Trà Phương Pagoda

Trà Phương Pagoda, also known as Bà Đanh Pagoda, with the formal name Thiên Phúc Tự, is an ancient pagoda located in Trà Phương village, Thụy Hương commune, Kiến Thụy district, on the outskirts of Hải Phòng city. In 2007, the pagoda was recognised by the state as a national architectural and artistic heritage site. According to some remaining stone artefacts, many historians and art researchers believe that the pagoda was first constructed during the Lý dynasty.

According to local legend, during his impoverished youth, Mạc Đăng Dung, once pursued and in danger, hid in Bà Đanh Pagoda and escaped harm; later, after establishing his career, in gratitude for the past, Mạc Đăng Dung issued an edict to restore and expand the pagoda, and renamed it Thiên Phúc Tự. According to the stele "Tu tạo Bà Đanh tự" (Restoration of Bà Đanh Pagoda), carved in 1562 at the pagoda, the person who led the restoration of Bà Đanh Pagoda was Grand Empress Dowager Vũ Thị Ngọc Toàn, together with 25 princes, princesses, district lords, and the people of Trà Phương village, who contributed to rebuilding the pagoda at its present location. During the Later Lê dynasty, Trà Phương Pagoda, along with many structures built under the Mạc dynasty in Dương Kinh, suffered severe destruction. In the Nguyễn dynasty, Trà Phương Pagoda was restored, and thus the current pagoda bears strong artistic features of the Nguyễn period. In 2007, Trà Phương Pagoda was recognised by the Vietnamese State as a national architectural and artistic heritage site.

Trà Phương Pagoda faces southwest, with architectural structures such as the Buddha hall, the ancestral hall for venerable masters, guest house, stele house, courtyard and garden, and the pagoda gate. The main Buddha hall previously had a Đinh (丁)-shaped layout with five bays in the front ceremonial hall (bái đường) and three bays in the rear sanctuary (chuôi vồ); however, currently only three bays of the front hall and three bays of the sanctuary remain. The pagoda also preserves many artefacts in the artistic style of the Mạc dynasty, such as the statue of King Mạc Đăng Dung, the statue of Empress Dowager Vũ Thị Ngọc Toàn, a pair of stone crocodiles, and various inscribed stelae.