Co Loa Pagoda

Co Loa Pagoda is located within the Co Loa relic complex, with the Sino-Vietnamese name "Bao Son Tu". The pagoda stands on a 3,300m2 plot near the center of the Inner Citadel. Behind the "Ngu Trieu Di Quy" communal house. This is where three important relics are concentrated. In addition to the communal house and My Chau shrine, there is also a pagoda, forming an architectural complex with deities in front and Buddha in the rear. Co Loa Pagoda was built quite early, around the 17th century. The pagoda has no three-entrance gate or separate front walkway; its gate opens onto the village road to the east. The three-entrance gate at the rear of the pagoda was built later, facing north toward the pagoda garden. Because the pagoda is located here, this hamlet is called Xom Chua (Pagoda Hamlet).

The pagoda has many architectural works, with an overall layout in the "inner public, outer national" style, consisting of many interconnected buildings. The Buddha worship hall is in the center; in front is the front hall, behind is the Patriarch hall, and on both sides are two corridors (each with 8 bays) connecting the front hall with the Patriarch hall area. The front hall alone connects with the upper sanctuary to form a "ding"-shaped architecture. In front of the front hall is a courtyard separating it from the "Ngu Trieu Di Quy" communal house. Behind the Three Jewels hall is a bell tower three-entrance gate built as a two-story, eight-roof entrance. The two gable ends have closed walls; the upper floor has a wooden floor, a staircase up to the floor, and wooden railings on the front and rear sides. On the roof hang a bronze bell cast in the second year of Gia Long (1804) and a bronze chime cast in the Tu Duc era (1848). The bell tower was restored in 1990.

The Patriarch hall is located to the left of the pagoda, with a rectangular plan, and is the place of worship for the Patriarchs. In addition to the above architectural works, the pagoda also has other works such as: the Mother Goddess hall, the rear hall, the guest house, and the rear gate. Currently, the pagoda has 134 statues, many of which are made of clay dating from the 18th-19th centuries. Many statues are large, up to 3m high, such as: the Encouraging Good and Punishing Evil statues, the Vajra statue, the Four Guardian Dragon Deities, the Earth God, the infant Sakyamuni statue, the Arhat statues... placed in the corridor system. Each statue sits in a different posture and vividly reflects the inner life of the figures. The pagoda also has the Snow Mountain statue reflecting the hardships of Buddhist practice, and the Sakyamuni entering Nirvana statue, at ease in the realm of peace... Co Loa Pagoda also preserves valuable artifacts including: 5 steles from the 17th-19th centuries, 2 bronze bells cast in the first month of the Quy Hoi year, Gia Long 2 (1803), 1 bronze chime cast in the Quy Suu year, Tu Duc era (1853), bronze incense vessels, ceramic objects... Co Loa Pagoda was ranked as a national architectural and artistic relic on February 5, 1994, and is part of the Co Loa Special National Relic Complex, ranked in 2012.