Mui Pagoda

Mui Pagoda – originally known by its vernacular name Vui Pagoda and its Sino-Vietnamese name Hung Thanh Quan – is a special relic closely associated with Taoism. According to legend, the pagoda originated in the reign of the 18th Hung King, when Mr. Tran Khanh built it after defeating invaders, refusing rewards to stay and establish a shrine to the Three Saints and teach the local people. Through historical upheavals, from a small shrine in the Ly Dynasty, the relic was extensively restored in 1599 by Lady Ngo, Second Palace Concubine of Lord Trinh, and was later repaired again under King Le Kinh Tong. Although during the Nguyen Dynasty Buddhist and Mother Goddess statues were added to suit the name Mui Pagoda, the site still fully preserves the distinctive architectural and sculptural marks of the 17th century.

The pagoda faces south, with an overall "inner Cong, outer Quoc" architectural layout, including the Ceremonial Hall, Middle Hall, Upper Hall, two corridors, and the Ancestor Worship Hall. The Ceremonial Hall consists of five bays and two side rooms with a gia chien truss system, highlighted by exquisitely carved bracket panels in the 17th-century style, such as the "mother and child dragon" motif, along with a pair of terracotta dragons holding a square block symbolizing the philosophy of round heaven and square earth on the roof ridge. The Upper Hall is made even more solemn by a unique pair of giant terracotta dragons holding bodhi leaves, together with a terracotta altar base in relief with Le Dynasty dragon patterns and the image of the divine bird Garuda. Because of its origin as a Taoist shrine, the statue system here is highly distinctive, with the Three Pure Ones, Supreme Venerable Lord, and Jade Emperor placed above Shakyamuni Buddha, along with the presence of the "Cinnabar cavity" – traces of an ancient alchemy furnace. In addition, the pagoda still preserves a giant Dong Nhac statue up to 4m high, which was once funded for restoration by the Swedish-Vietnamese Cultural Development Fund. With those outstanding artistic and historical values, Mui Pagoda was ranked as an architectural and artistic relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1995.