Tuong Long Tower (or Do Son Tower) was built in Ly Thanh Tong
dynasty. This tower is located on an area of about 2000 square
metres, in Van Son district, Do Son town. All its four angles are
190 biased to the centre. It is empty inside, only to hold a statue
of Amitabha. It was built of different-sized pieces of stones and
bricks. Besides the brick, there is also the facing bricks with
unique decoration of lotus, chrysanthemum and lemon flowers.
This decoration is typical for the art of the Ly dynasty. Tuong
Long Tower was described in "Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi" as an "old 100
Vietnamese metre-high tower named Do Son, in Do Son commune, Nghi
Duong district" and was reported in "Viet Su Luoc" that "In
September, the autumn of 1058, titled Long Nguy Thai Binh the fifth,
His Majesty, on the way to estuary Ba Lo called at the tower of Do
Son Tower. A year later, King Ly Thanh Tong saw a gold dragon in
Truong Xuan Temple.
On this occasion, His Majesty conferred the name Tuong Long on
this tower, with which he meant to make a note of a signal of good
luck. In the third year of Gia Long’s reign (1804), the tower was
destroyed for bricks for the building of Hai Duong town. Tuong Long
Pagoda is therefore seen to be built in 1990 on the foundation of
the previous Tuong Long Tower. |
