Do Lo Pagoda (whose Sino-Vietnamese name is Bao Phap Tu) is an ancient historical-cultural relic located in Do Lo residential group, Yen Nghia ward, Ha Dong district, Hanoi. The pagoda lies right next to Do Lo village communal house near the Day River dike, forming a spiritual and cultural relic cluster closely tied to the life of local people.
Do Lo Pagoda has the Sino-Vietnamese name Bao Phap Tu and is located in Do Lo residential group, Yen Nghia ward, Hanoi city. According to local gazetteers and ancient stele systems, the pagoda was built long ago. Based on the artistic style of the statue system and the carved architectural components, the relic was shaped and flourished in the 17th century under the Later Le revival. Bao Phap Tu Pagoda was established according to the tradition of the Zen school – a sect that emphasized self-awakening and tranquility and developed very strongly in the spiritual life of Dai Viet residents of this period. Through many centuries of ups and downs with history, and through periods of devastating war, the pagoda was restored and embellished many times by local people and Buddhists but still preserved its core values.
Historical origin: Legend has it that the pagoda was built long ago. Due to the effects of war and time, many old items deteriorated and were later restored and embellished relatively spaciously by local people as they are today.
Overall landscape and village structure
Bao Phap Tu is located in a tightly knit spiritual complex, right next to Do Lo village communal house, creating the familiar "front deity, rear Buddha" model of Northern Delta villages. The pagoda faces southwest, looking out onto open space near the Day River dike, receiving the vitality and freshness of rural scenery. The first highlight of the relic space is the ancient-style three-entrance gate. On the roof ridge of the three-entrance gate, a relief of two dragons flanking the moon is embossed, expressing the wet-rice agricultural residents' wish for yin-yang harmony and favorable weather. The roof corners are shaped with curved blades and embossed with the image of a carp transforming into a dragon – a symbol of perseverance, overcoming difficulties, and the strong aspiration to rise of humans. The pagoda grounds are surrounded by many-year-old ancient trees, creating a secluded, solemn space completely separated from the bustling urban life outside.
Do Lo Pagoda faces southwest with the traditional spatial planning typical of the Northern Delta region.
The main worship hall of Do Lo Pagoda is planned on a Dinh-shaped (丁) ground plan, a classic Buddhist architectural layout of the Northern Delta. The rear chamber extends deep behind, creating a clear spatial hierarchy from outside to inside:
Front hall space: This is the horizontal building in front with five spacious bays. It is where worship ceremonies are held, charitable men and women are received, and offerings are prepared. The Front hall space is always filled with natural light thanks to the wide folding-door system at the front.
Rear chamber space: This is the longitudinal building connected to the central bay of the Front hall. This is the most solemn, quiet, and sacred area of the pagoda, used as the place for the highest Buddha altar, separated from the outside world to maintain an absolutely meditative atmosphere.
The durability and solidity of Bao Phap Tu's main worship hall rely on a traditional large-sized lim wood frame with excellent load-bearing capacity. The roof trusses in the pagoda architecture are mainly made in the stacked purlin style combined with diagonal braces. This structural method uses purlins stacked tightly on one another through a sturdy dovetail mortise system, forming an extremely solid roof-supporting frame. 17th-century craftsmen skillfully lowered the center of gravity of the roof system and combined it with long projecting eave brackets to support the thick ancient fish-scale roof tiles. This technique gives the pagoda both an imposing, solid appearance and effective protection from rain and sun for the wooden components inside.
The carving art on the wooden frame of Do Lo Pagoda's main worship hall bears a strong artistic style of the Later Le revival period (17th century). The carved panels are mainly concentrated on purlins, eave brackets, corbels, and beam ends. The decorative themes here are not as elaborate and complex as in the later Nguyen period but focus on scroll clouds, leaf patterns, and free-flowing blade forms. The chisel, pierced, and relief carvings are executed decisively, leaving rustic, strong forms that nonetheless contain high sophistication. The cloud-and-fire streaks and curved blades on the wood both reduce the heaviness of the wooden beams and columns and express the strong spiritual inner force and open-minded aesthetic thinking of the folk craftsmen of this period.
Cultural and religious life
Village festival: Every year, Do Lo village together with neighboring villages in the Yen Nghia area (such as Yen Lo and Nghia Lo) organizes a village festival starting on the 7th day of the first lunar month. This is an occasion for local people and pilgrims from afar to offer incense and pray for peace at the pagoda and participate in traditional cultural activities at the village communal house.
Nearby area: The land of Do Lo in the past was also a place rich in historical traces. In early 2007, when clearing the site near the Do Lo fields, local people discovered and relocated a particularly shaped ancient tomb (believed to be that of Thai Phi Duong Thi Ngoc Hoan - wife of Lord Trinh Sam) for worship at nearby An Dinh village.
Historical flow and 17th-century Zen imprint
Zen school imprint: Do Lo Pagoda is recorded as a center of practice according to the Zen school, a sect that developed and flourished extremely in the North in the 17th century. The presence of the pagoda proves the strong wave of Buddhist propagation to rural areas around the ancient Thang Long capital.
The "Front deity - Rear Buddha" connection: The pagoda is located right next to Do Lo village communal house forming a closed spiritual relic cluster. The communal house worships the village tutelary deity (god) and the pagoda worships Buddha, clearly reflecting the dualistic belief thinking of agricultural residents of the Red River Delta.
Archaeological mystery "Lady Nghia's field" and the Trinh Lords' Palace
The history of the land surrounding Do Lo Pagoda is closely related to the Le-Trinh royal family:
Trinh Lords' Palace in Yen Nghia: Clan historical records state that the Tam Lo area (including Yen Lo, Nghia Lo, and Do Lo) was once a land greatly favored by Lord Trinh Sam because of its beautiful scenery and skill in ca tru singing. The Lord once had a temporary palace (a miniature Lord's palace) built here. Ao Vac next to Tuan (Do Lo) village was formerly a lotus pond where the Lord's dragon boat traveled.
Excavation of the ancient tomb (2007): At the field of Lady Chúa Nghĩa in Do Lộ village, while clearing the site, local people discovered a strange ancient tomb made of a composite material shaped like a turtle. This tomb was identified as that of Imperial Consort Dương Thị Ngọc Hoan (wife of Lord Trịnh Sâm and biological mother of Lord Trịnh Khải). Today her remains have been moved by villagers and a spacious place of worship has been established in the neighboring An Định village.
Traditional inter-village festival (former canton)
Visiting Do Lộ Temple at the beginning of the year, you will see the very distinctive atmosphere of a village festival:
Time: The festival opens on the 7th day of the first lunar month every year.
Form: This is the inter-village festival of Yên Lộ, Nghĩa Lộ, and Do Lộ villages (the ancient name is Tuân village). Residents organize a palanquin procession and ceremonies at the communal house, then go to offer incense and worship Buddha to pray for peace at Do Lộ Temple.
When exploring in depth the system of antiquities inside Do Lộ Temple (Pháp Bảo Tự) and the Đình–Chùa Do Lộ relic complex in Yên Nghĩa ward, you will see that the artifacts here are precisely the 'histories in bronze and stone' preserving the memory of the temple over many centuries.
Although the relic has undergone major restorations after being damaged by war, the artifact system here bears extremely valuable archaeological characteristics.
System of ancient stone steles (inscriptions recording names and Hậu Phật donors)
Historical content: Like ancient temples along the Đáy River, the stone steles at the Do Lộ relic complex are the most valuable original historical sources. The inscriptions mainly record temple restoration phases and lists of people who donated land and money for temple construction (Hậu Phật and Hậu Tuệ patronage).
Artistic dating: The stone steles with decorative patterns show a carving style from the Lê Trung Hưng period (17th–18th centuries) to the Nguyễn period (19th century). The stele tympana are often carved with dragons facing each other and winding vines and leaves, characteristic of traditional Buddhist art.
Bronze bell (Great Bell)
Spiritual significance: The sound of the bell at Pháp Bảo Tự has long been compared to a sound that awakens people's hearts, praying for national prosperity and peace and for the salvation of souls.
Crafting characteristics: The ancient bronze bell at the temple was cast using the traditional manual method of famous old bronze-casting craft villages (such as Ngũ Xã). The bell body is divided into panel compartments, with raised Hán characters recording the temple name, the year the bell was cast, and the list of donors of bronze material. The bell handle is usually shaped like Bồ Lao (the fourth son of the dragon, a creature that loves loud sounds) to help the bell sound travel farther across the dike slopes.
System of Buddha statues and bronze ritual objects
Ancient statue system: Because worship follows the Thiền (Zen) sect, the arrangement of Buddha statues in the Tam Bảo hall of Do Lộ Temple strictly follows the traditional Northern Vietnamese statue system (from the Three Times Buddhas, Amitabha Triad, Avatamsaka Three Saints, to the infant Shakyamuni statue). The ancient statues made of jackfruit wood, lacquered and gilded, have pure Vietnamese facial features, tolerant and at ease.
Bronze ritual objects: In addition to the large bell, the inner temple also preserves bronze artifacts of high aesthetic value, such as ritual cranes, lamp stands, incense burners, and finely carved altar sets.
Royal edicts and ancient texts at the Do Lộ relic complex
Because the temple is located adjacent to Do Lo village communal house, this spiritual connection has helped the locality preserve ancient Hán-character documents, large horizontal inscriptions (hoành phi), and ancient trough-carved couplets hanging along the worship halls. These materials praise the beauty of the riverside land and the merits of the Buddha and the Thành Hoàng deities toward the lives of local people.
At present, the translation of all inscriptions on stone steles and bell inscriptions on ancient bronze bells at relics in Hà Đông district is still being continued by Hán-Nôm researchers.
Bronze biography: The great bell at Do Lộ Temple is a witness to the Buddhist revival period in the Đáy River area. The bell body is engraved with a Hán-character inscription detailing the bell-casting process. The familiar scenario of poor old rural areas was that when the economy stabilized, people would together 'contribute bronze material and donate old coins' to cast a large bell, regarding the bell's sound as the soul of the village.
Legend of the bell that dispels misfortune: Do Lộ residents in the past passed down to one another that this land lies close to the Đáy River dike, so in former times it often faced floods and dangerous dike conditions. When casting the Pháp Bảo Tự bell, high monks performed very careful chanting rituals. Whenever the dike slope was at risk of leaking or the water rose fiercely, the temple bell would be struck rapidly like a spiritual command, calling on deities to protect the country and people and urging villagers to guard the dike and protect the crops.
Details of the Bồ Lao carving: A special feature on the bell handle of Do Lộ Temple is the image of Bồ Lao (the fourth son of the dragon). According to mythology, Bồ Lao lives in the sea but is very afraid of the kình fish; whenever chased and attacked by a kình fish, it cries very loudly. Ancient people carved the Bồ Lao image as the bell handle and carved the bell mallet in the shape of a kình fish, with the implication of wishing that the Pháp Bảo Temple bell would resound and reach even heaven and earth to awaken human compassion.
The story of the 'Hậu Phật' stone stele system and the sacrifice of the righteous soldiers
At Do Lộ Temple, the ancient stone steles (mainly dating from the Lê Trung Hưng period to the Nguyễn period) preserve very ordinary yet deeply humane stories:
The Bầu Hậu story - Entrusting souls at the gate of Buddha: Many inscriptions at the temple tell of wealthy families or lonely elderly people with no children to carry on the lineage. They decided to donate all their private fields (called Hậu fields) or lifetime savings to Do Lộ Temple. In return, the temple and villagers erected stone steles recording their merits, committing that after they reached old age and passed away, every year on their death anniversary (giỗ), the temple would offer incense, strike the wooden fish, and chant sutras to deliver their souls. These steles are clear evidence of the moral principle of 'when drinking water, remember the source' and the community cohesion of ancient Vietnamese villages.
Restoration stele - Memory overcoming devastation: Some later steles record the major event when the Do Lo Communal House - Pagoda complex was severely devastated by war (during the resistance war against the French, the Yen Nghia area was a fierce battle line). The stone stele records the moving story of Do Lo village's native children who, although they went far to earn a living in the inner city of Thang Long or other provinces, still saved every penny and sent it home to join their clan in rebuilding each set of wooden roof trusses and restoring the Tam Bao roof after peace was restored.
The story of 13 royal edicts linking the Communal House and Pagoda
Although royal edicts are usually kept at Do Lo Communal House (worshipping the tutelary deities), they are closely linked to Do Lo Pagoda because of the village's 'Front deities - Rear Buddha' mindset:
Recognition by the central royal court: The 13 paper royal edicts from the Le to Nguyen dynasties are the highest certification documents of the emperor conferring titles on the deities protecting Do Lo village. The story behind these edicts shows that each time the village experienced epidemics or natural disasters, the people went to the pagoda to pray to Buddha and to the communal house to worship the deities. When the country was at peace and the people were secure, the royal court considered that spiritual merit and issued edicts praising the village for being 'honest and kind, respecting deities, and honoring Buddha'.
Do Lo Pagoda (Phap Bao Tu) is a historical witness reflecting the rich and resilient spiritual life of residents along the Day River dike over many centuries. The enduring existence of the pagoda associated with the village communal house is evidence of the close community cohesion of traditional Vietnamese villages. This is a place preserving intangible values and traditional Buddhist rituals and a solid spiritual support for local people across generations.
With a limwood frame system carved with knife-and-blade motifs and especially a treasure of round jackfruit-wood statues from the 17th century, Do Lo Pagoda is an artistic heritage of high academic value. The statues here demonstrate the carving talent reaching maturity of folk artisans in the Le Trung Hung period – a stage when Vietnamese art broke away from rigid feudal standards to return to rustic, free, and deeply national features.
In the context of Yen Nghia ward's rapid urbanization, Do Lo Pagoda relic is facing many challenges regarding landscape space and the natural deterioration of ancient wooden materials. Functional agencies and the local community need to coordinate closely to implement scientific conservation measures: absolutely do not arbitrarily paint or repair in ways that change the ancient vermilion and gilded paint of the statues; control humidity and prevent termites for the wooden frame of the Tam Bao hall; and organize communication to raise people's awareness in order to preserve this precious heritage space intact for future generations.
