Ninh Binh · VN

Lanh Giang Temple

Lảnh Giang Temple (Đền Lảnh Giang, also known by its honorific name Lảnh Giang Linh Từ and as the Temple of Quan Lớn Đệ Tam) is a long-revered riverside shrine on the right bank of the Red River, in the Yên Lạc quarter of Duy Tân ward, Ninh Bình province. Believed to date back centuries and last restored in 1944, it honors three water-god generals of the legendary Hùng kings who repelled invaders, alongside the immortal couple Chử Đồng Tử and Princess Tiên Dung—making it a major pilgrimage draw across the lower Red River Delta. What sets it apart is the intimate bond between faith and river. The temple stands where the Red River meets the old Lảnh stream, a stretch once feared for its whirlpools and boat wrecks, so boat-people and villagers alike came to burn incense for safe passage. Recognized as a National Historical-Cultural Relic in 1996 and home to a festival listed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2017, it remains a living place of worship—its carved Nguyễn-era halls, lotus ponds, water wharf and pulsating mediumship ceremonies drawing both pilgrims and curious travelers.