Dai Bi Pagoda, Nghia Lap Village

Dai Bi Pagoda, also known as Nghia Lap Pagoda or Ngai Pagoda, is located in Nghia Lap Village. This is a religious architectural relic with a long history, believed to have been formed during the Tran Dynasty. The pagoda is part of a cultural complex together with Nghia Lap Village Communal House, creating a distinctive traditional belief activity space for the local community.

According to the relic dossier completed in 1996, the pagoda was built and renovated through many periods. The remaining architectural traces and artifacts show that the pagoda bears characteristics of Le Trung Hung architecture of the 17th century, while also having components repaired during the Nguyen Dynasty.

Overall, the pagoda faces southwest, with a village road and a lotus pond in front. The grounds are surrounded by brick walls and have many old trees, notably longtime Duoi trees. The tranquil, green landscape contributes to the harmonious beauty between the architectural work and the Northern Vietnamese rural space.

The pagoda has a Dinh-shaped architectural layout, consisting of a 5-bay Front Hall and a 3-bay Rear Hall. The Front Hall is about 11.9 meters long and 6.2 meters wide, with 5 bays, 6 roof truss sets and 4 rows of columns. A special feature is that the roof truss system is made in the Dinh shape, with an open structure, not overly elaborate decoration but clearly expressing the construction techniques and aesthetic concepts of ancient architecture. The pagoda was ranked as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic in 1998.