Boi Khe Pagoda, Thanh Oai District is ranked as a special national monument.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long signed Decision No. 152/QD-TTg on the date of ranking special national relics (17th batch, 2025) for 5 relics. Specifically, the relics ranked as special national relics this time include: Boi Khe pagoda architectural and artistic relic (Thanh Oai district, Hanoi); Xam temple architectural and artistic relic (Nam Truc district, Nam Dinh province); relic cluster related to Mac dynasty in Duong Kinh (Kien Thuy district, Hai Phong city); Tu Luong Xam relic cluster - Ngo Quyen's headquarters in 938 (Hai An district, Hai Phong city) and Po Nagar Tower architectural and artistic relic (Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province).

*Boi Khe Pagoda seen from above. Photo: Anh Ngoc*

The relic protection area is determined according to the Minutes and Map of relic protection areas in the dossier. The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Chairman of the People's Committee at all levels where the above-mentioned ranked relics are located, within the scope of their tasks and powers, to carry out State management of the relics according to the provisions of the law on cultural heritage. Among the 5 relics above, the ranking of Boi Khe Pagoda in Tam Hung Commune, Thanh Oai District as a special national relic is the effort of the local government as well as the Hanoi cultural sector in the process of completing the dossier to propose upgrading the ranking. Boi Khe Pagoda, whose Chinese name is "Dai Bi Tu", is one of the famous pagodas in the region with a large, airy space and landscape. It is an ancient pagoda built during the Tran Dynasty on the bank of the Do Dong River. The pagoda is located in the "Phuong Chuy" position, meaning that the pagoda is located on the head of a phoenix as if it is spreading its wings: in front are fields and vacant lots with ancient trees and the Do Dong River. From Ngu Mon Quan to Tam Quan is a small bridge that crosses like a phoenix's beak. On both sides of Tam Bao are two ancient stone wells that look like eyes; the triangular land that crosses Hung Giao village (Tam Hung commune) looks like a curved tail.

*Some unique architectural and artistic features of Boi Khe Pagoda. Photo: Anh Ngoc*

Boi Khe Pagoda has a structure of "Buddha in front, saint in back", "inner public, outer private", facing West, including the following items: Duc Ong temple, tower garden, five gates, brick bridge, three gates, stele house - altar, Buddhist temple (front hall, incense burner, upper hall, left - right corridor); Holy temple (main worship hall, tube, back palace), Ancestor house - Mother house and guest house. The pagoda still retains many vestiges from the day of its construction. In particular, the pagoda also preserves the stone lotus pedestal of the Tran Dynasty, the Garuda bird carved in wood at the top of the upper hall, stone lampstands, statues and bricks of the Mac Dynasty, and statues of the Le Dynasty with very high artistic value. In particular, the Holy temple is structured in a 2-storey overlapping style, with 8 curved roofs supported by a system of trusses, which is also a masterpiece of plastic art. Boi Khe Pagoda was recognized as a national architectural and artistic relic in 1979. Every year, the pagoda holds a festival in early spring, from the 10th to the 12th of January (lunar calendar). In addition, the pagoda also holds a rain-praying festival and a matchmaking ceremony between the two villages of Boi Khe and Tien Lu. A representative of the Department of Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) commented that Boi Khe Pagoda is worthy of being a typical relic representing the stages of development of Vietnamese architecture, worthy of being a special national relic. Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/chua-boi-khe-huyen-thanh-oai-duoc-xep-hang-di-tich-quoc-gia-dac-biet.html