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Den Le Hoan or Dinh Le Hoan Temple, is a temple in Hoa Lu, Vietnam, dedicated to the ruler of the short-lived Le dynasty of the 11th century. I visited this temple, a tourist attraction, on a day trip from Hanoi about 110km away. It is one of the two major temples in Hoa Lu, the other being Den Dinh Tien Hoang, built to worship Le Hoan's predecessor, Dinh Tien Hoang. Connecting these two temples is a narrow dirt road, the site for an annual 3-day festival.
Located close to the present-day village of Truong Yen Ha, Den Le Hoan is a smaller version of the Den Dinh Tien Hoang. The temple comprises three chambers, the Hall of Worship, the Hall of Heavenly Fragrance, and the Inner Shrine. Within the inner shrine are statues of Le Hoan, the founder of the 29-year-long Le dynasty, his consort Duong Van Nga (who, I learned, was also the widow of the earlier king, Dinh Tien Hoang), and his sons Le Long Dinh and Le Long Viet. Just as what happened to the Dinh dynasty, after Le Hoan died, a power struggle took place between his two sons. This took place in the year 1005, and last till 1009. By the year 1010, the dynasty had crumbled.
The main courtyard and front facade of the Den Le Hoan.
How to go to Den Le Hoan
You can easily get a day tour from Hanoi to visit Den Le Hoan, which is packaged as a tour of Hoa Lu and Tam Coc, from most travel agents in Hanoi. The tour begins in the morning and ends at the early part of the afternoon. Den Le Hoan is located in Hoa Lu about 110km from Hanoi, and takes 2 hours to reach.
The lance and other religous paraphernalia within the Hall of Worship, Den Le Hoan.
Den Le Hoan Photo Gallery
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Places of Interest in Vietnam
Vietnam is a land of cultural and natural beauty. Click enter to view many of the sights in Vietnam.
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