Lai Yen Pagoda (Nha Phuc Tu)

Nha Phuc Pagoda

Nha Phuc Pagoda (also known as Lai Yen Pagoda) is located in Lai Yen Village 4, Son Dong Commune, Hanoi City.

During the Tran dynasty (Hung Long era), King Tran Anh Tong built Ap Nha Zen Temple in Dong Oc village so that Princess Thang Duc (daughter of the king and Lady Ap Nha) could come here to practice Buddhism. The king also dug a small canal for the princess to enjoy, now traced by Lai Yen pond.

After the princess passed away and was venerated as a Buddha in the rear hall, the pagoda was renamed Nha Phuc Tu, then Nha Phuc Thien Tu (during the Le Trung Hung period), and locally known as Nha Phuc Pagoda or Ca Pagoda. The pagoda has undergone many major restorations, most recently in 2007 and 2016.

The pagoda covers 11,492 m² and features a three-entrance gate (two stories, eight roofs), a bell tower with a lim-wood frame combined with stone columns, and a main hall built in the “Noi Cong Ngoai Quoc” style. The complex includes a front hall (seven bays with two side wings), upper sanctuary, rear Three Jewels hall, a shrine to the princess, the Patriarch Hall, the Mother Goddess worship area, and auxiliary works.

On the bell tower of Nha Phuc Pagoda hangs a great bell more than 200 years old. The front hall currently has many gathered stone steles, reflecting history. On the right side of the upper sanctuary, there is one of the two remaining Tranh Toi paintings in northern Vietnam, depicting the Ten Courts of Yama judging those condemned to hell with evil demons, buffalo heads, horse faces, and mastiffs. In addition, the pagoda also has a system of Mahayana Buddhist statues and many highly artistic worship objects.

Nha Phuc Pagoda was ranked by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a National Architectural and Artistic Monument under Decision No. 2890/VH-QD dated September 27, 1997.