Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi, Vietnam. Chinese characters are everywhere, as if we are in China?

The Tran Quoc Pagoda is located on a small island in the West Lake of Hanoi. Entering from the mountain gate, the buildings on both sides of the road are all in Chinese characters. The names of the temples, halls, plaques, couplets, and inscriptions are all in Chinese characters, not in Latin.

The Chinese feel relaxed when they go there. They can stand in front of the buildings at will and read the couplets in a rhythmic manner. At this time, the Vietnamese may be confused and have no idea what kind of artistic conception the words on the couplets express.

For them, the Chinese characters that their ancestors used from generation to generation are now like heavenly books, and most Vietnamese people don’t recognize them at all. Therefore, the historical culture carried by these characters will definitely form a gap here.

It’s a pity to say that if Chinese characters are foreign characters to them now, isn’t the Latin alphabet from foreign countries? Then why abandon the Chinese characters that they have used for more than 1,800 years?

The Tran Quoc Pagoda was built in 541 AD. It was originally named Kaiguo Temple. It was changed to Anguo Temple in 1440. The original site was on the bank of the Red River. Due to river erosion, the temple was moved to its current address, Goldfish Island in Hanoi's West Lake, in 1615, and began to expand on a large scale. It is one of the oldest temples in Vietnam. In the nearly 1,500-year history of Tran Quoc Temple, Vietnamese monks of all generations have been taught and presided here. It is also the palace of various dynasties and the most beautiful ancient building by the West Lake.

Like other temples in Vietnam, Tran Quoc Temple was built in accordance with the regulations of Buddhist temples. The main building is a "工"-shaped hall. The Buddha statues in the main hall are placed from high to low. The main hall enshrines the reclining statue of Sakyamuni Buddha in Nirvana. The bell tower of the temple is built at the back of the temple, which is different from ordinary temples. It is said that it is to adapt to the terrain characteristics of Goldfish Island.

There is a small pagoda garden in the temple, which contains many ancient pagodas from the 18th century. There are Chinese "Tower" characters and Sanskrit characters on the conspicuous parts of the tower body. The tallest lotus platform six-degree pagoda was built in 2003. The tower has eleven floors, is hexagonal, and fifteen meters high. Each floor and each face has a grid, enshrining a delicately carved white Guanyin statue. There are nine lotus pedestals on the top of the tower, called the Nine Lotuses.

There is a Bodhi tree in the Zhenguo Temple, which was cut from the Bodhi tree where Sakyamuni attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India. It was a gift from Indian President Rajendra Prasad when he visited Vietnam in 1959. Today, the Bodhi tree has long been thick and lush.