Looking down from the Red River dyke, visitors see a dark brown timber tower rising above the bamboo groves and rice fields. That is the bell tower of Keo Pagoda, three stories stacked upon one another with twelve sweeping curved roofs turning upward on all four sides, fitted together entirely by wooden mortise-and-tenon joints without a single iron nail. Below it lie a calm pond, a wide brick courtyard, and two long parallel side corridors enclosing a central line of low-roofed halls receding one behind another.
What sets Keo Pagoda apart from most ancient temples in northern Vietnam is not merely its size, but its structural integrity. Many pagodas boast older founding dates yet have had their timber frames replaced repeatedly. Here, most of the ironwood (gỗ lim) structural members still belong to the Revival Lê reconstruction completed in the eleventh lunar month of the Nhâm Thân year (1632), making the complex a living archive of seventeenth-century Vietnamese carpentry standing in place.
IBuddha in front, Saint behind, and Zen Master Không Lộ
Keo Pagoda does not worship the Buddha alone. Walking through the front Buddhist sanctuary, visitors continue into a second sanctuary complex behind it dedicated to a historical figure, Zen Master Dương Không Lộ. This spatial arrangement is called Buddha in front, Saint behind (tiền Phật hậu Thánh).
In this dual layout, the front section follows Northern (Mahayana) Buddhist liturgy, with the Three Jewels sanctuary and statues of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats. The rear section venerates a figure revered by the populace as a Saint (Đức Thánh), typically an eminent monk who rendered great service to the people and court and was deified after passing away. Rather than standing apart, the two sections line up along a single central axis, so worshippers walking inward move from the realm of the Buddha into the shrine of the Saint. This reflects how traditional Buddhism in the Red River Delta blended with village veneration of cultural heroes and tutelary deities.
According to temple records and hagiographies, Dương Không Lộ was born on the 14th day of the ninth lunar month of the Bính Thân year (1016) and passed away on the 3rd day of the sixth lunar month of the Giáp Tuất year (1094). Born into a fishing family in Hải Thanh (Giao Thủy), he entered monastic life and practiced alongside eminent Lý-dynasty monks such as Giác Hải and Từ Đạo Hạnh. Temple chronicles record that he cured a Lý emperor of a strange illness and was appointed National Master (Quốc sư), though sources differ on whether the monarch was Emperor Lý Thánh Tông or Emperor Lý Nhân Tông, so the library notes both accounts. In 1061, he founded Nghiêm Quang Pagoda along the Red River in Giao Thủy. In 1167, Emperor Lý Anh Tông issued an edict renaming it Thần Quang Tự (Pagoda of Miraculous Light), the literary title kept to this day. He is also revered in many northern craft villages as the patron ancestor of bronze casting.
A point that often confuses travelers is that there are two Keo Pagodas sharing the same origin. In the Tân Hợi year (1611), a catastrophic Red River flood washed away the ancient temple in Giao Thủy. Residents of Keo village split into two groups migrating to opposite banks of the river, one group crossing to the left (northern) bank to found Dũng Nhuệ village (in former Vũ Thư district, former Thái Bình province, now Vũ Tiên commune, Hưng Yên province), and the other remaining on the right (southern) bank to found Hành Cung village (later renamed Hành Thiện village, in former Xuân Trường district, former Nam Định province, now part of Ninh Bình province). Both new villages rebuilt their pagoda under the name Thần Quang Tự, venerating the Buddha and Zen Master Không Lộ. Popular usage distinguishes them as Upper Keo Pagoda (chùa Keo trên) on the left bank (now in Hưng Yên province) and Lower Keo Pagoda (chùa Keo dưới or chùa Keo Hành Thiện) on the right bank (now in Ninh Bình province, ranked as a Special National Monument in 2016). This article examines Upper Keo Pagoda.
IIFrom Nghiêm Quang to Thần Quang
The history of Keo Pagoda falls into two distinct eras, the first being the Lý-dynasty temple on the Red River bank in Giao Thủy, and the second being the Revival Lê monastery rebuilt in Dũng Nhuệ after the river swept the old temple away. The timber architecture standing today belongs to this second era.
- 1061Nghiêm Quang Pagoda foundedZen Master Dương Không Lộ established Nghiêm Quang Pagoda along the Red River in Giao Thủy during the reign of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông, forming the shared root of both later Keo Pagodas.
- 1167Renamed Thần Quang TựUnder Emperor Lý Anh Tông, the temple was granted the royal name Thần Quang Tự, the literary title retained by both Keo Pagodas today.
- 1611Red River flood sweeps away the ancient templeA great flood in the Tân Hợi year (1611, with some sources also mentioning an earlier flood in 1588) breached the Red River dyke and washed away the old temple. Villagers divided into two branches settling on the left bank (Dũng Nhuệ village) and right bank (Hành Thiện village).
- 1630Reconstruction beginsAfter 19 years of gathering timber and stone (1611 to 1630), Marquis Tuấn Thọ hầu Hoàng Nhân Dũng and his wife Lady Lại Thị Ngọc Lễ (granddaughter of Lord Trịnh Tráng) petitioned Lord Trịnh to donate 100 ironwood trees, commissioning Marquis Cường Dũng hầu Nguyễn Văn Trụ to direct the design and 42 carpenter guilds to begin work in the 7th lunar month of the Canh Ngọ year (1630).
- 1632Grand complex completed after 28 monthsIn the 11th lunar month of the Nhâm Thân year (1632), the complex was completed after 28 months of construction in the inner-I, outer-rectangle layout, with an ironwood frame joined entirely by mortise and tenon. The temple later underwent repairs in 1689, 1707, 1941, 1957, and 2004.
- 1686 and 1796Great bronze bells castThe large bronze bell on the first floor of the bell tower was cast in 1686 under Emperor Lê Hy Tông (1.30 m high, 1 m diameter), while the two bells on the second and third floors were cast in 1796 during the Tây Sơn period (0.62 m high, 0.69 m diameter).
- 1962 and 2012Special National MonumentRanked as a National Monument in April 1962, and elevated by the Prime Minister to a Special National Monument under Decision No. 1419/QĐ-TTg dated 27 September 2012.
- 2017 and 2021Festival heritage and two National TreasuresIn October 2017, the Keo Pagoda Festival was inscribed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage. That same year, the dragon-carved wooden doors of the Inner Gate were recognized as a National Treasure, followed in 2021 by the 17th-century wooden incense altar in the Incense Hall.
IIIThe timber frame and the bell tower
The pagoda follows the inner-I, outer-rectangle (nội Công ngoại Quốc) plan, in which the front Buddhist halls and the rear Saint's sanctuary line up along a north-south central axis, enclosed on the east and west flanks by long side corridors forming a rectangular frame. Published sources vary slightly when counting the surviving buildings and bays, so the library records each figure clearly.
According to temple steles and historical records, when completed in 1632 the compound covered about 28 northern mẫu (roughly 108,000 square meters) and comprised 21 structures with 154 bays (some sources cite 157 bays). After nearly four centuries of storms, the protected heritage site today covers about 58,000 square meters (with the core temple compound occupying about 41,500 square meters). Regarding surviving structures, architectural dossiers record 17 buildings with 128 bays (some general articles count 16 buildings with 126 bays, or count only the 12 central axial structures with 102 bays). The height of the bell tower is recorded precisely as 11.04 meters (often rounded to 11 meters).
Two successive triple-arched gates opening the sacred axis. In the central bay of the Inner Gate hangs the set of dragon-carved ironwood doors (2.2 meters high, 1.3 meters wide, 7 centimeters thick), which when closed form a relief of two mother dragons and two young dragons facing the moon. The original doors are preserved at the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts (with an exact replica installed at the gate) and were named a National Treasure in 2017.
Occupying the front section of the central axis, this I-shaped cluster comprises three joined halls, namely the Guardian Hall (Chùa Ông Hộ), the Tube Hall (Tòa Ống muống), and the Three Jewels Sanctuary (Thượng điện Phật), housing nearly a hundred Lê-dynasty statues including the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Eighteen Arhats, ascetic Shakyamuni, and Ten Kings of Hell.
Standing behind the Buddhist section, this complex comprises four axial halls, namely the Giá Roi Hall, the Incense Hall (Thiêu hương), the Phụ Quốc Hall, and the Upper Sanctuary (Cung cấm) enshrining the statue of Saint Dương Không Lộ carved of fragrant agarwood, flanked by guest quarters, monks' rooms, and the ancestral house.
Rising at the rear end of the central axis to a height of 11.04 meters on a square brick-and-stone foundation, the tower has three stories and twelve sweeping curved roofs supported by an ironwood frame and 124 bracket sets (đấu củng) joined entirely by wooden mortise and tenon without iron nails. The first story hangs a 1.20-meter-tall stone gong (1.67 meters wide) and the 1686 great bronze bell, while the second and third stories hang two bronze bells cast in 1796.
Two long galleries totaling dozens of bays run along the eastern and western flanks, connecting the Inner Gate to the rear Bell Tower area to enclose the compound in a rectangular frame and shelter pilgrims during festival processions.
Inside the Tube Hall stands a 17th-century wooden incense altar (227 cm long, 156 cm wide, 153 cm high, named a National Treasure in 2021), carved with cabriole legs and over a thousand motifs of dragons, clouds, and 555 lotus blossoms, and fitted with hidden wheels underneath for moving. East of the bell tower lies an ancient well lined with 33 or 36 pierced stone mortars donated by villagers.
The crowning architectural achievement of Keo Pagoda lies in its mortise-and-tenon joinery and bracket system (đấu củng). The entire three-story, twelve-roofed bell tower along with nearly a hundred and seventy carved elephant heads and dragon eaves are locked together solely through ironwood mortises, tenons, and wooden pegs, without a single iron nail or metal bracket. That flexible joinery has allowed the timber tower to withstand coastal delta typhoons for nearly four centuries, as the joints yield slightly under heavy wind loads and settle back into place rather than snapping.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
This section presents the library's reading through the lens of traditional feng shui, not content recorded on temple steles or in the heritage dossier. The library notes this clearly so readers can distinguish historical records from interpretation.
The pagoda sits near the left bank of the Red River on low alluvial ground. In traditional geomancy, this is a pure Water terrain (thuần Thủy) without high hills or rock ridges, formed solely of river water and silt. While water conducts and gathers qi, the swollen Red River in flood season carries destructive force, as proven in 1611 when the earlier temple was swept away by a water clash (thủy xung). Those who sited the rebuilt temple in Dũng Nhuệ village in 1630 had to solve the problem of keeping the vitality of the great river while shielding the sanctuary from its floods.
Their solution is visible across the site plan. The complex steps back inside the river dyke, using the Red River dyke as a protective barrier across the front. In classical land-reading, a raised earthen embankment running before turbulent water serves as an artificial front screen (tiền án nhân tạo), keeping rushing water qi from cutting straight into the sanctuary. Immediately outside the Outer Gate and behind the Bell Tower, builders dug three large ponds both to obtain earth for raising the temple foundations and to create a water-gathering bright hall (minh đường tụ thủy). The still pond surface settles the qi, reflects the Outer Gate, and moderates humidity around the ironwood halls.
Regarding axis and orientation, all 17 structures line up along a north-south axis angled slightly southeast, facing toward the Red River to catch cool summer breezes and block cold winter winds. That axis has a striking feature in that it culminates in the soaring Bell Tower at the very rear rather than placing the bell tower in front. Pilgrims walk through the Outer Gate, the Inner Gate, the Buddhist Sanctuary, and the Saint's Sanctuary beneath a sequence of low, single-story roofs until, at the far end of the sacred axis, the three-story, twelve-roofed Bell Tower springs upward more than 11 meters. In traditional geomancy, this is the configuration of low in front, high in back, crowning the node (tiền thấp hậu cao), guiding qi gently through the low worship halls before gathering and rising at the rear tower.
On the level of the Five Elements, riverside alluvial soil belongs to Water and Earth, two heavy, damp elements. The structural frame of the pagoda is built almost entirely of ironwood belonging to Wood (Mộc), following the principle that Water nourishes Wood while Wood absorbs excess dampness from Earth. High up in the Bell Tower hang bronze bells (Metal) and a stone gong (Earth) in the driest, most elevated spot of the compound, sending their resonance out across the plain. The vertical distribution of materials at Keo Pagoda thus harmonizes naturally with its riverside setting.
VTwo festival seasons of the year
Keo Pagoda holds two major festivals each year, a spring festival and an autumn festival (inscribed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage in October 2017). The spring festival takes place compactly on the 4th day of the Lunar New Year with folk games and spring outings, whereas the ninth-month autumn festival is the grand multi-day celebration commemorating Zen Master Dương Không Lộ.
| Lunar date | Festival | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 4th day of the 1st month | Keo Pagoda Spring Festival | New Year opening of the Saint's Sanctuary (lễ khai chỉ), incense offerings to the Buddha and the Saint, and lively folk contests such as footraces, duck catching on the pond, and reed-fire rice cooking (thi nấu cơm cần). |
| 13th to 15th of the 9th month (now extended from the 10th to 15th) | Grand Autumn Festival | The principal festival of the year. The 13th commemorates the Saint's birth (14th of the 9th month), the 14th marks his passing (3rd of the 6th month), and the 15th celebrates his enlightenment and royal titles. |
| During the Autumn Festival | Saint's palanquin procession and frog dance | Solemn processions of the Long Đình and Bát Cống palanquins and dragon boats, accompanied by the ancient frog-pouncing dance (múa ếch vồ) and dry-land rowing dance reenacting Zen Master Không Lộ's riverside life. |
| During the Autumn Festival | River boat races and chầu Thánh rites | Traditional rowing teams race on the river in memory of the Saint's early years as a fisherman, while evening rites feature chầu Thánh liturgy, liturgical singing, and folk performances in the Saint's Sanctuary. |
| 1st and 15th of every lunar month | Regular twice-monthly worship | Local residents come to offer incense following the strict sequence of worshipping the Buddha in the front halls first and then paying homage to Saint Không Lộ in the rear sanctuary. |
What makes the Keo Pagoda Festival especially vivid is how closely its ritual performances are tied to river life and fishing. From dragon-boat processions and river rowing races to the dry-land rowing dance (múa trải cạn) and frog-pouncing dance (múa ếch vồ) performed right in the courtyard of the Saint's Sanctuary, every rite recalls National Master Dương Không Lộ's humble beginnings as a fisherman. Within an ancient Buddhist temple, the folk festival of the rear Saint's Sanctuary has kept alive the riverine culture of Red River floodplain villagers for nearly a millennium.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Xã Vũ Tiên (xã Duy Nhất, huyện Vũ Thư, tỉnh Thái Bình cũ), tỉnh Hưng Yên
- Getting there
- The pagoda stands in Vũ Tiên commune (former Duy Nhất commune, former Vũ Thư district, former Thái Bình province), Hưng Yên province, right inside the left bank dyke of the Red River. From Hanoi or central Hưng Yên, follow the route toward former Thái Bình city and turn toward the Red River dyke.
- Coordinates
- 20.3606, 106.2979
When visiting Keo Pagoda, please dress modestly, remove hats before entering the inner halls, and follow the traditional order of paying respects in the front Buddhist Sanctuary before walking back to the rear Sanctuary of Saint Không Lộ. The dragon-carved wooden doors at the Inner Gate and the 17th-century wooden incense altar in the Tube Hall are National Treasures, so please do not touch or lean against them. Because the Bell Tower is a nearly four-hundred-year-old mortise-and-tenon timber structure, climbing to its upper levels follows heritage management rules. The old brick courtyards and high ironwood thresholds can be slippery in damp weather, so step carefully.
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?Quick Questions
Whom does Keo Pagoda worship
The complex follows the layout of Buddha in front, Saint behind (tiền Phật hậu Thánh), venerating the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats of Mahayana Buddhism in the front halls, and National Master Dương Không Lộ (1016 to 1094), the Lý-dynasty monk of fisherman background who cured a Lý emperor and founded Nghiêm Quang Pagoda in 1061, in the rear sanctuary.
Why are there two Keo Pagodas and which one does this article cover
In 1611, a major Red River flood washed away the ancient Thần Quang Pagoda in Giao Thủy. Villagers split into two groups migrating to opposite banks of the river and each rebuilt a pagoda named Thần Quang Tự. Upper Keo Pagoda (chùa Keo trên) stands on the left bank in Vũ Tiên commune, Hưng Yên province (former Duy Nhất commune, Vũ Thư district, Thái Bình province), while Lower Keo Pagoda (chùa Keo Hành Thiện) stands on the right bank in Ninh Bình province (former Nam Định province). This article covers Upper Keo Pagoda.
What makes the Keo Pagoda bell tower special
Rising 11.04 meters across three stories with twelve sweeping curved roofs, the bell tower is supported by an ironwood frame and 124 bracket sets (đấu củng) joined entirely by wooden mortise and tenon without a single iron nail. The first floor hangs a 1.20-meter-tall stone gong and the 1686 great bronze bell, while the second and third floors hang two bronze bells cast in 1796.
When was the present Keo Pagoda built and who sponsored it
The standing complex was started in the 7th lunar month of the Canh Ngọ year (1630) and completed in the 11th lunar month of the Nhâm Thân year (1632) after 28 months of work. Marquis Tuấn Thọ hầu Hoàng Nhân Dũng and his wife Lady Lại Thị Ngọc Lễ petitioned Lord Trịnh Tráng to donate 100 ironwood trees, while Marquis Cường Dũng hầu Nguyễn Văn Trụ directed 42 carpenter guilds in building it.
Which National Treasures and festivals belong to Keo Pagoda
The pagoda holds two recognized National Treasures, namely the dragon-carved wooden door set at the Inner Gate (recognized in 2017) and the 17th-century wooden incense altar with hidden wheels in the Tube Hall (recognized in 2021). It celebrates two annual festivals, the Spring Festival on the 4th day of the first lunar month and the Grand Autumn Festival in the middle of the ninth lunar month (peaking from the 13th to the 15th).