Dận Pagoda

Dận Pagoda (its formal name is Ứng Tâm tự (応心寺)) is a pagoda located on Chùa Dận Street, Trần Phú Road, Từ Sơn Ward, Bắc Ninh Province, right next to the old National Highway 1. The pagoda dates back to the 8th century and was once a place of practice for renowned Zen masters in history such as Định Không, Vạn Hạnh, and Lý Khánh Vân.

According to legend, the warlord Nguyễn Thủ Tiệp during the era of the 12 warlords and Lý Công Uẩn, the founder of the Lý dynasty of Vietnam, were both born at this very pagoda. For this reason, the pagoda was popularly called Chùa Rặn (rặn đẻ, meaning 'to strain in childbirth'), which over time was mispronounced as Chùa Dận. When Lý Công Uẩn was born at the pagoda, Zen master Lý Khánh Vân was the abbot. The master adopted and raised the boy, giving him his own surname Lý and naming him Công Uẩn. The pagoda later also worshipped Lý Công Uẩn's mother, a woman of the Phạm family, and the king's foster father, Zen master Khánh Vân.

When Lý Công Uẩn became king, the pagoda was expanded and later restored several times. However, at the end of 1949, the pagoda was destroyed by the French army to build a military post. The current main hall (tam bảo) is built on the old foundation and follows the old architecture, but some architectural structures have not yet been restored due to lack of conditions. To the rear left of the main hall is the monks' residence. At the rear right of the main hall, restoration is underway on an old architectural structure of the pagoda. The two-storey pagoda gate faces the rice fields.

The main hall (tam bảo) consists of five bays with a two-storey diêm roof structure, along with two rear sanctuaries (hậu cung chuôi vồ). This main hall has a very high roof, allowing abundant natural light, making it much brighter than many other pagodas in Vietnam. Inside are many Buddha statues (the Three Worlds, Amitābha, Śākyamuni, Infant Śākyamuni, Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara), holy monks, two Dharma protectors on the left and right, eight Vajra guardians (four on each side), etc. All the statues were remade after being destroyed by the French army.

The Lý Dynasty National Matriarch Temple (Đền Lý Triều Quốc Mẫu), dedicated to Lý Thánh Mẫu Minh Đức Empress Dowager Phạm Thị, mother of Lý Công Uẩn, consists of three bays and is located at the far rear left of the pagoda.

Dận Pagoda was once a refuge for Vietnamese Communist revolutionaries such as Trường Chinh, Hoàng Quốc Việt, Hoàng Văn Thụ, Trần Quốc Hoàn, and Trần Đăng Ninh during the pre-uprising period.