History of Hai Tang Pagoda in Cham Islands

Hai Tang Pagoda is the oldest Buddhist temple in Cham Island, Hoi An. It’s constructed in 1758, according to a stone memorial stele carved in 1848 which is still in the temple today. Originally, this building was located 200 meters away from its current location. After the typhoon in 1848, it moved. In 2007, Hai Tang Pagoda and other six historical, archaeological sites on the Cham Island (Xom Cam Well, Bai Ong Site, Bai Lang Site, Temple for Birdnest Ancestors, Temple for ‘Grandfather Fish’, the Ancestral Temple of Cham Island), were inscribed to be Vietnam’s national heritage site.

According to a local story, Hai Tang Pagoda was built by wood pillars carried by a boat moving from North Vietnam to South Vietnam. Originally, people would use them to construct another temple. However, after the boat docked in Cham Islands (to let seafarers to spend the night, have water and food), it could not embark the next day, due to bad weather. For that reason, seafarers came to a temple to pray and the god there told them that wood pillars in their boat were for construction of a pagoda on the island. Later, Hai Tang Pagoda was built.

During the period when Hoi An played its role as an international trading port, merchants coming from China, Japan and other countries often visited Hai Tang Pagoda to pray for safe travel. The reason is that their boats must stop at Cham Island before going to Hoi An port via the Thu Bon River.

About the architecture, Hai Tang Pagoda faces rice fields where a stream flows through and Bai Lang Village, and leans against the mountain. This is the traditional direction for most Vietnamese Buddhist temples (water in the front, mountain in the back).

From the village, after walking across the fields, visitors will see a small pond with a 3,5-meters-tall statue of Lady Buddha (Goddess of Mercy) in the middle. In Vietnamese culture, she is known as the ‘Goddess of Sea’ who blesses safe travel for fishermen. That’s why there is a giant Lady Buddha statue constructed in the Monkey Mountain Da Nang. Here, local vendors sell packs of dried medical plants collected from the forests, or herbal drinks.

The next building is a Triple Gate (5 meters tall, 6 meters wide). Between the gate and the worshipping building, there is a yard with many bonsai trees and a statue of Maitreya Buddha (Vietnamese: Phat Di Lac). He is popularly known by travelers as ‘Happy Buddha’, ‘Laughing Buddha’ or even ‘Fat Buddha’. In local culture, he symbolizes a wealthy, peaceful and happy life.

The biggest construction of Hai Tang Pagoda is the Buddha Hall. It’s renovated in 2002. Here, local people have worshipped the Buddhas of Three Times, the Jade Emperor, Sakyamuni Buddha, Maitraya Buddha, Samantabhadra (bodhisattva), Bodhidharma (the first Chan patriarch in China), and Quan Cong (Chinese general). Unlike other Buddhist temples, there are no monks at Hai Tang Pagoda!