Dinh Cau Temple at Phu Quoc

"My wife and I took a walk at dusk to see the lighthouse. It was very picturesque. I seized the opportunity to take some photos of her using the various natural and man made backdrops.
We walked up past some vendors to the left side of the rock and up to the temple on our way around we passed a couple who was engaged in a passionate embrace. I can understand why the scenery is beautiful and could easily inspire young lovers to act on romantic feelings.
My Wife and I arrived at the front of the temple and enjoyed the beautiful sunset as we looked out across the water. Fishing boats moving slowly, birds taking their final flights of the day. It was a peaceful setting.
The lighthouse and temple are beautiful structures but pale in comparison to the sunset we enjoyed together. Memories like that are priceless. The cost of admission was agreeable. Free to all.."

Dinh Cau Temple

The Dinh Cau temple - also known as "Dinh Cau Shrine", or "Dinh Cau Castle" or "Dinh Cau Lighthouse" or "Dinh Cau Rock" or the "Dragon King Shrine") is one of the most popular sight-seeing attractions at Phu Quoc Island. Especially since it is located near the tourist area of Long Beach in the capital, Duong Dong. The Dinh Cau temple is a rock jutting into the sea with a small temple and lighthouse.
Mui Dinh Cau Rock not only attracts visitors, because it looks so great looks great, but also because of its mystical, sacred, ancient legends.

It is located at the mouth of Duong Dong River right next to the fishing port. This particular rock formation used for worship since a very long time. The combination of Temple and lighthouse of Dinh Cau was built in 1937 as a sanctuary for Thien Hau, goddess of the sea, who is still worshiped all throughout Asia, but she have other names in other countries.
Thien Hau had to offer fishermen and sailors protection when they are at sea in difficult times. They came to the temple to pray for a smooth and calm sea during their journey.
At sunset it is a favourite destination for locals to hang out close to temple and beach. You have a beautiful view of the harbor and promenade of the town.
The beautiful rock formation is often referred to as the figurehead of Phu Quock.

The temple for fishermen and sailors

The rock formation is in partly a shrine and partly a lighthouse. It's situated on top of the rock formation at the mouth of the Duong Dong River. If you want to the top of the Dinh Cau, you reach it after you have climbed 29 winding stone steps. On top of the rock there is a small temple, a lighthouse and a terrace overlooking the town of Duong Dong, the harbour and the sea. You do not need to pay to visit this temple ..
The main wooden door of the temple indicate the dates the construction and renovation of July 14, 1937 and July 14, 1997. It has so far preserved many ancient architectures and precious artefacts, that they indicate a closely attachment of traditional history of the islanders.
The islanders and fishers visit annually the temple on the Lunar New Year holidays. Especially, the local festival days are based on the lunar calendar and fall on the 15th and 16th October.

Tourists, street vendors and fishermen flock to this picturesque rocks with his thunderous waves that crash against the cliffs and that makes for an interesting sound.

29 winding stone steps

According to legend, the real name Thien Hau was Moniang Lin, and she was born during the reign of the Song Dynasty on Meizhou Island in Fujian province of China.
The story goes that Lin Moniang was a girl, who was wearing a bright red dress during bad weather and raging storms. She was seen by the sailors who were at sea in bad and stormy weather. The sailors focused on that red dress of the girl, and then they arrived safely ashore. After her death in the year 987, the sailors remembered the young goddess in red, who guided ships through storms back to a safe shelter. So they made a place to remember her.