Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has given the green lightto the northern province of Bac Giang in planning the preservation of VinhNghiem Pagoda in Yen Dung district, a special national historical andarchitectural relic.
TheMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is tasked with examining the planbefore submitting it to the Prime Minister for approval.
Vinh NghiemPagoda, informally called La or Duc La pagoda, is 20 km to the southeast of BacGiang City.
Built in the11th century under the Ly Dynasty, the pagoda served as a training institutionfor Vietnamese Zen monks during the Tran Dynasty (13th-14th centuries).
It has beenconsidered the first Buddhism university of Vietnam and the place of origin forTruc Lam Zen Buddhism. It also houses a collection of 3,050 carved woodblocksrecognised by UNESCO as a world documentary heritage.
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda was rated as a national historicaland cultural site in 1964 and a special national relic in 2015. Its festival,which is held annually from the 12th to 14th day of the second lunar month, wasalso recognised as part of the national intangible cultural heritage in 2013.-VNA