Out of the 12 components of this inscription, I've only seen one – the Bo Da Pagoda. I suspect this will be the most frequently visited, as it's by far the closest to Hanoi. I can't compare Bo Da to other places, but I must admit my visit was satisfying.

Yen Tu's entire post centers around the Truc Lam Zen school of Buddhism, a purely Vietnamese sect within Buddhism. The history of Bo Da is even older than Truc Lam Zen. The pagoda, also known as Quan Am (Goddess of Mercy) or Bo Pagoda for short, lies at the foot of a pine-covered hill, or actually now occupies a very large part of its territory.

According to a legend, the Goddess of Mercy helped a poor childless couple there. One day, the husband was cutting pine trees at the top of the mountain when he found gold coins. A monk told him that it was a miracule of the goddess. The woodcutter asked the goddess to give him a son, saying that if she did so he would build a pagoda to worship her. The wish was fulfilled, and he did as he had promised. Since then, the pagoda is known from fulfilling the wishes of people praying to the goddess.

Bo Da seems to be very popular, as there's a huge parking lot in front of it. However, on the day of my visit, there were no visitors there, absolutely no one except me. The entrance portal offers some very brief information about the place (also in English), but beyond that, there are no explanatory signs.

I started at the Buddhist monastery, which I could wander around quite freely. The monastery is in use; I saw people eating meals and cleaning. The most interesting part of the monastery is its small but beautiful garden, with a harmonious combination of greenery and rocks.

To reach the smaller shrines, you have to climb higher. On the day of my visit, all the shrines were closed except for the oldest and most precious one. The closure of the others wasn't a problem for someone not interested in prayer, as the interiors of the shrines are clearly visible through the wooden slats.

Besides the shrines and monastery, the local cemetery is also worth visiting, but I couldn't find the entrance and could only see it from the outside.

I spent about an hour there and considered my visit a success, but I made a mistake on the way there, which I'll mention so you don't have to repeat. Bo Da is located about 50 km from the center of Hanoi and takes a little over an hour by car. I took a mototaxi, however, and quickly regretted it. It's too long a distance for such a long journey, after 90 minutes I arrived sore and sunburned, and I had another 60-minute ride to the airport with the same driver. At least on the way to the airport I was smarter because I put on a long-sleeved blouse.