Thai Lai Pagoda

Thai Lai Pagoda, Da Thai Village, Dai Xuyen Commune, Hanoi City is a City-level historical and artistic architectural relic, ranked under Decision No. 1516/QD-UBND dated October 21, 2005, by the Hanoi City People's Committee. The pagoda is a traditional Buddhist religious work of the local community, a place of Buddhist worship that meets the people's religious and spiritual needs. The relic is tied to the cultural and religious life and the formation and development of the community of Thai Lai Village. The pagoda is where Buddhist rituals are practiced, traditional religious activities and community cultural activities are organized, and it has historical, cultural, architectural, artistic, and religious-life value for the local people.

Located in the culturally rich land of Thai Lai Village, Dai Xuyen Commune, Hanoi, Thai Lai Pagoda, also known as Huong Nghiem Pagoda, is a place of religious activity of significance to the spiritual life of local people. The pagoda is not only a place where Buddhists come to worship and practice but is also tied to history, community memory, and the years of struggle of the homeland.

According to relic documents of Hanoi, Thai Lai Pagoda is among the relics inventoried in Dai Xuyen; together with Thai Lai Communal House, the pagoda contributes to creating the traditional cultural space of the countryside here. An ancient temple tied to Thai Lai Village. Huong Nghiem Pagoda is introduced as an ancient temple dating from the 18th century, located in the field area of Thai Lai Village, by the Nhue River. The pagoda's space bears strong characteristics of the Northern Delta countryside, where the natural landscape and the community's religious life are closely connected. A special feature recorded in documents about the pagoda is that it worships two statues of Duc Ong. According to the pagoda's legend, the Thai Lai area formerly consisted of two villages, Ba Lai and Thai Thon; each had its own place of worship. Later, when the small pagoda of one village no longer existed, the Duc Ong statues were brought to Huong Nghiem Pagoda to continue being worshipped. This detail reflects the process of formation and community cohesion across generations. Thai Lai Pagoda in the historical years. Not only of religious value, Thai Lai Pagoda is also tied to the local revolutionary struggle history.

According to a document on the army's rear base, on May 15, 1950, at Thai Lai Pagoda, the Dai Xuyen Party Cell and the Dai Xuyen Militia discussed measures to organize forces and prepare to resist the French sweeps. Areas such as Thai Lai, Thuong Xuyen, and Da Chat then had interconnected trench systems serving guerrilla operations. Those events made the pagoda not only present in spiritual life but also part of the historical memory of Dai Xuyen people. Over time, the image of the pagoda roof, courtyard, and countryside space has become a place preserving many stories about previous generations. Architectural value and Buddhist life. Huong Nghiem Pagoda is described as having ancient architecture in the reversed Dinh character layout. Around the pagoda grounds is a waterway called Phat Nguyen River, creating a relatively special space in the delta region. During its existence, the pagoda underwent repairs and renovations. Notably, on April 21, Canh Ty year (2020), the pagoda and local people started construction and restoration of the Dai Hung Bao Dien hall. The work was later inaugurated at a great ceremony held on September 11, 2022, with the participation of monks and nuns, government representatives, Buddhists, and local people. Buddhist activities at the pagoda have also been maintained through many generations. Documents of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha record that Nun Thich Dam Thanh spent time attached to and practicing at Thai Lai Pagoda, Dai Xuyen Commune, Phu Xuyen District, Hanoi. The community's cultural space. For Thai Lai people, the pagoda is not merely a religious building. It is also part of the countryside space, where traditional values are preserved across generations.

In Vietnamese village culture, communal houses and pagodas often form a spatial complex that both carries religious meaning and plays a role in connecting the community. In Dai Xuyen, the relic system of the commune's villages formed quite early and underwent many renovations. The Thai Lai area in particular has both Thai Lai Communal House and Thai Lai Pagoda recorded in Hanoi's relic list. Besides Buddhist life, Thai Lai today also has diverse religious life. Thai Lai Parish was announced as established by the Hanoi Archdiocese on April 20, 2024, showing that the local community's religious life continues to develop in the modern context. Preserving a cultural address of the homeland. Through many changes over time, Thai Lai Pagoda still holds a notable position in the cultural life of local people. The pagoda's value lies not only in its architecture or landscape but also in the historical stories, religious traditions, and community memories passed down from generation to generation.

Today, preserving Thai Lai Pagoda also contributes to safeguarding part of the traditional cultural appearance of the land of Dai Xuyen. Each tile roof, statue, horizontal plaque, couplet, or pagoda courtyard can become a milestone helping later generations better understand their homeland. Thai Lai Pagoda is therefore not only a place where people return on holidays, full-moon days, or Buddhist occasions. It is also an address that recalls village history, the people who have been attached to this land, and the enduring vitality of community culture in the countryside south of Hanoi.