Located in Khe Dau Thuong village, Ninh Xuan commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province, Ban Long pagoda was built during the Dinh dynasty, more than 10 centuries ago. The pagoda is located in the cave of Dai Tuong mountain range - a mountain shaped like a giant elephant adoring Hoa Lu ancient capital. In the cave, there are stalactites shaped like a sitting dragon, so in the 18th century, Lord Trinh Sam on a visit here wrote 3 big words "Ban Long Tu" on the cave door. The interesting thing is that the dragon-shaped natural stone block even has scales. Legend has it that during droughts, when the dragon scales in the cave shine, it will rain a few days later. Therefore, every year, people often hold ceremonies here to pray for good weather.

Ban Long pagoda is a unique Buddhist architecture. In the temple cave, there is a monolithic green stone statue of Amitabha Buddha built since the temple was founded. This is the oldest stone Buddha statue remaining to this day; below the statue is a natural stalactite block, like a coiled stone dragon.

On the cave walls, the Creator's hand has skillfully turned the stalactites into four sacred animals: Dragon, Kỳ lân, Tortoise and Phoenix as if adoring the Buddha statues, adding to the majesty of the ancient temple. More specifically, in the middle of the cave, there is a stalactite block like the image of Buddha riding a white horse - a perfect creation of the Creator that only Ban Long Pagoda cave has. In addition to the place to worship Buddha in the cave, in the temple grounds, there is also a shrine to worship the Three Holy Mothers: Princess Lieu Hanh, Princess Quynh Hoa and Princess Que Hoa.

Nestled in a cave, in the midst of a green and blue space, Ban Long pagoda is a destination not to be missed when it has a strong spiritual imprint and attracts visitors by the wonders of nature like nowhere else./.