Ông Bắc Pagoda

Ông Bắc Pagoda, formally named Quảng Đông Provincial Assembly Hall (Chinese characters: 廣東省會館), is a pagoda of the Cantonese Chinese community in Long Xuyên ward, and is the first Chinese assembly hall in An Giang (Vietnam).

The pagoda was recognised as a national-level historical and cultural relic on 15 June 1987.

Ông Bắc Pagoda is located on Phạm Hồng Thái Street (its main façade faces the Long Xuyên River, about 10 metres from Duy Tân Bridge); it is now part of Long Xuyên ward, An Giang province.

The pagoda was built in the 19th century, when this area was still called Đông Xuyên; later, it belonged to Mỹ Phước hamlet, Tây Xuyên district, Tuy Biên prefecture, An Giang province under the Nguyễn dynasty.

According to elderly locals and based on the inscription stele recounting the pagoda's history, the pagoda was initially quite simple, built by Cantonese Chinese (from China) who came to settle and constructed it as a place for meetings and community activities.

As expressed clearly in the two parallel sentences at the main gate:

Tác khách tận đồng hương bạt thiệp châu nhai đôn nghĩa khí,

Cư dân hàm lạc nghiệp kinh dinh đồng trụ dụ tài nguyên.

Tentative translation:

As guests in a foreign land, sharing the same homeland, they braved the vast red hillsides, further nurturing their sense of righteousness;

Settling in this land, all found peace and prosperity, with abundant resources and thriving livelihoods.

In the year Giáp Ngọ (1887), Mr. Quảng Thành Lợi and Hòa Mậu Xương, two wealthy Chinese in the area, took the lead in mobilising compatriots and devotees to contribute funds, initiating the second major renovation.

After four years of construction, by the year Mậu Tuất (1891), the pagoda was completed and became a beautiful and representative work of art and architecture in Long Xuyên city.

The pagoda covers an area of 400 m², and is designed in the shape of the Chinese character Quốc (国). On the door, the raised Chinese characters read: Quảng Đông Provincial Assembly Hall. Connecting the front hall and the Bắc Đế sanctuary are two parallel covered walkways. Inside, there is a waterside pavilion, an East Wing (Đông Lang), and a West Wing (Tây Lang).

The pagoda's roof is covered with large green-glazed tubular tiles, and along the roof ridge are carvings of the Eight Immortals, elephants, dragons, phoenixes, fish, and other bas-reliefs and ancient decorative motifs, blending the artistic style of the Nguyễn dynasty with Chinese architectural art.

The round wooden columns are made of căm xe wood, the walls are brick with lime mortar and decorative panels, the floor is paved with patterned tiles, and the main entrance frame is built from finely carved green stone blocks.

The pagoda's interior is arranged according to feng shui principles, airy and cool, with many beautiful carvings at the top of the quadrangular roof, and a three-tiered structure symbolising the three realms: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Overall, the pagoda presents a miniature model of the mansions of Chinese feudal mandarins.

Within the pagoda are three ritual gongs, a red-and-gold lacquered ancestral altar cabinet, a bronze bell, a bronze censer, and more. On the side of the pagoda are three stone steles inscribed in Chinese characters recounting the history of the pagoda's construction.

The main deity worshipped in the central sanctuary is the Bắc Đế (about 0.7m tall); on the left is Thiên Hậu, and on the right is Quan Công. In addition, Shakyamuni Buddha, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Jade Emperor, and others are also venerated here. Altogether, these form a unique cultural identity of the Chinese community, which has long been integrated into Vietnamese culture.

Every year, on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month (Bắc Đế's festival), the 22nd day of the 3rd lunar month (Thiên Hậu's festival), and the 21st day of the 6th lunar month (Quan Công's festival), many members of the association and local people gather to attend the ceremonies.