Phu Nhi Pagoda, Son Tay Ward

Phu Nhi Pagoda is an ancient pagoda long associated with the cultural and religious life of the people of Phu Nhi Village, now Phu Thinh Residential Area, Son Tay Ward, Hanoi City. It is not only a place for religious and spiritual activities of the community but also preserves many outstanding historical, architectural, and artistic values and is a site marking revolutionary activities during the two resistance wars against the French colonialists and the American imperialists.

Phu Nhi is an ancient land in the Doai region, with a long history and cultural tradition. Along with the formation and development of the village, Phu Nhi Pagoda was built and became the center of cultural and religious activities of the local people. The pagoda worships Buddha according to Mahayana Buddhism and is a place that guides people toward compassion, benevolence, and good values in life.

Phu Nhi Pagoda bears the traditional architecture of village pagodas in the Northern Delta, with main components such as the Tien Duong (Front Hall) and Thuong Dien (Upper Hall). The wooden frame system is structured according to traditional architecture; the components are crafted using traditional mortise-and-tenon techniques, and some details are carved with soft leaf motifs. The pagoda also preserves the horizontal plaque “Dai Quang Tu” and many valuable worship objects.

In particular, the pagoda has preserved a rich system of relics, typically 28 round statues, 2 Nine-Dragon canopies, 4 lacquered and gilded horizontal plaques, a bronze bell, stele inscriptions, stone dragons, and many other worship objects. The relics not only have historical and cultural value but also reflect the level of traditional carving art, including many works bearing the artistic style of the 19th century.

Not only a place for spiritual activities, Phu Nhi Pagoda was also an important revolutionary base of the locality during the two resistance wars. During the resistance war against the French colonialists, the pagoda was a meeting place for the Party cell and revolutionary government, and organized struggle activities and mass mobilization. In particular, Venerable Thich Dam Ban, the abbot of the pagoda at that time, was a patriotic monk who wholeheartedly sheltered and helped cadres, soldiers, and guerrillas engaged in revolutionary activities. In May 1947, the pagoda was the place where the first combat self-defense platoon of Phu Nhi Village was established and a training class on the 10 resistance points was opened. Many important meetings and revolutionary activities also took place here in the following years. At the end of 1952, Venerable Thich Dam Ban was arrested by the French colonialists but remained steadfast, did not confess, and continued to support the revolution after being released.

During the resistance war against the American imperialists, the pagoda continued to be an operating base for local revolutionary forces and a place for rest and food for soldiers and self-defense militia of the Ha Tay Provincial Military Command and the Son Tay Town Military Command. From 1967 to 1971, the pagoda's Ngu Mon Quan (Five-Gate Archway) was used as an observation point for enemy aircraft. In May 1967, the pagoda was also the venue for the 6th Congress of the Son Tay Town Party Committee and several important conferences.

Today, Phu Nhi Pagoda continues to be a place for cultural and religious activities of the local people and is also a meaningful address for educating patriotic tradition, revolutionary spirit, and preserving national cultural identity. With its outstanding historical, architectural, artistic, and revolutionary values, Phu Nhi Pagoda is a precious heritage of Son Tay homeland and needs attention from all levels, sectors, and people to preserve, protect, and promote, contributing to traditional education for present and future generations.

With those values, the People's Committee of Ha Tay Province (now the People's Committee of Hanoi City) ranked it as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic in Decision No. 2713/QD-UBND dated December 31, 2003, and the People's Committee of Hanoi City issued a Decision recognizing it as a revolutionary resistance relic and attached a relic sign at the gate of Phu Nhi Pagoda.