Thay Pagoda

Chua Thay stands below Sai Son hill west of Hanoi and is associated with Tu Dao Hanh, an eleventh century monk who is credited in tradition with founding water puppetry - the northern Vietnamese form in which puppets are worked from behind a screen by puppeteers standing waist-deep in water. A small pavilion, the Thuy Dinh, stands out in the pagoda's pond and is the stage for it, used at the festival. Two covered bridges built in the seventeenth century cross to the shore. Caves and shrines run up the hill behind, and the pagoda holds a statue of Tu Dao Hanh with an articulated body.

Background

The temple, also known as Thiên Phúc Tự, the Temple of Heavenly Blessings, stands in Sài Sơn village in Quốc Oai Commune, 30 kilometres from Hanoi. It was founded in the 11th century under Emperor Lý Nhân Tông of the Lý dynasty and is dedicated to the Zen master Từ Đạo Hạnh, who lived from 1072 to 1116; its altars also honour the Buddha with 18 arhats and the emperor himself. Few Buddhist temples in the country are older; it is laid out in three parts and draws pilgrims at Tết.

Source: Wikipedia, "Thầy Temple"

What's there

• A puppet stage in the pond - the Thuy Dinh pavilion.
• Tu Dao Hanh - the monk credited with founding water puppetry.
• Two seventeenth century covered bridges - crossing to the shore.
• Caves and shrines up the hill - behind the pagoda.

When to go

Year round; the festival falls in the third lunar month. Half a day.

Good to know

Puppet performances happen at the festival and on arranged occasions, not daily. The hill paths are steep and slippery. It is very busy on festival days. Some structures have been heavily restored.

Nearby

Tay Phuong pagoda is a few kilometres away; Hanoi is east.

Key facts