Ngoc Kien Pagoda

Ngoc Kien Pagoda, whose literary name is Trung Kien Tu, belongs to Bac Kien Village, Doai Phuong Commune, Hanoi City. The pagoda was built facing west – a direction regarded as the direction of Buddhist Dharma – and is located on high, open ground. For a long time, local people have considered this a sacred land closely tied to the religious and spiritual life of the village community.

Ngoc Kien Pagoda is a Buddhist architectural work that worships Buddha according to the Mahayana tradition. The overall layout of the relic is in the shape of the character Dinh, comprising two main structures, the Front Hall and the Upper Hall; there are also auxiliary works such as the Patriarch Hall, the Mother Goddess Hall, an ancient well, and a system of courtyards and gardens, creating a harmonious, enclosed space for religious activities.

The Front Hall was built in a three-bay, two-wing style, with closed gable-end walls, two sloping roofs, and a panel door system (three doors corresponding to the three bays). The Upper Hall is a three-bay longitudinal building with two closed gable roofs and is where the solemn Three Jewels statue system is placed. Prominent in the Upper Hall are the Buddhas of the Three Times, the Amitabha Trinity, and other tiers of Buddha and saintly figures, including a Jade Emperor statue in the artistic style of the Nguyen Dynasty, demonstrating refined craftsmanship and high aesthetic value.

Through its formation and existence, Ngoc Kien Pagoda still preserves many precious relics of historical, cultural, and artistic value, such as a stone stele, a bronze bell, a bronze gong, an antique ceramic incense burner, and other artifacts.

With its outstanding historical, cultural, and architectural values, on 28 January 2004, Ngoc Kien Pagoda was ranked as a Historical–Cultural Relic by the People's Committee of Ha Tay Province under Decision No. 89/QD-UB.