Trang Cat Pagoda (Hung Khanh Tu)

• Name: The pagoda's official Sino-Vietnamese name is Hung Khanh Tu (Hung Khanh Pagoda); local people usually call it Trang Cat Pagoda after the village name.

• Location: The pagoda is located in Trang Cat Village, Kim An Commune, Thanh Oai District, Hanoi City (now Trang Cat Village, Thanh Oai Commune, Hanoi City). The pagoda is part of the village's spiritual cultural space and is very close to Trang Cat Communal House.

2. Formation History and Relic Ranking

• Construction date: Trang Cat Pagoda is a religious architectural work dedicated to Buddha of the Mahayana tradition. Based on evidence from a stele placed behind the pagoda, this ancient temple was built in the 17th century (specifically dated to the 6th year of Canh Tri, 1668, under King Le Huyen Tong). Through the 18th and 19th centuries, the pagoda was continuously restored and embellished by the people.

• Ranking: The pagoda was granted a certificate of National Historical-Cultural Relic by the Ministry of Culture (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) under Decision No. 177 VH/QD dated March 5, 1990 (it was ranked in the same batch as the village communal house).

3. Architectural Space and Cultural Landscape

• Architecture: It bears the characteristics of village pagodas in the Northern Delta region, with a quiet and solemn atmosphere. In the pagoda grounds there are long-standing ancient trees, especially an ancient kapok tree, creating a peaceful traditional rural setting.

• Connection with the locality: Trang Cat Pagoda is located amid a fertile alluvial area surrounded by the Day River. The pagoda is a spiritual mainstay of a very special craft village: Trang Cat dong leaf-growing craft village, the largest in northern Vietnam (with a history of more than 600 years dating back to the reclamation period of Mrs. Dam Su). Visitors sightseeing at the pagoda in the days near Tet will experience the bustling atmosphere of residents of Chua Hamlet going to harvest and trim the verdant dong leaves.