Trúc Lâm Đạo Nguyên Zen Monastery

Trúc Lâm Đạo Nguyên Zen Monastery is a Buddhist establishment belonging to the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử Zen school, located within the Nâm Nung Nature Reserve, in Trường Xuân commune, Lâm Đồng province (40 km north of Gia Nghĩa city). Trúc Lâm Đạo Nguyên Zen Monastery is nestled amidst vast pine forests, far from residential areas, making it very quiet and imbued with a meditative atmosphere. Backed by the Nâm Nung mountain range, which rises to 1,500 metres, the climate here is cool all year round. Trúc Lâm Đạo Nguyên Zen Monastery (Đắk Song), together with the Tà Đùng Nature Reserve (Đắk Glong), are two key tourist destinations in Đăk Nông province that are prioritised for investment and development.

The monastery, with the approval of local authorities and under the direction of Most Venerable Thích Nhật Quang (Head of the Trúc Lâm Zen School Management Board), began construction in 2010 and inaugurated its first phase in 2018, witnessed by Most Venerable Thích Thanh Từ (Patriarch of the Trúc Lâm Zen School - Deputy Dharma Chairman of the Verification Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha) along with other venerable monks and nuns from within and outside the province. The monastery is located in a pine forest, in the core area of the Nâm Nung Nature Reserve, which covers more than 5,000 hectares. About 2 km to the south lies Lưu Ly Waterfall. Behind the monastery, to the northeast, is the Revolutionary Historical Site of the B4 Resistance Base – Interprovincial IV, which belonged to the resistance forces of the former Quảng Đức province and Interprovincial IV during the resistance war against America (1959–1975). The monastery is currently abboted by Venerable Thích Đạt Ma Đắc Thịnh.

According to the approved project, Trúc Lâm Đạo Nguyên Zen Monastery is being built with main components such as: the Main Hall (Chánh điện), Monks’ Hall (tăng đường), Abbot’s Quarters (thất Phương Trượng), Quan Âm đình (a small shrine to Avalokiteśvara), exhibition house, guest house, and other auxiliary works. By 2023, the monastery had also completed the Điều Ngự Giác Hoàng Pavilion (dedicated to Trần Nhân Tông), and the Ancestors’ Hall (Tổ đường) is in its final stages of completion. The monastery is a place for Zen practitioners to follow the Trúc Lâm Zen tradition, and for Buddhist followers from near and far to come and study. Thanks to its beautiful scenery and cool climate, the site attracts many visitors for sightseeing and worship. According to the design, all structures bear the cultural architectural features of other Zen monasteries, harmonising with the worship space and practically serving the religious and Buddhist study needs of monks, nuns, and lay Buddhists.