From Ninh Binh city, head north 6km, turn left for nearly 1km tourists will reach Thien Ton cave which lies at the foot of the Dung Duong Mountain in Da Gia Hamlet, Ninh My Commune. In Dai Co Viet time, Thien Ton was seen as the main entrance of Hoa Lu citadel.
Legend has it that Dinh Bo Linh made votive offerings to the local deity, asking for the latter’s help before leading his troops to conquer twelve feudal lords. Finally, Dinh Bo Linh succeeded in his campaigns. More recently, on the eve of the August Revolution, more than ten thousand people from districts in Ninh Binh province gathered in front of Thien Ton Cave for a demonstration of strength.
The whole cave area has a fresh and tranquil scene with many fruit trees and old trees. Thien Ton Cave has two sections, the outer section is large and the inner one is narrow. The outer cave is dedicated to the worship of Buddha; the inner cave is where immortals are worshipped. Thus, Thien Ton is both a Buddhist pagoda and Daoist temple. There are many valuable things in the cave, for example the bell cast during the Dynasty of King Le Hien Tong, the Thien Ton Statue and groups of lacquered and gilded Buddhist statues. The unique feature of Thien Ton Cave is that all the worshipping objects and architectural details including the pillars, and the altars are made of rock decorated with stylized images of dragons, the motif of the Ly dynasty.