The Tran Quoc Pagoda
The Tran Quoc pagoda may be one of the oldest in Vietnam. According to legend, it was built during the Nam De Dynasty (544-548). Originally, the pagoda had been built nearby the Cai River and it was called Khai Quoc, the person who found it's nation. Later on, its name was changed to An Quoc Pagoda. Then in the reign of King Le Kinh Tong (1600-18), the riverbank broke and the people removed the pagoda and rebuilt it on Ca Vang island, in the middle of West Lake (its current location). King Le Hy Tong (16680-1705) changed its name to Tran Quoc. The present pagoda still maintains a unique architecture so different from other pagodas. At the front, there is a visitor's hall before going into the center of the pagoda. At the end, there are two corridors and a bell tower. Inside the pagoda are various beautiful statues. There are also stone slab steles, the oldest of which was built in 1639. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Chinh wrote the history of the major repair to this pagoda in that very year. There is a luxuriant Bo tree in the pagoda's current playground that was a monument presented by the President of India who paid a visit to the pagoda in 1959.
