Announcement and reception of the ranking certificate of Kompong Chray pagoda relic

Panoramic view of Kompong Chray Pagoda.

Attending the ceremony were comrades Thach Boi, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tra Vinh; Thach Thi Sa Thy, Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chau Thanh District; Do Minh Tien, Member of the District Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Chau Thanh District and Venerable Thach Oai, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Association of Patriotic Buddhist Monks of Tra Vinh Province...

Delegates attending the ceremony.

Kompong Chray Pagoda was first built in 1637 AD (ie 2181 AD) with a campus of nearly 06 hectares with many ancient trees creating a cool, peaceful green space, attracting many species of birds to live such as: white storks, ivory storks, red-necked storks and herons... with a number of up to thousands.

During the years of resistance against France and the US, Kompong Chray Pagoda was a pagoda rich in revolutionary tradition, making many contributions to the cause of national liberation of Vietnam. The pagoda was a prominent location for the struggle movements; at the same time, it was a place to shelter and protect many leaders.

Dear monks and delegates attending the ceremony.

In 1968, at the height of the Mau Than Campaign, the enemy suspected that the pagoda was a place where revolutionaries were gathering troops to attack the town, so they threw 4 bombs at the pagoda, causing more than 150 casualties, including 52 deaths. In terms of physical facilities, the pagoda suffered about 70% damage.

During the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, under the direct command of the district and provincial military forces, the Party cell and the commune Party Committee directly used the core force of the pagoda monks to call for the surrender of 04 militia posts. The number of weapons handed over to the pagoda monks to bring back was more than 100 types. Afterwards, these weapons were gathered by the pagoda monks and handed over to the revolution.

Buddhists of Kompong Chray pagoda attend the ceremony.

Besides, during the resistance war, Kompong Chray pagoda was also a place to propagate and disseminate the Party's policies and guidelines to monks and Buddhists. This was an important factor in fostering patriotism, a key factor deciding the success or failure of the struggles, contributing to the whole country's completion of the revolution for national liberation and national unification. Up to now, the value of the great solidarity strength of the Kinh - Khmer people of the pagoda has always been promoted.

Ceremony to receive certificate of provincial relic ranking.

After the country's reunification, Kompong Chray Pagoda was considered a place to preserve and conserve the cultural values of the Khmer people through organizing traditional festivals to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the people. In addition, the pagoda continued to make many contributions to theeducation cause such as opening many classes to teach Khmer Pali to monks and Buddhists; opening training classes, teaching wood carving to monks and people, giving gifts to students in difficult circumstances...

The gate of Kompong Chray Pagoda looks like a cave, so the pagoda is often called Cave Pagoda.

The architecture of Kompong Chray Pagoda also has unique artistic value. Although it has undergone many restorations and repairs, each architectural work of the pagoda is highly artistic, containing profound philosophy, helping us have a comprehensive view of the customs, religions, beliefs and cultural history of the Khmer people. A typical example is the pagoda's side gate (Hang gate) which is built differently from other pagodas in Tra Vinh province.

Art performance to welcome the ceremony.

Comrade Huynh Kim Chung, Chairman of Chau Thanh Town People's Committee reported on the history of the relic.

Comrade Tran Thien Thien Thanh, Deputy Head of the Provincial Relic Management Board, approved Decision No. 1158/QD-UBND dated May 19, 2025 of the Provincial People's Committee to rank Kompong Chray Pagoda as a provincial relic.

Currently, Kompong Chray Pagoda is not only an important religious and belief site in the daily life of the Khmer people, but also a cultural and tourist symbol of Tra Vinh province, attracting a lot of visitors every year.

Authorized by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Mr. Thach Boi, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tra Vinh, awarded the provincial relic ranking certificate to local leaders and monks of Kompong Chray pagoda.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Thach Boi, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tra Vinh, said that Kompong Chray Pagoda being ranked as a provincial relic is an honor, a pride and also a responsibility of all levels and sectors in preserving and promoting the value of the relic.

Comrade Thach Boi, Deputy Director of Tra Vinh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism spoke at the ceremony.

Comrade Thach Boi suggested that Party committees, authorities and localities should strictly implement the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage; promote propaganda and education in many forms and with rich content, in order to raise people's awareness, especially the young generation, of the meaning, value and importance of preserving and promoting relics. Local authorities need to develop a plan to link visiting and studying at relics with tourism development. At the same time, coordinate well with provincial departments and branches, have solutions for preservation, renovation and restoration to do a good job of preserving and promoting the comprehensive value of relics...

Comrade Thach Thi Sa Thy, Chairman of Chau Thanh District People's Committee, presented certificates of merit to outstanding collectives.

On this occasion, Chau Thanh District People's Committee awarded 04 certificates of merit to 01 collective and 03 individuals with many achievements in protecting and managing Kompong Chray pagoda relic.

Do Minh Tien, Vice Chairman of Chau Thanh District People's Committee acknowledged the contributions of collectives and individuals in preserving and exploiting relics.