Vinh Nghiem Pagoda

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A thousand-year-old ancient temple, ancestral seat of the Truc Lam Zen school, holding a collection of woodblocks inscribed by UNESCO as Documentary Heritage.

By the gentle Thuong River, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda stands majestic as the ancestral seat of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen school. This ancient temple, nearly a thousand years old, was once a great centre of Buddhism, where the three Truc Lam Patriarchs — Tran Nhan Tong, Phap Loa and Huyen Quang — practised and trained monks. The temple's ancient architecture features ironwood houses and serene Buddha statues beneath ancient trees. Most remarkably, it preserves a collection of over 3,000 woodblocks of Buddhist scriptures carved in persimmon wood, recognised by UNESCO as Memory of the World Documentary Heritage. Vinh Nghiem is a place to return to the roots of the nation's culture and spirit.

Visitor information

When is the best time to visit Vinh Nghiem Pagoda?

Year-round

How much does it cost to visit Vinh Nghiem Pagoda?

Free

How long do you need at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda?

1–2 hours

What are the opening hours of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda?

06:00 – 18:00

Did you know

It is hailed as the ancestral seat of the Truc Lam Zen school.
The Vinh Nghiem woodblock collection was inscribed by UNESCO as Documentary Heritage in 2012.
It preserves over 3,000 woodblocks of Buddhist scriptures carved in persimmon wood.
It was founded in the Ly dynasty and expanded under the Tran dynasty.

Travel tips

Visit the woodblock repository to understand the value of this heritage.
Come during the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda festival on the full moon of the second lunar month.