Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [285]
Hanoi and around | Around Hanoi |
Tay Phuong Pagoda and Tram Gian Pagoda
Only 6km west of the Thay Pagoda, the much smaller “Pagoda of the West”, Tay Phuong Pagoda (20,000đ), perches atop a fifty-metre-high limestone hillock supposedly shaped like a buffalo. Among the first pagodas built in Vietnam, Tay Phuong’s overriding attraction is its invaluable collection of over seventy jackfruit-wood statues, some of which are on view at Hanoi’s Fine Arts Museum (See "Vietnam Fine Arts Museum"). The highlights are eighteen arhats, disturbingly lifelike representations of Buddhist ascetics as imagined by eighteenth-century sculptors, grouped around the main altar; again, a torch would help pick out the finer details. As Tay Phuong is also an important Confucian sanctuary, disciples of the sage are included on the altar, each carrying a gift to their master, some precious object, a book or a symbol of longevity, alongside the expected Buddha effigies. Tay Phuong’s most notable architectural features are its heavy double roofs, whose graceful curves are decorated with phoenixes and dragons, its unplastered brick walls and an inviting approach via 237 time-worn, red-brick steps. Hawkers from the nearby village peddle the local speciality sweetmeat, banh che lam, made of sticky rice pounded together with green bean and sugar.
Statue inside the Thay Phuong Pagoda
With time to spare, you could combine a day’s outing to the Thay and Tay Phuong pagodas with a quick detour to the Tram Gian Pagoda, roughly 7km southeast of Quoc Oai Village along a country lane and 3km north of Highway 6; if you’re coming from Hanoi, the pagoda’s signed to the right of the highway at the kilometre 21 marker. Again, the large, peaceful temple sitting on a wooded hill is best known for its rich array of statues. Though not as fine as those of Tay Phuong, they number over 150, including more arhats in the side corridors, alongside some toe-curling depictions of the underworld, and an impressive group on the main altar. Among them sits the unmistakable, pot-bellied laughing Maitreya, the carefree Buddha, in stark contrast to the black emaciated figure behind him. According to legend, this is the mumified and lacquered body of Duc Thanh Boi (St Boi), who was born nearby in the thirteenth century. He is credited with numerous miracles, including the ability to fly, and with saving the country from a catastrophic drought by summoning rain, though he had to wait for sainthood until a century after his death when devotees disinterred his body to find it in a perfect state of preservation.
Hanoi and around | Around Hanoi |
The craft villages
For centuries villages around Vietnam’s major towns have specialized in single-commodity production, initially to supply the local market, and sometimes going on to win national fame for the skill of their artisans. A few communities continue to prosper, of which the best known near Hanoi are Bat Trang pottery village and Van Phuc for silk. These are well-run, commercial operations where family units turn out fine, hand-crafted products, and they are used to foreigners coming to watch them at work. Most other villages are far less touristy, and the more isolated may treat visitors with suspicion. Nevertheless, it’s worth taking a guide for the day to gain a rare glimpse into a gruelling way of life that continues to follow the ancient rhythms, using craft