"Trong pagoda" is a pagoda located in the central part of the village (inside the village), which is different from the "Ngoài Pagoda" (the temple located on the western outskirts of the village). The pagoda's formal name is "Hưng Long Tự," but the locals in the area often refer to it as the "Hòa Pagoda."

Hòa Pagoda is located in a 3000-square-meter area, known as "Tiền thủy, hậu sơn". In front of the pagoda is a nearly 2-hectare wide lake, with rippling water all year round, called Ao Chùa. Behind the pagoda is an artificial hill, where there is a platform to worship Tôn tử and the village's martial arts masters, known as Võ chỉ. According to the inscription on the plaque at the front gate of the pagoda, it was built in the Hậu Lê Dynasty, in the 17th century, and has been nearly 400 years since. The pagoda has undergone several renovations in 1686, 1692, 1891, 1907, 1944, 1994, and in recent years. In 1944, the abbot Thích Thanh Hiệt replaced the front columns and the entrance threshold of the main hall with stones, making the construction more solid and ancient.

 

The architectural plan of the temple includes:

The main sanctuary, which has remained almost intact since its construction.

The Ancestral House, which was destroyed before 1949. From 2004 until now, with the attention of the Party, the government, organizations, people in the village and commune, as well as foreign visitors, the abbot Thích Tuệ Nhật has restored the Ancestral House to a larger scale than before, including 4 sections and an additional 7 sample houses. All of the structures are made of four-panel wood and have tiled roofs, and the walls are made of brick and cement.

In addition, hundreds of square meters of the temple courtyard have been paved with bricks, and the road leading to the temple has been paved with concrete.

In the temple garden, there are 8 tomb towers of the former abbots and a tomb of a female Buddhist monk who was recognized by the state as a "Vietnamese Heroic Mother". The garden also has many green trees, creating a solemn and peaceful landscape.

 

The main sanctuary of Hoa Temple has a Công (工) character architectural style, consisting of 5 front rooms, 3 middle rooms, and 3 back rooms, connected to create a closed worship space. The front facade faces southwest.

The five front rooms are 14.38 meters long and made of ironwood, consisting of six sets of beams and rafters. The two central sets of beams and the two intermediate sets of beams are constructed in the style of a "giá chiêng" roof frame. The two end sets of beams are constructed in the style of a "con chồng thước thợ" roof frame. On the sides of the central set of beams, there are two sets of intertwined carvings, one with dragon leaves and the other with chrysanthemums, replacing the traditional system of parallel beams and adding more liveliness to the architectural space.

 

The beams and rafters are the horizontal system of the entire structure, and each set consists of many carefully crafted details by skilled artisans, creating a tightly-knit and cohesive system.

Vertical tension system, consisting of: boat-shaped structure, eaves, upper beam, lower beam, and ridge purlins... Particularly, the horizontal system is arranged in the "Thượng tam, hạ tứ" style, which is quite sturdy. The square ridge purlins are finely polished and smoothed. The round ridge purlins are shaped to be evenly slender. The top beam is strong and robust.

At the front yard, there are many high-level carved panels that reflect the traditional architecture and demonstrate the harmony of ancient artisans. On the verandas and rafters, there are carvings of leaves and dragons, arranged in one, two, or three sections. The soft and delicate carving strokes depict the main theme of the subject.

 

In the lower part of the house: The foundation and walls are built with bricks. The traditional tiled roof is used. The eaves are soft and smooth. Here, there are pillars that symbolize the three periods of the Buddha: the past, the present, and the future.

There are three long rooms that are 5.43 meters long and 5.1 meters wide, connected to the central room of the temple by two diagonal corridors, each with three trusses: the first truss is designed in the style of a Chieng-shaped roof. The second truss features a decorative carving in place of the rafters between the rafters and the top beam. The third truss has a vaulted brick construction. The three long rooms and the back courtyard, as well as the foundation and walls, are also built with bricks, and the traditional tiled roof covers them.

 

In front of the main hall of the temple is a brick triple gate. There are stone tablets there that tell the story of the temple.

Inside the main hall of the temple, the altars, ridge purlins, couplets, Buddha statues... are almost perfectly preserved.

Altar statues:

The altar statues in the back hall are divided into 5 layers, counting from the top down:

First layer: includes three statues of Tam Thế: Present, Past and Future. The statues are carved in the same size and style and date back to the Nguyen Dynasty. (19th century)

Second layer: Statue of Amitabha Buddha. This is a beautiful statue dating back to the Nguyen Dynasty. (19th century)

Third layer: Consists of three statues, in the center is the statue of Quan Âm Chuẩn Đề, and on the sides are the statues of Văn Thù Bodhisattva và Phổ Hiền Bodhisattva These three statues are newly carved.

Fourth layer: includes two statues, on the right is the Cửu Long Palace, on the left is the statue of Buddha. The Cửu Long Palace depicts nine dragons spouting water to bathe Thích Ca Mâu Ni when he was born. Interspersed among the dragons are statues of Buddha, Bodhisattva… The statue of Thích Ca Mâu Ni stands on a lotus throne, wearing a short dress, with his left hand pointing up to Heaven and his right hand pointing down to Earth, slightly bent legs, a plump belly, and a round face. The Cửu Long Palace is made of bronze, offered by the people.

Fifth layer: The statue of Di Lặc, created in a standing position on a lotus pedestal, naked, plump, with exposed belly, and a serene and optimistic smile.

The statue is worshiped in the temple's front yard, with two groups:

The group of statues on the left includes the statue of Đức Ông, the statue of Quan Âm sitting on a mountain. These statues are all from the Nguyen dynasty (19th century). In front of the statue of Đức Ông, there are also two small statues of Trừng Ác và Khuyến thiện, which were recently offered by the people.

The group of statues on the right includes the statue of Thánh Hiền and the statue of Địa Tạng. These are two beautiful statues also from the Nguyen dynasty (19th century).

The temple's ancestral altar has 6 statues, which were recently offered by the people.

 

Hoa Pagoda was classified as a "Cultural and Artistic Architecture Heritage" by the provincial People's Committee of Hai Duong in October 2010, providing a legal basis for long-term preservation.