Quan Am Pagoda Hoi An: A Sacred Sanctuary in Hoi An

Amidst the centuries-old wooden houses, the ancient town of Hoi An is also renowned for its numerous religious and cultural relics of high historical, cultural, and architectural value. These relics, built and continuously developed throughout the history of this land, reflect the rich cultural and spiritual life of the Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Minh Huong, and other communities that settled here.

These relics form an important part of Hoi An’s cultural heritage, which has been preserved almost intact through many generations. One of the notable monuments exemplifying this heritage is the Quan Am Pagoda Hoi An of the Minh Huong village (Minh Huong Buddhist Temple, Chien Dan Pagoda, Ba Pagoda, located at 13 Nguyen Hue Street). The pagoda is located behind the Quan Cong Temple (Trung Han Palace, Ong Pagoda, located at 24 Tran Phu Street). Both structures were classified as national historical and cultural relics in 1991. Below are some details about this unique pagoda.

The History of Quan Am Pagoda Hoi An

There are currently no documents that clearly determine the year the relic was built, but along with the Quan Cong Temple, the pagoda was likely constructed quite early. On the restoration stele dated Quy Dau 1753 (currently placed in the Quan Cong Temple), there is a phrase: “Quan Thanh De Mieu and Quan Am Pagoda of the local community have been built for 100 years,” meaning the pagoda was built at the latest by 1653. Thus, to date, the pagoda is approximately 370 years old. The pagoda initially worshiped Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The belief in Avalokitesvara is very common among Southeast Asian Buddhists, especially those who trade by boat. At the site, there are some horizontal lacquered boards and couplets mentioning Chien Dan Lam and Quang An Pagoda. Chien Dan Lam is another name for Quan Am Pagoda Hoi An, not a different pagoda in Hoi An.

The monk Thach Liem, in his work “Hai Ngoai Ky Su,” mentions the pagoda: “The next morning (the 2nd day of the 7th month), we stayed at the Di Da Pagoda. The pagoda was narrow and could not accommodate many people, so they had to spread out to Quan Am Hall and other places.” This is the earliest recorded mention of Di Da Pagoda and Quan Am Hall (觀 音 堂). The author of “Hai Ngoai Ky Su” used the term “hall 堂” instead of “pagoda 寺” as used later.

Based on the two steles “Chien Dan Pagoda” and “Quang An Pagoda,” established in the year Giap Thin (1904), 16th year of Thanh Thai, the Minh Huong village renovated the pagoda and the Buddha statues. In the 18th year of Bao Dai (1943), the Minh Huong village again renovated the pagoda, Trung Han Palace, and Tuy Tien Hall. These are the two renovations of the pagoda towards the end of the Nguyen dynasty.

According to the description in “Quang Nam Xa Chi” by the Institute of Far Eastern Studies conducted in 1943-1944, the pagoda had an alley that could lead to the Tien Hien house (Minh Huong Tuy Tien Hall). Two houses (along the alley) were the two meditation halls of the Buddha pagoda, next to which was the pagoda’s drinking well. Currently, the alley no longer exists, but the well still remains, and the two meditation halls have been replaced by the East House and auxiliary structures.

From 1975 to 1989, the pagoda was used as the headquarters of the Minh An ward People’s Committee. From the end of 1989, the Monuments Management Board (now the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation) took over the pagoda, restored the Buddha altar, and used the relic as the Hoi An History and Culture Exhibition House for scientific research and tourism. During this period, worship was limited to the central area of the main hall’s back house. After the major renovation in 2015, the Exhibition House was moved to the Hoi An Museum. The pagoda was restored to its original function in 2016, with the worship space arranged as we see today.

Readmore: Discover Tam Thai Pagoda – a 400-year-old historical gem in Da Nang

The Architecture of Quan Am Pagoda Hoi An

The pagoda faces south. It is bordered by Nguyen Hue Street to the west, and by residential houses to the east and north. The overall layout of the relic site includes the Tam Quan gate, the front yard, the main hall, and the east house. Due to its location (behind the Quan Cong Temple), the Tam Quan gate is not aligned with the main axis but is situated to the right of the pagoda (as per conventional orientation). The Tam Quan gate has a simple design with four square pillars; the two middle pillars are taller than the side ones, creating three passageways. The tops of the pillars are adorned with lotus bud decorations. Above the pillars are stylized horizontal beams forming the gate’s architrave, with no roof above. The architrave is built high, resembling horizontal inscribed boards with decorative motifs. Both sides of the Tam Quan gate have many embossed Chinese characters and couplets. Specifically:

• Front side (facing inward): in the center, at the top, it reads: 明 鄉 佛 寺 (Minh Huong Buddha Temple). To the right: 真 空 (True Emptiness), to the left: 妙 有 (Wondrous Existence). Couplet on the two central pillars: 明 鏡 非 臺 參 到 真 如 憑 妙 諦 鄉 關 是 處 宏 開 般 若 紹 宗 門 Translated: A bright mirror is not a stand, investigating the True Nature relies on Wondrous Truth; The hometown is this place, broadly opening Prajna to continue the lineage of the school. Translated by Thich Quang Dinh Couplet on the two side pillars: 廣 安 寺 碑 文 千 秋 功 德 旃 檀 林 勝 蹟 萬 眾 瞻 依 Translated: The stele of Quang An Temple speaks of a thousand autumns of meritorious deeds; The sacred site of Chien Dan Forest is admired by multitudes.
• Back side: in the center, above the gate, the characters read: 六 祖 師 偈 菩 提 本 無 樹 明 鏡 亦 非 臺 本 來 無 一 物 何 處 惹 塵 埃 保 大 十 六 年 夏 本 社 恭 錄 Translated: Verse of the Sixth Patriarch: Bodhi originally has no tree, The bright mirror also has no stand. Originally there is not a single thing, Where can dust alight? Summer of the 16th year of Bao Dai, respectfully recorded by the local community. To the left (looking out from the pagoda’s yard), above the gate, the characters read: 智 慧 (Wisdom), to the right: 慈 悲 (Compassion). Couplet on the two central pillars: 明 月 净 初 心 境 對 䌓 花 空 门 自 在 郷 風 敦 善 俗 地 留 古 蹟 𣑽 宇 重 光 Translated: The bright moon purifies the original mind, the scene faces prosperity, the temple gate is always free; The village customs foster kindness, the sacred land preserves old traces, the Buddhist house shines again. Translated by Thich Quang Dinh Couplet on the two side pillars: 一 塵 不 到 菩 提 地 萬 善 同 歸 般 若 門 Translated: Dust does not reach the land of Bodhi; All virtues return to the gate of Prajna.

Through the Tam Quan gate is a small front yard, simply decorated with a small rockery creating a miniature landscape, and a few green trees. This yard also serves as a symbolic separation between the pagoda and the temple (since the two structures are connected). The main hall has a three-compartment house style, with two roof sections (divided into the front and back houses), constructed with a wooden frame, brick walls, and yin-yang tiled roofs. The ridge and eaves are simply decorated, slightly curved, making the roof system light and elegant. The front house’s structural system combines “stacked purlins on pillars” and “stacked brackets on corbels”. The carved details soften the rigidity of the purlins and pillars. Due to the large roof of the front house, an additional fake roof was made for the veranda, helping to define functional spaces and enhance aesthetics. Thus, only half of the veranda’s structural system supports the load, while the other half mainly serves decorative purposes. The lotus-shaped bracket supporting the lowest purlin on the veranda roof is intricately carved, with the middle section featuring a “lion playing with a ball” motif, combined with side carvings of dragon-transformed vine patterns.

The corbel supporting the purlin is also carved with dragon-transformed vine patterns, holding a lotus pedestal. The pillar is divided into three sections, with vertically grooved patterns like gourd segments. The pillars are connected to each other and to the ends of the columns by curved wooden beams. From the pillars, wooden beams extend to the sides like arms supporting the purlin. The structural system inside the front house is similar to that of the veranda, creating a uniform structural form.

The back house is smaller than the front house, with a simple structural system and no carvings. A horizontal wall divides this house into two areas: the front for worship space, and the back for storage. The east house, located to the left of the main hall, is used for displaying calligraphy and as a resting place for visitors.

The craftsmanship of the carvers is most prominently displayed in the wooden façade of the main hall. The center features a six-panel upper-lower door, intricately carved with crane-peach tree, dragon, dragon horse, turtle, tiger, and pine-deer motifs. The two side compartments have four-panel upper-lower doors, with the main panels carved with the character 壽 (Longevity) in seal script. The small panels on the doors are carved with items from the Eight Treasures, dragon-transformed vine patterns, lotus flowers, and cloud motifs. The horizontal panels above the doors are carved with the “Eighteen Arhats” combined with other auspicious motifs. Subjectively, this is one of the finest sets of upper-lower doors still existing in Hoi An.

Regarding the arrangement of worship: the side walls of the veranda house the statues of Guardian Bodhisattva Wei Tuo and Great Wise Bodhisattva. The altars in the back house of the main hall worship the Amitabha Trinity, including the central compartment worshiping Amitabha Buddha, the left compartment worshiping Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and the right compartment worshiping Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. Additionally, the right side wall of the worship compartment houses an altar for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Quan Am Pagoda Hoi An still preserves many valuable artifacts. The interior decoration, though simple, is solemn and dignified with several horizontal inscribed boards:

• Horizontal board on the central beam of the main hall: 林 檀 旃 (Chien Dan Forest). The upper inscription reads in two vertical lines: 慶 德 癸 巳 歲 腊 月 榖 旦 – 信 官 簫 燧 烜 敬 立 (Khánh Đức year of the Quý Tỵ, twelfth month, good day – respectfully erected by Tiêu, Toại, Huyên officials). The lower inscription reads in one horizontal and one vertical line: 成 泰 甲 辰 本 社 重 修 (Thành Thái year of Giáp Thìn, 1904, local community renovation). The board records the year the pagoda was established and renovated in 1904, when it was named Chien Dan, according to the horizontal board hung in the central compartment.
• Horizontal board on the left beam of the main hall: 慈 恩 永 庇 (Perpetual Blessings of Compassion). The upper inscription reads: 歲 次 乙 亥 年 季 秋 下 浣 (year of Ất Hợi, late autumn). The lower inscription reads: 明 香 社 鄉 長 員 職 仝 造 (Minh Huong community, village head, officials together established).
• Horizontal board on the right beam of the main hall: 圓 通 殿 (Hall of Perfect Penetration). The vertical inscription reads: 己 亥 年 一 天. 弟 子 陳 玉 恩 (Year of Kỷ Hợi, one day. Disciple Tran Ngoc An). The board is written in cursive script.

Two of the altars in the main hall are ancient artifacts of the pagoda, beautifully decorated with red lacquer and gold leaf. The altar in front of the central compartment has high pedestal legs shaped like kneeling legs, with dragon faces carved on the tops of the legs. The front of the altar is divided into rectangular panels, carved with motifs of chrysanthemums-squirrels, plum birds, lotus cranes, peonies-deer, pomegranates-birds, etc. The altar in front of the right compartment is similar in design but smaller, with simpler decorations.

Additionally, the pagoda houses several valuable ancient statues. The bronze-colored Amitabha Buddha statue sits on a wooden lotus pedestal, placed on the altar in the central compartment of the main hall. The statue sits cross-legged in meditation posture on the lotus pedestal, hands in meditation mudra, with a benevolent face, eyes looking down, and a slight smile. The wooden Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue stands in front of the Amitabha Buddha statue on the central altar, holding a water vase in the left hand. The Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva statue is placed on the altar in the right compartment of the main hall, made of metal (hollow inside, painted surface) in a meditation posture. There is also a set of eighteen Arhat paintings (six panels, five remaining). The paintings currently displayed in the pagoda are copies of the originals after restoration (the originals are kept at the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Conservation Center).

Temporary Conclusion

“The establishment of a Buddhist temple in a densely populated residential area, near a river, and later close to a market, is a unique phenomenon. On one hand, it reflects the monks’ connection with everyday life; on the other hand, it shows that the Minh Huong village in Hoi An had all the cultural and community facilities for the residents when the Nguyễn lords allowed them to settle in Hoi An.” The existence of the temple is evidence of the cultural and religious exchanges in the trading port of Hoi An. With its long history and unique cultural and architectural values, Quan Am Pagoda Hoi An is one of the significant Buddhist architectural relics, contributing to the overall value of Hoi An’s Buddhist heritage and the Ancient Town of Hoi An.

Currently, the site serves as an important place of worship for local residents. Along with the Quan Cong Temple, the pagoda is regularly open for locals and visitors to worship and visit. Besides offering incense and fruits on the full moon and the first day of each lunar month, the pagoda also celebrates two major festivals each year: the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s Day (19th of the second lunar month) and the Lantern Festival (16th of the first lunar month). Many local residents and people from nearby areas come to offer incense and visit the pagoda during these two festivals.