Tuong Long Tower (Thap Pagoda)

Tuong Long Tower, also known as Thap Pagoda or Do Son Tower, stands on the 95.2 m summit of Long Son — the first of nine hills running along the Do Son peninsula — in Van Huong ward, Do Son district, Hai Phong.

According to the chronicle Dai Viet su luoc, in 1058 King Ly Thanh Tong stopped here after sailing past the Ba Lo estuary and ordered a tower built. He later dreamed of a golden dragon and named the tower Tuong Long — "appearance of the golden dragon" — to commemorate the auspicious omen. The geography Dai Nam nhat thong chi describes it as the tallest structure of its era; beyond its religious role it served as a watchtower guarding the northeastern coast and as a royal resting palace during inspection tours.

Archaeological excavations in 1978 uncovered a square, three-stepped foundation (largest side 7.96 m) together with tower bricks, a blue-stone Amitabha statue pedestal, lotus column bases and terracotta sacred animals — dragons, phoenixes and Kinnara birds. A second excavation in 1998 revealed another foundation, suggesting the site was once a complex of towers rather than a single one.

The present tower is a reconstruction on the 11th-century foundations, begun in 2007 and completed after ten years as a project marking the millennium of Thang Long–Hanoi. It has nine storeys and rises 37.14 m; the square base has four entrances and houses a stone statue of Amitabha Buddha seated on a lotus throne. The complex also preserves the excavated foundations under a protective shelter for visitors.