Bai Dinh is the largest Buddhist temple complex in Vietnam by area, built between 2003 and 2010 on a forested hillside within the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. The scale is staggering: a 3-kilometre covered corridor lined with 500 stone Arhat statues, three vast main halls, a 100-metre bell tower, and an outdoor bronze Buddha that is among the largest in the country.
The complex draws both religious pilgrims and tourists in enormous numbers, particularly on Buddhist holidays. Outside peak periods it is calmer. The views from the upper levels over the surrounding limestone landscape are good, and the covered walkways provide welcome shade. An electric cart carries visitors from the main gate to the upper complex for a fee.
The older Bai Dinh cave pagoda — significantly smaller and more atmospheric — sits a few hundred metres from the main complex and is easy to miss. It is worth finding: a cool cave containing ancient Buddhist carvings and a small spring-fed pool.