Tam Thanh and Nhi Thanh Caves

Tam Thanh and Nhi Thanh are limestone caves in the middle of Lang Son, both used as temples for centuries with shrines and Buddha figures set into the chambers. Their particular interest is written: Ngo Thi Si, the eighteenth century official and historian who governed here, developed Nhi Thanh and had poems and inscriptions carved on the cave walls, including a relief portrait of himself, and the two caves carry a body of stelae and carvings from him and from later visitors. Above Tam Thanh stands the Nang To Thi rock, a formation read as a woman with a child waiting for a husband, and the ruins of the Mac dynasty citadel.

What you actually see

• Two temple caves in a city - with shrines set into the chambers.
• Poems carved by Ngo Thi Si - the eighteenth century governor.
• A relief portrait of him - cut into the rock at Nhi Thanh.
• The Nang To Thi rock - the waiting woman formation above.

When to go

Year round. Half a day for both.

Honest expectations

The caves are small and lit in colours. Inscriptions are in Chinese characters and interpretation is limited. Both are ticketed separately. Lang Son is a border trade city rather than a tourist one.

Nearby

The Mac citadel ruins are above Tam Thanh; the Chinese border is north.