Long An: Ton Thach Pagoda

Located next to Provincial Road 835 in My Loc commune, Can Giuoc district, is a temple that has long been famous in literary history: Ton Thanh Temple – a historical relic that was classified as a national-level historical site by the Ministry of Culture and Information on November 27, 1997 (according to Decision No. 2890-VH/QD).

Ton Thanh Pagoda, with a total area of ​​33,410 m2, and the pagoda itself occupying 940 m2, was originally named Lan Nhuoc or Lan Nha Pagoda. It was built in 1808 by Zen Master Vien Ngo. The Zen Master's secular name was Nguyen Ngoc Dot, the son of Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Binh and Mrs. Tra Thi Hue from Thanh Ba village, Phuoc Dien Trung commune, Phuoc Loc district.

The temple was originally built in the shape of the Chinese character "Tam" (three), meaning three parallel buildings: the Front Hall, the Main Hall, and the Lecture Hall. After several renovations, the temple now has the shape of the Chinese character "Đinh" (four), as two additional buildings, the East and West Wings, have been added for the monks and nuns to practice here. The old Front Hall was moved to the back to become a meditation room, and the Main Hall was divided into two parts: the Front Hall and the Main Hall. The Lecture Hall still preserves the inscription that the then District Chief of Phuoc Loc wrote as a gift to Zen Master Vien Ngo.

According to the Đại Nam Nhất Thống Chí, this temple was a famous landmark in the ancient Gia Định region, renowned for its "magnificent pillars and resplendent gold." Previously, the temple was called Tông Thạnh, meaning "prosperous lineage," derived from the first two words of the couplet in the main hall. However, over time, people commonly referred to it as Tôn Thạnh or the temple of Ông Tăng Ngộ to commemorate a Zen master who dedicated his life to bringing good fortune to all beings.

For three years (1859-1861), the patriotic scholar Nguyen Dinh Chieu returned to Thanh Ba, using Ton Thanh Pagoda as a place to teach, write poetry, and practice medicine. During the attack on the Tay Duong outpost at Truong Binh market on the night of the full moon in the 11th month of the year Tan Dau (1851), one of the three rebel forces, starting from Ton Thanh Pagoda, burned down the religious school and beheaded the French official Hai Phu. Moved by the righteous spirit of the "village and neighborhood people," the poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu composed the famous "Eulogy for the Righteous People Who Died in the Battle of Can Giuoc" at Ton Thanh Pagoda. Nguyen Dinh Chieu's stele is also located at this pagoda. Currently, this eulogy is inscribed at the Can Giuoc Martyrs' Monument.

In the main hall of the temple, a chandelier depicting the Medicine Buddha is placed, bearing the twelve Great Vows of the Medicine Buddha Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata in the tranquil world of Lapis Lazuli. Anyone suffering from illness or disease who comes here to pray will be freed from suffering – this is also the temple's sacred object. The memorial tablets of the patriots who died in the Battle of the Western Ocean are also placed here.

Like other temples in Southern Vietnam, Ton Thanh Temple also holds ceremonies on the full moon days of the first, seventh, and tenth months of the lunar calendar. In February, on the 18th, it is the anniversary of the death of Zen Master Vien Ngo, the founder of the temple.

Currently, the temple's architecture has undergone many changes, with the construction of additional structures. Some artifacts of the temple are still preserved, such as the Great Bell and the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, as well as the horizontal and vertical scrolls and paintings by Zen Master Vien Ngo, all dating back to the same period as the temple itself.