Near the mouth of the Ô Môn River, where it joins the Hậu River, you come to a spacious compound shaded by ancient trees, at the center of which stands a gold-painted main hall with a three-tiered overlapping roof and sweeping gable ends. Beneath the eaves, Kâyno celestial maidens support the column capitals and mythical birds spread their wings. Scattered across the grounds are funerary stupas, including one noticeably older tower built of dark laterite stone rarely seen at southern pagodas.
This is Pôthi Somrôn Pagoda, known locally as Ô Môn Pagoda. According to the oral accounts of earlier generations, the pagoda was first built in 1735 of timber and thatch and went through two major reconstructions before taking its present form. Operating within Khmer Theravada Buddhism, it serves as a monastic training center, the communal heart of the Khmer community in Ô Môn and the immediate neighbor of the Academy of Khmer Theravada Buddhism.
IThe name and Buddhist tradition
The pagoda's name is spelled in several ways, including Pôthi Somrôn, Pôthi Sômrôn and Pothisomron. Nhân Dân newspaper notes that the name comes from the many somrôn trees growing in the compound. The word pôthi is the Khmer pronunciation of bodhi, the Bodhi tree, and the courtyard indeed holds an ancient Bodhi tree alongside an old persimmon tree (cội thị) and a cannonball tree (cây vô ưu, or sala) planted in 1969. Vietnamese residents in Cần Thơ simply call it Ô Môn Pagoda after the district.
The Buddhist tradition in brief. The pagoda belongs to Khmer Theravada Buddhism, keeping the Pali Tipitaka, worshipping only Shakyamuni Buddha, with monks observing the Pali bhikkhu monastic code in close connection with the local Khmer community. Khmer Theravada Buddhism does not assign generational Dharma names from a transmission poem as Northern Buddhist schools do, so there is no lineage verse to copy here. A fuller explanation of this tradition, the sala hall and the Sima boundary stones around the main hall is given in the library's entries on Kh'leang Pagoda and Bat Pagoda (Chùa Dơi).
No documentary source records the name of the founding monk. Regarding the number of abbots, Chốn Thiêng and phatgiao.org.vn state that the pagoda has passed through twenty generations of abbots, whereas Cần Thơ newspaper records thirteen generations of abbots. Regarding its location, the Buddhist Studies Review (Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Phật học) and Chốn Thiêng note that the temple was first built at the mouth of the Ô Môn River, later moved to the Bo Rích area and finally settled beside Chùa Creek (rạch Chùa) where it stands today. The figure associated with the present main hall is Most Venerable Thạch Khiêng, the abbot who brought the architectural plans from Phnom Penh in 1950 with financial support from the merchant Dương Muol. Since 1988 the pagoda has been headed by Most Venerable Đào Như, a senior prelate who entered the monastery at age twelve and led the establishment of the Academy of Khmer Theravada Buddhism right beside the pagoda.
Several travel websites place Pôthi Somrôn Pagoda in Hậu Giang Province. That is incorrect. The pagoda stands at the mouth of the Ô Môn River in Cần Thơ, not in former Hậu Giang. Both Cần Thơ newspaper and the Buddhist Studies Review give its address as Area 4, former Châu Văn Liêm Ward, Ô Môn District, now merged into Ô Môn Ward, Cần Thơ City. The confusion likely arises because the two former provinces bordered each other and both have many Khmer pagodas.
IIThree phases of construction
The pagoda's history moves through three building materials, beginning with timber and thatch, then precious hardwoods, and finally brick and reinforced concrete. The earliest date comes from oral tradition rather than contemporary documents, so the year 1735 should be read as an oral chronology. The 1856 reconstruction, by contrast, is anchored by surviving artifacts, as a pair of wooden gable finials carved in that year is still kept at the temple.
- 1735Founded of timber and thatchAccording to the oral account of earlier generations, the pagoda was first built of timber and thatch at the Ô Môn River mouth, then moved to Bo Rích before settling beside Chùa Creek.
- 1856Rebuilt in precious hardwoodsThe pagoda was rebuilt using precious hardwoods including căm xe (xylia), cà chất and thao lao (crape myrtle) with a fish-scale tile roof. A pair of wooden gable finials carved that year survives today.
- 1885Carving of the Buddha statueA Buddha statue still preserved at the pagoda was carved in this year, according to Cần Thơ newspaper.
- 1950Construction of the present main hall beginsIn June 1950, construction of the present main hall began from architectural plans brought by Most Venerable Thạch Khiêng from architects in Phnom Penh, with financial support from the merchant Dương Muol.
- 1952Completion of the main hallThe main hall was completed, followed by a two-story reinforced concrete monks' residence in 1954 and the lecture hall between 1961 and 1964.
- 2006City-level heritage siteOn April 13, 2006, on the eve of the Chôl Chnăm Thmây New Year, the pagoda received its certificate as a city-level historical and cultural heritage site of Cần Thơ.
What is remarkable here is that the older layer of artifacts has remained alongside the newer main hall. The 1856 wooden gable finials, the 1885 Buddha statue, the set of nearly two-hundred-year-old wooden statues and the 18th-century funerary stupa all predate the present main hall and are preserved within the same compound.
IIIThe main hall and preserved artifacts
Regarding the area of the compound, Cần Thơ newspaper and Chốn Thiêng record more than 8,600 square meters, while the Buddhist Studies Review cites the 2004 cadastral survey figure of 8,500 square meters. The main hall stands on a platform 0.9 meters high, three bays wide and seven bays long, surrounded by a corridor of twenty-two square columns supporting the eaves. The Buddhist Studies Review explains that the use of odd numbers for bays and steps is a distinctive convention of Khmer temple architecture, and points out a notable feature of Pôthi Somrôn's main hall, namely that its roof consists of three overlapping tiers without a central spire on the ridge, unlike most Khmer pagodas. Four main doors open at the eastern and western ends, while the southern and northern walls are pierced by rows of arched windows framed with Bodhi-leaf reliefs. Across the wooden structural members are carved panels narrating scenes from the life of the Buddha.
The four-faced deity called Maraprum by the Khmer, corresponding to Brahma, set atop the fence pillars around the main hall and on high points of the structures, looking out toward the four cardinal directions.
Half-human, half-bird celestial maidens with both hands raised to support the column capitals and eaves along the main hall corridor, posed as if in flight.
Bird-headed, human-bodied figures spreading their wings beneath the eaves, related to Garuda in Indian mythology.
Five-headed serpent balustrades flanking the steps up to the main hall and undulating along the roof edges, symbolizing protection of the Buddha.
Symbolic reading of the architectural details in the Buddhist Studies Review. The three-tiered roof is interpreted as the three realms of Buddhist cosmology, the desire realm, the form realm and the formless realm. The four main doors at the eastern and western ends represent the four noble paths and four fruits of liberation. The Bodhi-leaf reliefs framing the window arches and roof tiers stand for enlightenment and spiritual shelter. The Kâyno figures supporting the eaves evoke the fleeting beauty of the conditioned world, while the five-headed Naga balustrades symbolize purification as one ascends to the sanctuary of the Buddha. This is a scholar's reading, and worshippers need not know every symbol to enter the temple, yet knowing them allows one to see more than ornament in the roof lines.
| Artifact | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pair of wooden gable finials (cánh én) | 1856 | Carved during the hardwood reconstruction of the pagoda and preserved to this day |
| Palm-leaf scriptures (kinh lá buông) | Multiple generations | More than one hundred scripture bundles inscribed on Corypha palm leaves |
| Wooden statues | Nearly 200 years old | Seventeen antique wooden statues |
| Buddha statue | 1885 | Carved in this year, according to Cần Thơ newspaper |
| Funerary stupa (tháp cốt) | 18th century | Built of ô dước mortar, laterite stone and thin bricks, holding the ashes of generations of lay Buddhists |
| Wooden Ngo boat | Undated | Long traditional racing boat kept inside the pagoda compound |
Many visitors assume the dark laterite tower is a reliquary stupa for Buddha relics. According to Cần Thơ newspaper, it is a funerary stupa (tháp cốt) holding the cremated remains of lay Buddhists across many generations. Its construction in traditional ô dước mortar, laterite stone and thin brick belongs to 18th-century building practice, rarely seen at other Khmer pagodas in the region, making this tower the oldest standing structure in the compound.
To understand why a funerary stupa stands right in the temple courtyard, it helps to know a custom of the Khmer in southern Vietnam, where the deceased are cremated and their ashes placed in a stupa within the compound of their hamlet's pagoda. The temple thus cares for both the living and the departed of the community, and the laterite stupa at Pôthi Somrôn is tangible proof that this custom at the mouth of the Ô Môn River dates back to the 18th century.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
This section presents the library's reading through the lens of traditional feng shui, not something written in the pagoda's own texts. Khmer Theravada Buddhism does not site temples by feng shui. The main hall of Pôthi Somrôn faces east according to Khmer Buddhist custom, because Khmer Buddhists believe the Buddha looks eastward to guide living beings. The observations below serve as a comparison for readers familiar with traditional Vietnamese site reading.
The key word here is vàm, a river mouth where a smaller tributary meets a major river, as the pagoda sits in the mouth area of the Ô Môn River where it joins the Hậu River and connects with Chùa Creek. In the site-reading tradition of the river delta, the confluence of two waterways is a place of water gathering (thủy tụ) where currents shift and slow, silt settles and fertile alluvial soil builds up. Earlier generations favored placing temples at river mouths both because passing boats could see them from afar and because the ground there was rich and stable.
As for facing east, traditional Vietnamese site reading links the east with the Wood element and rising vitality, the direction of the morning sun. An east-facing main hall welcomes early sunlight straight through its main doors. The Khmer orient their main halls eastward for doctrinal reasons rather than feng shui, so the two traditions simply converge on the same bearing.
As for the trees, the compound preserves many ancient trees, including the old Bodhi tree, the aged persimmon tree, the cannonball tree and the somrôn trees that gave the pagoda its name. Feng shui views a dense canopy around a sanctuary as a cloak that retains qi, and across the flat delta plain the tall grove of a Khmer pagoda is often the first landmark travelers spot from the river.
VFestivals and communal life
Like every Khmer pagoda, Pôthi Somrôn is where the Khmer community of Ô Môn gathers for the major festivals of the year. Chốn Thiêng notes that during the annual Moon Worship festival, the pagoda hosts cultural, sporting and ritual activities. The meaning of each festival is explained in detail in the entry on Kh'leang Pagoda, so only the dates are summarized here.
| Time of year | Festival | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-April (solar calendar) | Chôl Chnăm Thmây | Khmer New Year celebrated over three days, with bathing of Buddha statues and building of sand mounds. |
| Full moon of the 4th lunar month | Visak Bochea | Vesak observance in Khmer Theravada Buddhism. |
| Full moon of the 6th lunar month | Chôl Vôssa | Monks enter the three-month rainy-season retreat. |
| Late 8th to early 9th lunar month | Sene Đôlta | Ancestor-offering festival, when villagers bring offerings to the pagoda. |
| Full moon of the 9th lunar month | Chênh Vôssa and Kathina season | Monks conclude the rainy-season retreat, followed by the Kathina robe offering. |
| Full moon of the 10th lunar month | Ok Om Bok | Moon Worship festival giving thanks for the harvest, marked in Ô Môn by Ngo boat races. |
The long wooden Ngo boat kept inside the compound speaks to the pagoda's bond with the river. The Cần Thơ City Museum notes that Ô Môn holds Ngo boat races for the Ok Om Bok festival, and in many Khmer hamlets the Ngo racing boat is communal property of the temple, stored in a shed on the pagoda grounds all year and launched only for the festival season.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Khu vực 4, vàm sông Ô Môn, phường Ô Môn (phường Châu Văn Liêm cũ, quận Ô Môn cũ), thành phố Cần Thơ
- Getting there
- The pagoda is located in Area 4 by the mouth of the Ô Môn River, Ô Môn Ward, Cần Thơ City. From central Ninh Kiều, follow National Highway 91 toward Ô Môn.
- Coordinates
- 10.1102, 105.6169
The pagoda is a monastic training ground and the communal house of the Khmer community in Ô Môn. Please remove shoes before ascending to the main hall, dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and do not point your feet toward the Buddha statue when sitting. Do not climb onto the funerary stupas or touch the antique wooden carvings and palm-leaf scriptures. Women do not touch monks. If you wish to view the historical artifacts, please ask the monks at the pagoda first.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
Contribute photos, information or video for Pothisomron Pagoda
Góp ảnh, thông tin hoặc video cho Chùa Pôthi SomrônEveryone is welcome to enrich this page: a photo you took, a detail the page misses, a short video. Every contribution is read and answered.
Thầy Ưng Khiêm mời cộng đồng cùng làm giàu trang này. Ảnh chụp tận nơi, một chi tiết lịch sử chưa được nhắc, một đoạn video ngắn: mọi đóng góp đều được đọc và trả lời.
No community contribution yet. You could be the first. Chưa có đóng góp nào từ cộng đồng. Bạn có thể là người đầu tiên.
?Quick Questions
Where is Pôthi Somrôn Pagoda located
The pagoda stands in Area 4 near the mouth of the Ô Môn River, Ô Môn Ward, Cần Thơ City, formerly Châu Văn Liêm Ward, Ô Môn District. It belongs to Cần Thơ, not Hậu Giang Province as some travel pages mistakenly state.
When was Pôthi Somrôn Pagoda built
According to oral tradition, the pagoda was first built in 1735 of timber and thatch and rebuilt in 1856 in precious hardwoods. The present main hall was begun in June 1950 and completed in 1952 from architectural plans brought from Phnom Penh. It was recognized as a city-level heritage site on April 13, 2006.
What does the name Pôthi Somrôn mean
Nhân Dân newspaper records that the name comes from the many somrôn trees planted in the compound, while pôthi is the Khmer pronunciation of bodhi, the Bodhi tree. Vietnamese residents in Cần Thơ commonly call it Ô Môn Pagoda after the locality.
What historical artifacts are preserved at Pôthi Somrôn Pagoda
According to Cần Thơ newspaper, the pagoda preserves a pair of wooden gable finials carved in 1856, more than one hundred bundles of palm-leaf scriptures, seventeen wooden statues nearly two hundred years old, a Buddha statue carved in 1885 and an 18th-century funerary stupa built of ô dước mortar, laterite stone and thin bricks.
Which Buddhist tradition does Pôthi Somrôn Pagoda belong to
It belongs to Khmer Theravada Buddhism, serving as a monastic training center and cultural hub for the Khmer community of Ô Môn right beside the Academy of Khmer Theravada Buddhism. It worships only Shakyamuni Buddha, follows the Pali canon and monastic code, and orients its main hall toward the east.