Tran Quoc Pagoda (Chua Tran Quoc). On the bank of West Lake (Hanoi). According to the legend, the pagoda was built on the bank of the Red River during the reign of King Ly Nam De (544 – 548). The name Tran Quoc was given in 1615, under Le Thanh Tong. In the same year, to avoid erosion, it was transferred to the islet, Kim Ngu on West Lake which was linked to the Co Ngu dyke (XV – XVIIth centuries).
In the pagoda 14 stone steles have been preserved (among them that of First Doctor Nguyen Xuan Chinh in 1639 and that of Doctor Pham Quy Thich in 1815). In the XVIIIth century, the Lords Trinh transformed the pagoda into a palace for their stopovers. In its present state: compartment of rituals and ceremonies is before the main altar, in the back are other houses of cult and bell tower. Some statues are of great artistic value, especially that of Sak- yamuni reaching Nirvana.
