Located next to the tomb of King Le Thai To, Tho Xuan district, in Thanh Hoa province, the guava tree is thin and just three meters tall, but it is green all year round. When guava comes into season, the tree becomes heavy with fruit, giving fragrance to the large area. The managers of the relic often pick beautiful fragrant fruits and bring them as offerings to the king's grave.

The story about the guava tree that can laugh has been passed on by locals over many years. A traveler accidentally discovered that if someone lightly touched the tree, especially the intersections between trunk and branches, the leaves would vibrate as if they were laughing. 

If travelers hold branches and close their eyes to meditate for a while, they will have a feeling of relief and serenity.

According to local guides, in 1933, Tran Hung Dan, a resident in Hanh Thien hamlet of Nam Dinh, who was childless, visited there and prayed in front of the King’s grave for a child. To show his sincerity, he offered four elephant statues, two camphor trees and one guava tree to be grown in the relic area.

In 1994, when travelers visited, they discovered that the guava would give signs when someone touched it. If touching the root or the trunk, the foliage vibrates.

In late 2001, when Hoang Ngoc Phac, a poet from Phu Tho, after visiting Le Thai To King’s grave, witnessed odd things from the guava,  he, with the sensitive soul of a poet, called the tree a ‘laughing guava tree’.

In 2008, the Ministry of Science and Technology carried out a research project at the national level about the genes of the guava tree in Lam Kinh. However, there still are no research results.

After 12 years of restoration and embellishment, the Lam Kinh main palace, belonging to the Lam Kinh special national historical, cultural and architectural area in Tho Xuan district of Thanh Hoa province, has officially opened to receive visitors for sightseeing and worship.

Visitors admire the interior decoration of the central chamber where there are gold plated items. They also scratch the guava tree located next to King Le Thai To’s grave.

Le Duong - Linh Trang