Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda (Vietnam National Temple)

The 13-story stupa with a height of 63 meters is one of the highlights of Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda. The stupa’s cross section is square, and all of its roofs are red-brown, curled upward, and adorned with phoenix ornamentation. The floors include yellow-painted walls and numerous windows. A 6-ton bronze stupa cast in the bronze casting village of Y Yen District, Nam Dinh Province, is set on top of the stupa.

The stupa has 13 levels because it was erected to commemorate the 1963 protest against religious discrimination by Vietnamese Buddhists and monks. The 13-story stupa represents the cooperation of 13 Buddhist organizations, institutions, and branches that took part in the 1963 protest.

The main building is quite large and faces the main gate. From the main gate, the building has three levels; from the side gate, it has four or five floors. All of the roofs are red, curled upward, and embellished with beautiful dragon and phoenix embellishments.

The Main Hall, where Buddha and the ancestors are venerated, is the most important. The Main Hall is more than 2,000 m2 in size and can seat 1,500 people. As previously stated, the bronze Buddha Statue in the Main Hall is Vietnam’s largest bronze statue; it was created on-site by sculptors and craftsmen from Y Yen District, Nam Dinh Province. The Buddha statue, including the lotus, stands 7.5 meters tall and weighs 35 tons. It is positioned in front of a cloud-patterned carved wooden panel. Seven wooden Buddha figurines stand in front of the massive statue. Aside from the Buddha sculptures, guests are impressed with a pair of candles with a diameter of 40 cm and beautiful dragon embellishments. On two sides of the hall, 18 Arahats are worshiped, while two Vajrapani are worshiped in the main hall’s hallway. The magnificent ceiling is a beautiful combination of golden lotus blossoms and a sophisticated lighting system.

There are two steeples in the yard in front of the Main Hall where a bell and a drum can be hung. The bell is 2.9 meters high, 1.6 meters broad, and weighs 3 tons. It was made in a traditional bell-making village in Thua Thien – Hue Province. It is embellished with many of Vietnamese traditional and Buddhist motifs like lotus petals and the inscription “Viet Nam Quoc Tu”. The timber pillars and roof frames complement the wrought iron fence with golden lotus flowers, buds, and leaves wonderfully.