Phuc Lam Pagoda

Phuc Lam Pagoda, literary name Phuc Lam Tu, located at No. 120 Yen Phu Street, Ba Dinh Ward, Hanoi, is a long-standing religious site associated with the cultural and spiritual life of the community in the Yen Phu area. According to local introductory materials, the pagoda was founded in the Canh Than year, during the reign of King Canh Thinh of the Tay Son dynasty (around 1800) and has undergone many renovations and restorations.

The pagoda practices worship of Buddha combined with worship of the Mother Goddess, following the model “Buddha in front – Mother Goddess behind”, reflecting the intersection between Buddhism and traditional Vietnamese folk beliefs.

In terms of architecture, the pagoda is not large in scale but retains its ancient character, with its main layout in the shape of the Chinese character “Dinh”, including a five-bay Front Hall and a three-bay Rear Sanctuary (chuoi vo). The system of carved, red-lacquered and gilded vong doors is one of the notable points in the decorative art of the relic.

In particular, the pagoda preserves 23 Buddha statues and worship statues, among which notable are a bronze statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva riding a green lion and a bronze statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva riding a white elephant; along with this is a system of statues of the Ten Courts of Yama, a Maitreya statue, a World-Honored One statue, and Mother Goddess worship statues. This is a valuable source of material for research on statue-making art and Buddhist–folk beliefs.

The pagoda was once extensively renovated in 1954, under the chairmanship of Patriarch Thich Dam Van, with contributions from the people and Buddhists. Today, the pagoda continues to be a place for religious and Buddhist activities of the people in the Yen Phu area and neighboring areas.