Two weeks in North Vietnam - 12/21 - 1/3/2023

Day  8- Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi-12/28/2023

Tran Quoc Pagoda is more than 1,500 years old and is the oldest temple in Hanoi city and offers beautiful and tranquil scenery.  The Pagoda is located on a small peninsula near the southeastern shore of Hanoi's West lake.  Originally built in 541 and completed in 545 under the reign of King Ly Nam De and was built on the bank of the Red River. When the river bank crumbled after more than 150 years, it was moved to the Kim Ngu (Golden Fish) Islet in the early 17^th century, under the reign of King Le Kinh Tong. Since then, its name changed into Tran Quoc (National Defense).   

Bridge leading to the entrance of Tran Quoc Pagoda.

The 11 tiered stone stupa (Bao Thao) can be seen afar.

The main gate to the temple.

Walkway with stunning view of the lake on the right.

The main gate of Tran Quoc Pagoda.

More views of the Stupa as we are entering the Pagoda.

The sacred Bodhi tree was donated to the temple in 1959 by the Indian President Rajendra Prasad. Many people believe that it is a branch of the sacred bodhi tree where the Buddha was enlightened. That’s why tourists and pilgrims come here to pray around the tree.

A lot of people gather around the tree.

The Pagoda - Front House (Tien Duong)

In the front House there is a bronze bell and large drum (they are behind the plants) for prayers.

Entering the Pagoda.

Part of the altar.

More altars lining the wall.

The Steel house (Nha Bia) contains a precious collection of over 20 stone steles inscribed with ancient Chinese script documenting about the pagoda’s history, repairs, donations and cultural heritage. Many steles date back to the Le Dynasty during King Le Hy Tong’s reign in the 15th century. The Nha Bia thus serves as the pagoda’s historical archive.

The back house

View of the Lake from the ground of the Pagoda.

Lotus lanterns along the fence of the Pagoda.

The 11 story Stupa (Bao Thap Luc Do Dai Sen) represent a symbolic progression towards enlightenment, from the human realm at the bottom to the highest realms of spiritual to the top.

The Stupa was built in 1998, it has six arched doorways and a statue on each floor. The statues resemble Buddha Amitabha and are made of precious stones.

The Stupa features 98 bas-relief carvings of images that tell stories from the Buddha’s past lives called “Jataka tales”. Other carvings depict scenes like the Buddha returning to his Palace after achieving enlightenment as a monk.

View of the Pagoda from the main street.

West lake and the pagoda.

We are now heading to our next destination...

NEXT... Ho Chi Minh Museum and one Pillar Pagoda