Cong Yen Pagoda was built more than 100 years ago and is a place of religious and belief activities for the local community. Cong Yen Pagoda has been ranked as a city-level historical-cultural relic.
In the process of formation and development, Cong Yen Pagoda has had a close relationship with the cultural and religious life of the Vinh Phuc village community. In the 1960s, when the brick and asbestos roofing sheet factory was built on a nearly 2-hectare plot at No. 671 Hoang Hoa Tham Street, this land also included the grounds of the shrine to Saint Quang Hong. To serve the factory construction, the shrine to Saint Quang Hong was relocated to the grounds of Cong Yen Pagoda and has existed beside the pagoda as it does today.
According to traditional custom, on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month and especially during major festivals, the people of Vinh Phuc village often come to the pagoda to make offerings, worship the Buddha, and pray for favorable weather, harmony, and a peaceful and prosperous life. The pure, quiet space of the pagoda contributes to the distinctive character of the local community's cultural and religious life.
The pagoda's architectural layout includes the main worship area, the Patriarch's hall, the Holy Mother worship area, and living quarters for monks and nuns. The structures are arranged within grounds with many trees, creating a relatively spacious and serene atmosphere. In the pagoda's garden there is also an area containing the remains of monks who once served as abbots, reflecting the long-standing connection between generations of monks and nuns and the relic.
Cong Yen Pagoda still preserves many artifacts of historical, cultural, and artistic value. Notable is a stone stele erected on October 25, the 8th year of the Khai Dinh era (1923), about 1.1 m high and 0.8 m wide. The stele is carved with decorative patterns around it, and its content records the names of donors who contributed to building and restoring the pagoda, along with some related regulations.
The pagoda also preserves a bronze bell about 80 cm high with a diameter of about 40 cm and a flared mouth. The bell body is divided into four sections by raised casting lines; above each section is carved a Chinese character, together forming the inscription 'Phuc An Tu Chung.' The bell handle is shaped as a dragon with finely carved lines, a long body, raised fins at both ends, and four feet attached to the top of the bell.
In the area to the left of the pagoda there are two altar cabinets, one dedicated to Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan and one to a monk who served as abbot of the pagoda for a long time. In addition, the pagoda preserves several other stone steles, such as 'Phuc An Ky Tu,' 'Hau Phat Bi Ky,' and 'Ky Ky Bi Ky,' erected in the 10th year of Khai Dinh and the 16th year of Bao Dai, contributing to reflecting the history of formation and development and the religious activities at the relic.
The Patriarch's worship area contains three statues. The two statues on either side are depicted in a cross-legged sitting posture, without hats, wearing long robes, with both hands placed on their laps; in the middle is a small stone statue.
The Holy Mother worship area has seven statues arranged in three tiers. The innermost tier is the Trinity of Holy Mothers, including Mother Lieu Hanh, Mother Thuong Ngan, and Mother Thuy Tien, reflecting the intersection of Mother Goddess worship with the Buddhist space of the relic.
The main hall is arranged with a multi-tiered system of Buddha statues. The deepest tier worships the Trinity Buddhas; the next tier worships a Shakyamuni Buddha statue; the third tier holds the largest Buddha statue in the pagoda; the top tier is the Nine Dragons statue. In addition, on both sides of the main hall there are statues made in various forms, including two statues on the left wearing flat-heaven hats and holding tablets, and another statue on the right, contributing to the pagoda's rich system of worship.
With its long history of formation, architectural system, worship statues, stone steles, bronze bell, and other preserved artifacts, Cong Yen Pagoda is a relic of historical, cultural, religious, and artistic value, and is also a space for cultural and religious activities closely associated with the community in Ngoc Ha Ward.
