Tượng Sơn Pagoda

Tượng Sơn Pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda located in Sơn Giang commune, Hương Sơn district, Hà Tĩnh province. The pagoda was built by Hải Thượng Lãn Ông during the reign of Lê Dụ Tông, and is used to worship the Buddha as well as the ancestors of the Bùi and Lê Hữu families.

Because there is an Elephant Mountain range (núi Voi) behind the pagoda, it is called Tượng Sơn Tự ("Elephant Mountain Pagoda"); to the west, right next to the pagoda, there is a stream originating from the Đại Huệ range, flowing over rocky rapids, with water roaring day and night, so the pagoda is also colloquially known as chùa Ầm Ầm ("Roaring Pagoda").

The pagoda has been recognised by the Vietnamese state as a National Historic and Cultural Site.

Initially, the pagoda was constructed according to the idea of Lady Đặng Phùng Hầu, wife of Tả hiệu điểm, Tham đốc, Quận công Bùi Tướng Công, and also the maternal grandmother of the renowned physician Lê Hữu Trác. The pagoda was directly overseen in its construction by Lê Hữu Trác and Lê Hữu Tán, with the purpose of worshipping the Buddha and the ancestors of the Bùi and Lê Hữu families.

During the years 1760–1786, Lê Hữu Trác spent most of his time at the pagoda, opening a medical clinic to treat local people and completing works such as Hải Thượng y tông tâm lĩnh (comprising 28 volumes, 66 books), Y trung quan kiện (1780), Y hải cầu nguyên (1782), Thượng kinh ký sự (1783), Vận khí bí điển (1786), and other works.

The original architecture of Tượng Sơn Pagoda was in the shape of the character Nhất (一), but it has since undergone many major and minor restorations. From 17 July 2010 to 23 February 2013, the Lê Hữu Trác National Institute of Burns carried out the third major restoration, with the architecture modelled after the second restoration in 1880. On the day of the inauguration, Venerable Thích Nhật Từ was also appointed as abbot of Tượng Sơn Pagoda.