Dien Phuc Temple, located in Son Dong, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi, is one of the most well-preserved ancient pagodas in Hanoi. It is housing a collection of statues of the most beautiful gold lacquer in Hanoi, making it a nice tourist attraction of the capital city.

According to legend, in the fifteenth century, the pagoda was moved from Ranh village to the area of Thuong Temple a in the shape of bat wing. The temple looks south, sharing the outer door with Thuong Temple. 

These cultural and historical buildings include the Tam Quan (the main gate), Mau Temple, and the house of the Patriarch, the monk’s room, the guest house and the Tam Bao.

The Tam Quan and the bell tower are adjacent to the provincial road, the architecture is in the style of two levels and 4-storey roof with wooden frame. 

The lower floor of the three-door arch was built in a dome shape, the upper floor hanging Dien Phuc bell was built in the third year of Thanh Thai King’s reign (1891) and the Dien Phuc Khanh was built in the seventh year of Minh Mang King’s reign (1826).

Behind the Tam Quan there are the temple gardens with many green trees, Tam Bao (including three Thieu Huong, Thuong Dien), the guest house, the house of the Patriarch and the Mau Temple.

Tien Duong (the front house) consists of seven porch walls and five rows of columns. It is unknown when this item was made, but on the upper line there is Chinese text stating year of making is the 17th year of Bao Dai King’s reign (1942).

According to the elderly, this remodeling was bought from an old house in Dan Phuong district to take advantage of the assembly techniques. 

Therefore, on the wooden frame of the Dien Phuc Pagoda today, we encounter the array of engravings on the side, the porch with the porcelain carved dragon-shaped leaves, flowers and rattan art style of the seventeenth century. Particularly there are boards on the back of the right side.    

From the center of Tien Duong forward is Thieu huong and the Thuong dien with the frame system made in the late Nguyen Dynasty.

Dien Phuc Pagoda is currently holding many ancient statues painted with beautiful gold lacquer. The Front House has the Protectorate, Monsignor and Holy Monk. Inside the Buddha chamber, items are arranged from high to low, from far to near: at the top is Tam The uy nghi, next down is the A Di Da Tam Ton, then Thich Ca Thanh Dao, Di Lac with a peach in hand. 

In the front, there are two statues of Cuu Long, Pham Thien, De Thich, two sides have Dai Dieu Tuong and Phap Hoa Lam. Along the two sides of the Thuong Temple is Thap Dien Diem Vuong, and the last two sides are the Quan Thien Am Thu Nhon and Quan Am Tong Tu. Most of these statues are of the Nguyen period, the late nineteenth century, early twentieth century. The statue of Guan Yin is dated early in the late eighteenth century, the early nineteenth century with an elegant appearance.

In addition, the temple also has many lacquered items, parallel sentences and five stone plates of the Nguyen dynasty.

Dien Phuc Temple was recognized a state historical cultural heritage at national level in 1986.

Hanoitimes