Hà Tiên Temple – Vĩnh Yên

About

Hà Tiên is a temple in the Vĩnh Yên area, distinct from temples in the former city of Hà Tiên in southwestern Vietnam. Its grounds combine Buddhist halls, an ancestral hall, a shrine to the National Mother of Tây Thiên and an old stupa garden.

Visitor information

Founded

Sources trace its origins to the Lý–Trần period; a stele confirms restoration in 1703.

Visiting hours

Visiting hours may change with the temple’s practice schedule; please ask the temple before your visit.

Fees

No fee has been confirmed by the temple. Please check notices at the site; external services may be charged separately.

Address

Khu vực Gia Viễn, phường Vĩnh Phúc, tỉnh Phú Thọ; trước đây thuộc Định Trung, thành phố Vĩnh Yên, tỉnh Vĩnh Phúc.

Highlights

• ✓Restored timber and stone architecture
• ✓A stupa garden and old trees
• ✓A restoration stele dated 1703
• ✓A shrine to the National Mother of Tây Thiên

History and origins

The date 1703 belongs to a stele concerning repairs and should not be regarded as a certain date for the temple’s first foundation. After losses in the 20th century, the community maintained a Buddhist place of worship and safeguarded surviving objects. A major restoration was inaugurated on 14 November 2010 and marked with a plaque commemorating 1,000 years of Thăng Long–Hà Nội.

Architecture & surroundings

The restored buildings use ironwood, bluestone and numerous carved details. The gateway, main Buddhist sanctuary, ancestral hall and Mother Goddess shrine stand in grounds with trees, a well and funerary stupas. The stupa garden and old trees preserve traces of successive generations of patriarchs.

Cultural value

The temple serves both Buddhist practice and the continuing worship of the National Mother of Tây Thiên. The account of Patriarch Tịnh Huân praying for villagers to overcome a drought appears in stele documentation and is remembered through his death-anniversary observance; it should be understood in its historical religious context.

Events & festivals

Local records place Patriarch Tịnh Huân’s death-anniversary observance on the first day of the sixth lunar month. The temple has also held “A Day of Peace” retreats. Current retreat dates and ceremonial programmes should be checked against temple announcements.