The Bai Dinh Pagoda complex has an area established as the largest in Vietnam, covering 539 hectares, including the ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda area, the new Bai Dinh Pagoda area, and a number of other items.
Built in 2003 with an area of 80 hectares, the new Bai Dinh Pagoda includes architectural items situated on the terrain from low to high, spanning five levels along the main road: Tam Quan, bell tower, Quan Am shrine, the Phap Chu shrine, and at the top is the Tam The palace.
The first impression upon arriving at Bai Dinh Pagoda is the Tam Quan internal gate with three curved roofs, covered with dark brown Bat Trang tube enamel tiles. Connected to the Tam Quan internal gate are two 526m-long Arhat corridors. This is the place with the most Arhat statues in Vietnam, featuring 500 monolithic statues, each with a different appearance and facial expression representing diverse human emotions.
From the Arhat corridor, visitors continue to the octagonal bell tower built in a matchlock style with three levels of curved roofs. In the bell tower hangs a 36-ton bronze bell, recognized as ‘the largest bell in Vietnam.’ Located right under the bronze bell is a bronze drum weighing 70 tons and measuring 4.7 meters in height.
The main halls of the pagoda are places to worship Buddha, with the Avalokiteśvara hall consisting of seven compartments. The middle compartment houses the thousand-eyed and thousand-armed statue of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, representing the Buddha’s comprehensive salvation and the salvation of sentient beings in the world. The statue weighs 80 tons and is recognized as the largest gold-plated bronze statue of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in Asia.
Next is the Phap Chu Palace, which worships Buddha Shakyamuni – the founder of Buddhism. The hall consists of 5 compartments, and the middle compartment holds a 10m high gold-plated bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, weighing 100 tons. This statue holds the record for ‘The largest gold-plated bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in Asia.’ In the palace, there are also three horizontal paintings and the three largest hammock doors in Vietnam.
Located at the highest position in the Bai Dinh Pagoda complex, Tam The Pagoda is the resting place of three statues of Tam The Buddha symbolizing three human lives in the past, present, and future. With each statue having a height of 7.2m and a weight of 50 tons, this is recognized as the largest bronze statue of Tam The in Vietnam. From here, visitors continue to climb a hill to visit the Maitreya Buddha statue and pray for luck and peace for their family.
A place that always attracts a large number of tourists when visiting Bai Dinh Pagoda is the 13-story Stupa, which preserves Buddha relics, welcomed from India and Burma. This is considered the tallest stupa in Southeast Asia. Standing on the top floor of the Stupa, looking into the distance, visitors can observe the panoramic view of Bai Dinh Pagoda, magnificent and splendid.
In addition, at the Bai Dinh Pagoda complex, there are many other unique items such as the Jade Well, 9-storey Bodhi Tower, Stone Buddha Statue Garden…
During the day, Bai Dinh Pagoda attracts tourists with its majestic architectural complex featuring delicately carved statues. At night, under the sparkling electric lights, the entire mountainous area sparkles with beauty. The magic of the new temple is clearly visible in every line and angle. The tranquil space envelops every scene, making every step of the visitor feel relaxed, calm, and oriented toward truth, goodness, and beauty. Perhaps that is why every year, thousands of tourists choose the Bai Dinh night tour to worship and pay homage to Buddha.
The Bai Dinh Pagoda complex is not only a convergence of many cultural values and sophisticated sculptures but also an ideal destination for all tourists.
