KHÊ HỒI PAGODA

Khê Hồi Pagoda, whose literary name is Hoa Lâm Tự, is located in Khê Hồi Hamlet, Hồng Vân Commune, Hanoi City. The pagoda is at the entrance to Khê Hồi Village, adjacent to Khê Hồi Communal House, forming a traditional religious and belief architectural space closely tied to the cultural life of the local community. According to historical place names, this area formerly belonged to Hà Hồi Commune, Thường Tín District, Hanoi City.

According to Buddhist research documents, Khê Hồi Pagoda was built during the Lê - Trịnh period. A stele bearing the Gia Long 13th year reign title (1814) states that the pagoda was restored by Most Venerable Từ Niệm. Most Venerable Từ Niệm Tịch Chiếu, surnamed Đỗ, a native of Thường Tín District, left home to become a monk at an early age and played an important role in the formation and development of the Lâm Tế Liên Phái lineage in the area.

In terms of historical and cultural value, Khê Hồi Pagoda is not only a place for religious and belief activities of local people and Buddhists but also a site of research value regarding Buddhist history and the development of the Lâm Tế Liên Phái monastic lineage in the Northern region. Together with Khê Hồi Communal House, the pagoda forms a relic complex of historical, architectural, and cultural value, reflecting the traditional belief practices of village communities in the Northern Delta.

In particular, the pagoda has a stupa garden associated with the history of generations of nuns, monks, and Zen masters who practiced here. Some research documents on Khê Hồi Village note that the pagoda is one of the important sites in the system of pagodas belonging to the Lâm Tế Liên Phái monastic lineage.

In present-day life, Khê Hồi Pagoda continues to be a Buddhist establishment in Hồng Vân Commune. The pagoda organizes Buddhist activities and belief practices and is a place where local people and Buddhists come to worship the Buddha and study. In 2026, leaders of Hồng Vân Commune visited, congratulated, and presented gifts to Nun Thích Đàm Hà, abbess of Khê Hồi Pagoda, on the occasion of the Great Vesak Celebration of the Buddhist calendar year 2570; the pagoda is also a place for organizing the summer retreat and hosting Buddhism-related activities.

With its long history of formation, value in Buddhist history, connection with the Lâm Tế Liên Phái monastic lineage, and architectural space linked with Khê Hồi Communal House, Khê Hồi Pagoda is an important component of the cultural and belief-religious heritage system of Hồng Vân Commune.