In Nguyen Tuan’s short story Tren dinh non Tan (On Tan Peak), the Tan Vien deity embodies a beauty that is both approachable and grand, majestic yet mysterious. He generously rewards the carpenters of Trang Thon village for devoting their skill to restoring the Upper Temple (Den Thuong), but swiftly and harshly punishes anyone who gossips, breaks their word, or reveals the secrets of life on the celestial peak.

Gazing at the Upper Temple, wrapped in silken bands of mist and shaded by a lush green canopy curved like a giant parasol atop Tan Peak, one can almost feel the anguish of Master Artisan Pho San – the foreman chosen by Tan Vien to restore the temple. It was forbidden to speak of the scene, as breathtaking as a celestial realm, both real and unreal. If one word escaped the foreman’s lips, the enchanted bamboo leaf the god had placed in his throat would turn into a razor blade.

The lowest of the three ranges, yet ranked second among them, is Doc Ton (also called Soc Mountain) – a chain of eight or nine peaks in Soc Son district, on the outskirts of Hanoi. “Soc” is an old Sino-Vietnamese word meaning “north,” likely given because the range lies directly north of Thang Long (ancient Hanoi). Like Tan Peak in the Ba Vi range, Doc Ton is believed to be the seat of Thanh Giong, another of the Four Immortals. According to legend, Thanh Giong did not walk or speak until age three, then rose and requested to fight foreign invaders. This tale reflects the deep patriotism, desire for autonomy, and unyielding spirit of the Vietnamese people.