Bạch Hào Pagoda

Hào Xá Pagoda, also known as Hào Pagoda (in Sino-Vietnamese called Bạch Hào Cổ Thiền Tự 白豪古禪寺), is located in Hào Xá village, Thanh Hà commune, Hải Phòng city; it was built during the Lý dynasty. The pagoda boasts picturesque river scenery, with many unique features of the Red River Delta region. It was recognised as a national historical monument in 1993 and again in 2015; the Hào Xá Pagoda festival is a national intangible cultural heritage.

Hào Xá village, Thanh Xá commune, Thanh Hà district, lies on a narrow strip of land along the Cửa Chùa river—a branch of the Hương river. The village's terrain resembles a phoenix spreading its wings. Hào Xá Pagoda is situated on the 'head' of the bird, which has a tuft of white feathers, hence its formal name Bạch Hào Tự, meaning Bạch Hào Pagoda. Locals simply call it Hào Pagoda.

According to the Ngọc Phả (Genealogical Record), the pagoda was built in 1011 during the reign of King Lý Thái Tổ. Initially, the local people erected a pagoda named Hào Pagoda, consisting mainly of three bays made from bamboo and thatched with gồi and palm leaves, to worship the Buddha. Later, through various dynasties, the pagoda was rebuilt and expanded, worshipping the Buddha, King Trần Nhân Tông, the village tutelary deity, and resident abbots.

According to the Ngọc Phả and related documents, during the Trần dynasty, in Hạ Hào hamlet (in the Later Lê period, Hạ Hào hamlet became Hào Xá village, part of Hương Đại commune, Bình Hà canton, Thanh Hà district, Nam Sách prefecture; since 1956, Hào Xá has been a village of Thanh Xá commune, Thanh Hà district), there lived a couple, Mr. Nguyễn Danh Doãn and Mrs. Phạm Thị Phương, who had two sons named Nguyễn Danh Nguyên and Nguyễn Danh Quang. The two brothers were excellent scholars and skilled in martial arts. As they grew up, they befriended Lý Đình Khuê, a fellow student and villager. When they took the imperial exams, all three achieved high ranks and were appointed as scholars by the king, tasked with education in the royal court.

When the Mongol Yuan invaders attacked our country, the three men followed King Trần Nhân Tông and Grand Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn to fight the enemy at Phả Lại and Vạn Kiếp. After the victory, the king highly praised them, and a stone stele still records his words: "Since the day our country faced war, the Three Dukes have tirelessly cultivated themselves and sought ways to save the nation and its people."

After peace was restored, King Trần Nhân Tông abdicated in favour of his son, became a monk, retreated to Yên Tử mountain to practise, founded the Trúc Lâm Zen school, and took the titles Trúc Lâm Đại Sĩ, Hương Vân Đại Đầu Đà, and Điều Ngự Đầu Đà. The three men also converted to Buddhism and became abbots at Minh Khánh Pagoda (now in Thanh Hà town, Thanh Hà district) and Hào Pagoda. While practising, they taught locals to grow mulberries and raise silkworms; organised martial arts and wrestling training for the village youth, and held boat racing competitions (to this day, Thanh Xá still preserves many traces of their contributions: the mulberry field is still called the mulberry garden by locals; the village's boat racing festival, etc.).

On the 6th day of the 1st lunar month, 1293, Điều Ngự Đầu Đà Trần Nhân Tông went on a spring excursion and gave Buddhist teachings by waterway. Upon arriving at Hạ Hào hamlet, the three laymen and villagers organised a boat racing festival to welcome the first patriarch of the Trúc Lâm Zen school. Impressed by the beautiful river scenery, the Retired Emperor ordered the pagoda to be rebuilt and expanded, renamed it Bạch Hào Pagoda, created horizontal lacquered boards and parallel sentences, established a stone lotus pedestal altar for Buddha worship, and assigned the three men to remain as monks at the pagoda.

A few years later, the three laymen were summoned by Đức Điều Ngự to Yên Tử for further practice and eventually passed away there. In gratitude for their service to the people and the nation, the Trần king granted gold and silver to the villagers of Hạ Hào to build a miếu (ancestral shrine) in their honour and bestowed them the title of tutelary deities, inscribing the great characters "Tướng Hào tỏa sáng" (The General of Hào Shines Bright). Nguyễn Danh Quang was titled Phả Lại Layman, Nguyễn Danh Nguyên as Phả Hộ Layman, and Lý Đình Khuê as Phả Tế Layman.

The three laymen are worshipped at the pagoda and are venerated as its first three patriarchs. Every year, from the 4th to the 6th day of the 1st lunar month, the villagers of Hòa hold a festival (including boat races, etc.), a tradition maintained to this day.

In the 1540s, during the Mạc dynasty, Deputy Monk Trần Như Thừa raised funds to rebuild the pagoda, comprising 60 large and small bays in the 'nội công ngoại quốc' architectural style. Later, due to the ravages of time, nature, floods, and wars during the Lê, Mạc, and Nguyễn periods, the pagoda underwent repairs, but little of the original architecture remains.

Most Venerable Thích Gia Huệ served as abbot at the pagoda from 1954 until his passing...

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the resident monks, venerable Zen masters, Buddhist followers, and local people restored the pagoda; the bell tower and the main Tam Bảo (Triple Gem) hall were successively built in a dignified manner.

Over time and through many wars, very few unique features and ancient artefacts remain. The current pagoda consists of a five-bay front hall, a two-bay rear sanctuary, and a three-bay patriarchs' house; the front hall is built in the 'chồng rường đấu sen' (stacked beams with lotus-shaped joints) style; the trusses are carved with floral motifs, bamboo transforming into dragons, and the four-cornered relief carving technique.

The annual pagoda festival is held from the 4th to the 6th day of the 1st lunar month. During the festival, there are boat races on the river in front of the pagoda, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere. The site was recognised as a national historical monument in 1993.

In addition to worshipping the Buddha, the pagoda also venerates the three Trúc Lâm patriarchs, Trần Nhân Tông, and the three laymen: Nguyễn Danh Nguyên, Nguyễn Danh Quang, and Lý Đình Khuê. Few places are like Hào Pagoda, which worships both the Buddha and the village tutelary deities.

At the end of the 19th century, the Bãi Sậy insurgents used Hào Pagoda as a base.

During the Việt–French war, Hào Pagoda was the site of the first Communist Party cell in Bình Hà commune (formerly Bình Hà canton); it witnessed the inauguration of the Việt Minh Front in Thanh Hà district; served as a base for cadres from neighbouring communes and many revolutionary soldiers; was a station for some district agencies, a liaison point between the district and the Hà Đông area, and a site for scorched earth resistance, with the bell tower dismantled for this purpose.

The abbot, Ngô Văn Nhẫn, joined the Communist Party of Vietnam, becoming one of the first party members in Hào village.

The pagoda houses many valuable artefacts:

A wooden statue of King–Buddha Trần Nhân Tông, enshrined in the patriarchs' house.

A stone lotus pedestal—the only remaining Trần dynasty artefact at the site; it features carvings and bas-reliefs of birds, dragons, lotus petals, and at the four corners, images of the Garuda bird supporting the lotus throne above, intricately carved in the distinctive style of the Trần era with Cham cultural influences; it was recognised as a sculptural art relic in 1981.

Ten stone steles recording the merits of the three laymen, including three from the Lê dynasty and seven from the Nguyễn dynasty, and a stupa garden with seven monks' tombs.

Ancestral tablets of the three tutelary deities and the monks who practised at the pagoda.

Seven imperial edicts bearing the reign titles of Nguyễn dynasty emperors, conferring the title of tutelary deity and bestowing honorary titles on the three laymen abbots: Tự Đức, 6th year (1853); Tự Đức, 33rd year (1880); Đồng Khánh, 3rd year (1888); Duy Tân, 3rd year (1909); Khải Định, 9th year (1924); Khải Định, 9th year (1924); and one torn edict, half missing, so the reign title is unclear, only known to confer the title on Mr. Phả Tế.

A large horizontal board in the main hall with four Chinese characters "Hào tướng lưu quang" (The General of Hào Shines Bright).

A statue of Deputy Monk Trần Như Thừa and nearly 30 Buddha statues; each statue has its own expression, showcasing the woodcarving artistry of ancient craftsmen and deeply reflecting the philosophy and teachings of the Trúc Lâm Zen school.

Horizontal boards and parallel sentences: the pagoda preserves many horizontal boards and parallel sentences praising the Buddha Dharma and the three laymen tutelary deities; in the patriarchs' house, there is a couplet: "Hộ tòng thần thế Tam công miếu; Tự hưởng Hào trang vạn cổ thần" (The shrine of the Three Dukes serves the king, the Deities are venerated for eternity in Hào Xá) and "Hào tướng lưu quang" (The General of Hào Shines Bright Forever).

The Hào Xá Pagoda festival, a national intangible cultural heritage, is held annually from the 4th to the 6th day of the 1st lunar month. This is the day when Retired Emperor Trần Nhân Tông visited the pagoda.

The ritual part involves a procession of imperial edicts placed in palanquins; the village's lineages also bring their own palanquins to carry their respective edicts.

Early in the morning of the 4th day, the imperial edicts are placed in palanquins and carried from Hào Pagoda to Đụn Communal House (where the village tutelary deity is worshipped) for ceremonial offerings.

On the 5th day, the edicts are brought back to the pagoda for continued ceremonies.

The ritual team consists of 16 men, allocated according to the village wards. The ritual rounds include incense and flower offerings and thanksgiving ceremonies. Offerings are vegetarian feasts (including sticky rice cakes, five fruits, and agricultural products) prepared by representatives from each ward (in the past, Hào Xá village had three wards: Nam, Đông, and Đoài). Offerings to Hà Bá (the River God) during the boat racing include a pig's head. The offering tray is placed on the stone altar dedicated to Hà Bá.

On the 6th day, the edicts are carried to the shrine of the three tutelary deities for ceremonies and performances before concluding the three-day festival. Participants in the performances wear ancient military costumes, carry eight ceremonial weapons and eight spears, following the palanquin, performing spear dances with martial arts moves, re-enacting the story of the three laymen charging into battle, commanding troops against the Mongol Yuan invaders.

The main activity of the festival is boat racing. The boat racing competition dates back to the Trần dynasty, right after the deaths of the three figures Nguyễn Danh Quang, Nguyễn Danh Nguyên, and Lý Đình Khuê. The competition recreates the heroic image of the victory on the Bạch Đằng River, where the Trần dynasty's army and people defeated the Mongol invaders, and commemorates the contributions of the village tutelary deities who taught the people to practise boat rowing. Each ward (giáp) of the village has its own boat racing team. The boat of each giáp has 18 or 20 rowers; each boat has 6 pairs of oarsmen, 1 person to bail water, 1 helmsman, and 1 person in charge of beating the command drum.

In addition to the boat racing competition, the festival also features other exciting games such as catching loaches, catching ducks, and cooking rice on boats...