Tien Hoi Pagoda (Phuc Linh Tu)

Tien Hoi Pagoda also has the Sino-Vietnamese name “Phuc Linh Tu” (Phuc Linh Pagoda), meaning: the pagoda brings great blessings and is sacred. According to records engraved on a bronze khanh dated to the 35th year of Canh Hung (1774) and the inscription line on the beam of the front hall, Tien Hoi Pagoda dates back to around the Later Le period and was renovated several times in 1910, 1921, and 1941.

The pagoda is located on a large plot of land, facing west, enclosed by walls and a green bamboo fence, and nestled under the shade of perennial trees. It was built in the architectural style of the character “ding”, including the front hall and the upper sanctuary. The Ancestor House and Mother House are arranged behind the main pagoda. The Ancestor House has 5 bays, built with gable walls with sealed tops and ngai-style corbels, and a roof covered with traditional tiles. The central bay houses the Mother Goddess statues, and the right bay houses the Ancestor statue. In front of the altar are hung large horizontal plaques and a pair of parallel couplets; on the right side of the Ancestor altar hangs a large bronze khanh, cast in the 35th year of Canh Hung (1774). The Mother House has 3 bays, built with gable walls with sealed tops and ngai-style corbels, a simple truss structure, and decoration mainly with four-seasons motifs. Inside, an altar platform houses the Mother Goddess statues.

The front hall consists of 5 bays, built with gable walls with sealed tops and ngai-style corbels, a roof covered with traditional tiles, a ridge built in the bo dinh style, and three doors at the front. The frame structure is made in the keo kim style; the four middle trusses are in the chong xa style, and the two middle trusses are in the ke luon style resting on the seven ends. The upper sanctuary consists of 4 longitudinal bays, built with gable walls with sealed tops, a roof covered with traditional tiles, and a ridge built in the bo dinh style. The worship statue system of Tien Hoi Pagoda is very rich and diverse, with 51 statues in the Le-Nguyen artistic style, typical ones including the Three Worlds Buddhas, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta, Nam Tao, Bac Dau, Maitreya Buddha, etc. The pagoda also preserves 2 stone steles bearing the reign titles Thieu Tri 1 (1841) and Duy Tan 4 (1910), 1 bronze khanh dated Canh Hung 25 (1764), a bronze khanh dated Canh Hung 35 (1774); 2 stone steles dated Thieu Tri 1 (1841) and Duy Tan 4 (1910), along with many other valuable worship objects. Tien Hoi Communal House - Pagoda was ranked by the Hanoi City People's Committee as a city-level historical and architectural-artistic relic under Decision No. 1649-1650/QDUBND/2003 dated March 25, 2003.