Nam Dinh Province
- Area: 1,641.3 sq. km.
- Population: 1,961,000 habitants (2005)
- Capital: Nam Dinh City.
- Districts: Vu Ban, My Loc, Y Yen, Nam Truc, Truc Ninh, Xuan Truong, Giao Thuy, Nghia Hung, Hai Hau.
- Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Tay, Muong, Hoa…
Before 1975, Nam Dinh City was the third biggest in North Vietnam (after Hanoi and Hai Phong) and served as an economic, political and cultural centre of Nam Dinh Province in general, and the southern area in the Red River plain in particular.
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Located in Tuc Mac Hamlet, Loc Vuong Commune, Nam Dinh City, far from Hanoi about 9km and 3km north of Nam Dinh City.The pagoda was originally built during the Ly Dynasty and later expanded in 1262 during the Tran Dynasty. It was a place for high-ranking mandarins and the aristocracy of the Tran Royal Court to worship and lead their religious life. The pagoda built in the noi cong ngoai quoc style where the inner part was built in the form of the Han Chinese ideograph word cong (I) and the outer, the Chinese word quoc, had clear imprints of the cohabitation of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
A 7-tonne cauldron, since vanished, once guarded the front and could hold two men, was dubbed one of the four precious objects of An Nam, joining the Bao Thien Tower, the Quy Dien Bell and Quynh Lam Statue. The statue of King Tran Nhan Tong lying on his left side shows him entering Nirvana; the statues of the three founders of the Truc Lam Buddhist Sect, Tran Nhan Tong, Phap Loa and Huyen Quang; and 60 red-lacquered and gold-trimmed Buddha and Saint Statues have been preserved in the pagoda. In particularly, a 13 story-tower in the shape of a lotus, 21 meters high, was built within the vicinity of the pagoda in 1305. It is estimated that the 700-tonne tower relies on an area of only 30 square meters but up to now it has remained where for 700 years. The base and the tower’s first floor were constructed with flagstones and the upper floors were built with bricks.
Located in Co Le Town, Truc Ninh District, Nam Dinh Province.
It is said that Co Le Pagoda was built by Buddhist Monk Nguyen Minh Khong during the Ly dynasty.
From Nam Dinh, cross the hanging bridge over the Dao River, then take Highway 21 for 15km to Co Le. Finally, cross the small bridge and turn right. Co Le Pagoda is 200m away. Buddhist Monk Pham Quang Tuyen rebuilt the existing Co Le Pagoda in November 1920. In front of the pagoda is the 12-storey Cuu Pham Lien Hoa Tower built in 1926. The octagonal base of the tower sits on the back of a turtle facing the pagoda. In the tower, there is a huge staircase spiraling to the top of the tower. From the top, there is a panoramic view of the entire area. A bridge leads to Phat Giao Hoi Quan, a Buddhist meeting place, built in 1936. In addition to this bridge, the main pagoda can be reached by two other bridges in the mountains. In the center of the pagoda is a large 9,000-kg bell mounded in 1936. In the upper temple is the statue of Thich Ca Buddha; it is made of red lacquer trimmed with gold.
