Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, also known as Duc La Pagoda, is in Quoc Khanh Hamlet, Tan An Commune, Bac Ninh Province. It houses more than 3,000 woodblocks containing Buddhist sutras, medical texts, and monastic laws, mostly dating from the 17th to 19th centuries.
On July 12, UNESCO officially recognized the Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son Kiep Bac complex as a World Cultural Heritage site during its 47th session.
Once a major training center for monks of the Truc Lam Zen sect, founded by King Tran Nhan Tong during the Tran Dynasty, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda has preserved a rich array of relics over nearly eight centuries. These include more than 100 worship statues, horizontal boards, parallel sentences, a vast collection of woodblock-carved Buddhist scriptures, and eight stone steles detailing the pagoda's history.
Spanning about one hectare, the pagoda follows a southeast-facing traditional layout, with main structures including the Heavenly Hall, Upper Hall, First and Second Patriarch Halls, and the Bell Tower.
The temple honors the three founding patriarchs of the Truc Lam Zen School: King Tran Nhan Tong (First Patriarch), Phap Loa (Second Patriarch), and Huyen Quang (Third Patriarch), who established and developed Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.
Three jackfruit-wood statues of the Truc Lam patriarchs, dating to the 19th century, were designated as national treasures in 2024 for their artistic and historical value.
A dedicated wooden building now houses the pagoda's precious collection of Truc Lam woodblocks, ensuring protection from moisture and termites. Previously, the blocks were kept in the main hall and corridors, exposed to high risk of deterioration due to inadequate preservation.
Among the collection is the Kinh Tin Luc woodblock, carved in 1876 in classical Chinese, containing Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist teachings promoting ethical living and folk remedies.
The storage house also displays ancient tiles from the 6th to 15th centuries, discovered during a 2015 archaeological dig.
The Vinh Nghiem bell tower stands nearly 8 meters tall, featuring two levels and a six-tiered roof. The upper level houses a 19th-century bronze bell; the lower level serves as a reception space.
In front of the main worship hall grows a tree believed to have been planted in 1330, surrounded by a peaceful garden.
Located 40 km from Vinh Nghiem, Bo Da Pagoda sits on Phoenix Mountain in Van Ha Ward. It is one of the oldest and most unique temples in Bac Ninh, built in the 11th century and restored during the Later Le period (1428-1789).
Bo Da Pagoda houses one of Vietnam's oldest and most valuable collections of Buddhist woodblocks. Nearly 2,000 blocks, carved from thi wood (Diospyros decandra) between the mid-18th and early 20th centuries, primarily during the reign of King Le Canh Hung (1740–1786), remain remarkably well-preserved.
Their enduring sharpness and integrity are attributed to the natural durability of thi wood and the absence of chemical treatments. The storage room is now equipped with temperature and humidity controls to ensure optimal preservation.
Bo Da is home to Vietnam's largest and most beautiful ancient stupa garden, featuring about 110 stupas and tombs containing the ashes of over 1,200 monks from the Lam Te Zen lineage.
Built with terracotta bricks, mountain stones, and traditional mortar made from molasses and paper pulp, the stupas stand 3–5 meters tall and span 3–4 stories.
In 2016, the stupa garden was designated a Special National Architectural and Artistic Monument.
