Located in My Phong ward, Dong Thap province, Vinh Trang Pagoda has long become a familiar destination for pilgrims every time they visit the Mekong Delta.
Famous as an ancient pagoda with a long history, this place also impresses with its architectural style that harmoniously combines East and West, rarely seen in Vietnam.
The pagoda was started construction in 1849 with a large scale. The entire structure is built in the style of the Chinese character "Quoc", including the Front Hall, the Main Hall, the Ancestral House and the Later House connected together. The pagoda uses many materials such as cement, precious wood, the foundation is cast high and surrounded by a wide wall system covering tens of thousands of square meters.
Right from the outside, Vinh Trang Pagoda has taken on the shape of a classic European building with large columns, Roman-style arches and Renaissance-style floral details.
Interspersed among them are many traditional architectural elements of Vietnamese people along with the influence of Khmer, Chinese and Cham cultures, creating a unique appearance for the ancient pagoda. In particular, the main hall with high roofs reminds many people of Angkor Wat architecture of Cambodia.
Stepping inside, the pagoda space is imbued with the imprint of traditional Southern Ruong houses. The wooden frame, yin and yang tiled roof and hand-carved details are preserved almost intact. Prominent in the main hall is a sophisticated and vast system with many motifs of high artistic value.
The bao lam bát tiên kỵ thú set along with horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences and ancient wooden statues contribute to creating a solemn look for the worship space.
Not only possessing unique architecture, Vinh Trang Pagoda is also a famous pilgrimage destination for Buddhists and tourists. Currently, the pagoda preserves more than 60 Buddha statues made from many materials such as wood, bronze, terracotta and all are gold-plated. Among them, the set of 18 La Han statues made of jackfruit wood placed on both sides of the main hall is considered one of the typical works of the pagoda.
In a campus of about 20,000 m2, many large-scale outdoor Buddha statues also attract a large number of tourists to visit and worship. Prominent are the 24m high Amitabha Buddha statue placed in front of the pagoda, the 20m high Maitreya Buddha statue and the 32m long Nirvana Buddha statue. The green, peaceful space combined with unique architecture makes this place a famous spiritual tourist destination of Tien Giang.
In 1984, Vinh Trang Pagoda was recognized as a national historical and cultural relic. In 2007, the pagoda continued to be recognized as the first Buddhist work in Vietnam with a combination of Eastern and Western architectural styles.
With its unique historical, cultural and artistic values, Vinh Trang Pagoda is currently one of the must-visit stops when coming to the Mekong Delta.
