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The temple was initially called Ngoc Son Pagoda and was
later renamed Ngoc Son Temple. It is a shrine to Van Suong,
one of the brightest stars in Vietnam's literature and intellectual
circles, and General Tran Hung Dao, a national hero responsible
for many victories against the Mongols.
The temple today is the result of renovations made by Nguyen
Van Sieu in 1864. The Thap But (Pen Tower) was added, where
three words were inscribed on the tower "Ta Thien Thanh",
meaning "Write on Blue Sky". Inside the gate a pool resembling
the shape of an ink well was added. There is also the Huc
bridge ("Where the sun light is absorbed") which leads to
Dac Nguyet Lau (Moon Light Tower). On the way to the temple
are several "cau doi", parallel sentences, written on the
walls which were part of traditional word puzzles played
by educated individuals.
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