Location: Dau Village, Thanh Khuong Commune, Thuan Thanh District, Bac Ninh Province, 30km from Ha Noi.
Characteristics: Built in the 3rd century, Dau Pagoda is the oldest pagoda in Viet Nam.
◊ History
In the beginning, the pagoda was a Buddhist center well known throughout the country and abroad. At the end of the 4th century, Indian Master Vinitaruci gave lectures and the first Vietnamese Buddhist doctrine was produced there.
Mac Dinh Chi, a mandarin under the Tran Dynasty, enlarged the pagoda in the 14th century and the pagoda underwent several renovations during the following centuries.
◊ Outstanding Features
In Buddha’s main sanctuary, there is a large statue of the Goddess Phap Van, seated on a lotus flower, which is why the pagoda is also called Phap Van Pagoda.
In the pagoda’s yard is a three – storey tower called Hoa Phong built in the 6th century. In the tower, there is a large bell produced in 1793, a big bronze gong produced during the 18th year of the reign of Minh Menh (1817).
