Mountain Saint) or saint Tan Vien, is a well-known tale among experts of the Vietnam Heritage Tree Council. Only when coming here can one truly feel the magnificence of one of the biggest banyans in Vietnam.

Seen from afar, the banyan’s giant canopy covers a large area. After a thousand years, its roots have grown into two large trunks which are rough and have many holes. The prop roots are as large as the temple’s pillars, digging deep into the ground to support the weight of this giant tree.
The banyan tree is located on the grounds of the temple dedicated to Saint Tan Vien in Yen Bai.

The banyan of Quyt hamlet was recognized as a Vietnam Heritage Tree.

The banyan tree has two big trunks. 

The first trunk of the banyan tree has a diameter of 40m.


Seen from afar, the banyan’s giant canopy covers a large area. 

Many kinds of symbiotic plants on the canopy of a banyan tree in Quyt hamlet.

Little plants grow on the roof of the temple.

A part of the tree trunk. 

The second trunk of the banyan tree has a diameter of 30m. 

The banyan tree sits in front of the temple. 

With an estimated age of thousands of years, the banyan tree is still growing. 

Tourists visit the "green treasure" of Quyt hamlet. 

Even elderly people in Quyt hamlet do not know exactly the age of the old banyan. According to old tales, the banyan and Quyt hamlet’s sacred temple in Yen Bai commune have been the spiritual destination for generations of villagers.

On February 15, 2016, the banyan of Quyt hamlet was recognized as a Vietnam Heritage Tree by the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE).
The imprint of time is engraved on the trunk, the branches, and the clusters of prop roots piercing the earth. In 2011, the Vietnam Heritage Tree Council measured this thousand-year-old tree. The data was overwhelming. The tree has two trunks whose diameters are 43m2 and 37m2 respectively and a height of about 40m.

The ancient banyan still stands at the temple, quiet and persistent through time, a "witness" to the history of Yen Bai, the land that lies peacefully at the feet of cloud-covered Ba Vi mountain.

In Vienamese folklore, Tan Vien Son Thanh is a saint who symbolizes endless possibilities and the fight against natural disasters to protect crops and people’s lives. The saint is one of the four immortals in traditional Vietnamese mythology.

By Viet Cuong


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