30 km east of Hanoi, Nom Pagoda belongs to the Nom village relic complex, Dai Dong commune, Van Lam district, is a famous pagoda of Pho Hien that still retains many ancient features.
Nom Pagoda seen from the bell tower of Tam Quan gate.Photo: Nguyen Minh Son.
According to ancient legend, Nom Pagoda was built in the middle of an ancient pine forest, perhaps that is why the pagoda is also called Linh Thong Co Tu. No one remembers exactly when the pagoda was founded, only knowing that on the two large stone tablets still remaining here, the pagoda was rebuilt in 1680 and restored many times after that.
Right from the entrance of Nom village, visitors will be impressed by the ancient landscape with old houses, mossy communal house roofs, wells, banyan trees... According to the village's custom, whenever strangers come to visit, they often stop by Tam Giang communal house to burn incense to pray for luck. Then, they walk across 9 spans of the bridge on the green stone slabs over 200 years old across Nguyet Duc river, to reach the sacred ancient pagoda. Visiting Nom pagoda, visitors cannot help but be amazed by the green, peaceful space and let their souls admire the mysterious beauty of the sacred ancient statues.
The famous mossy stone bridge in Nom village. Photo:Nguyen Minh Son.
Belonging to the Lam Te Zen sect, Nom Pagoda owns 122 large and small Buddha statues made of clay, scattered everywhere with different sizes, depicting the Buddha's path to maturity. The statues here are carved with extremely vivid gestures and facial expressions, including Tam Thanh, Tam The, Amitabha, Bat Bo Kim Cuong, Thap Bat La Han... There are statues over 3m high but sometimes only as big as a fist. According to scientists' assessment, with wrinkles on the clothes and some other characteristics in the creation, the statues here represent the art of carving statues in the 18th century.
After experiencing historic floods, many places in the region were submerged, even temple roofs were washed away, but strangely, when the water receded, the clay Buddha statues that had been submerged in water for a long time still did not rot, standing tall and proud as if challenging the harshness of nature.
Ancient clay statues at Nom Pagoda.Photo: Vietkings
Explaining the longevity of Buddha statues, some researchers' analysis said that it was due to the skillful craftsmanship of the artisans of that time, from the stage of building the skeleton, building the clay, to the meticulousness and care in applying thick layers of paint.
Visitors can see the harmonious beauty and feng shui of Nom Pagoda when walking around the temple, with the bell tower, the drum tower reflecting in the lake, the shady old trees. Through the small path on the temple porch, the tomb garden of laterite towers shines golden in the morning sun. The stone towers are beautiful and intact, hundreds of years old.
With its deep spirituality and beautiful natural landscape, reminiscent of the ancient past, Nom Pagoda is a destination for those who love ancient beauty. Traveling to Nom Pagoda, visitors can also explore and enjoy the ancient cultural features of Nom village, one of the ancient Vietnamese villages still preserved to this day.
More information:
Directions: Buses to Hung Yen depart from Luong Yen bus station, operating from 5am to 10pm with a frequency of 20 minutes/trip, ticket price is 10,000 VND. If you choose to ride a motorbike, you can follow Highway 5, Road 39 or Phap Van - Yen Lenh Expressway to get here.
Some additional places to visit: Ung Temple relic site, Cao Thon incense making village, Phu Ung silver carving village, or visit Pho Hien with the ancestral longan tree and Chuong pagoda.
Must-try specialties: Bun thang, perch soup, banh gheng, Phuong Tuong frog, Dong Tao chicken (Dong Cao)...
Gifts to bring home: Soy sauce, rice cakes, honey, longan...
