The heart of Hanoi – Hoan Kiem Lake
Nguyen Thanh Van

The image of the ancient Hoa Phong tower,  has been imprinted in the soul of many generations of Hanoi people. However not everyone knows the history of this ancient tower.

Located on the shores of Hoan Kiem Lake, opposite the Hanoi Post Office building, Hoa Phong tower is the only remaining vestige of Bao An Pagoda – the most famous pagoda in Hanoi in the 19th century.

The tower was built of bricks, three stories high, the quadrilateral surface, the first floor has four doors, so it is also known as the “tứ môn tháp”.

On each door of the tower have these words: Báo Ân Môn, Báo Nghĩa Môn, Báo Đức Môn, Báo Phúc Môn ( Bao An Gate, Bao Nghia Gate, Bao Duc Gate, Bao Phuc Gate), expressing important values of Confuciannism.

The second floor of the tower has four square corner corners built to place the statue of four “nghê”.

The corners are connected by contour culture.

The middle of the tower on the second floor is deeply indented. The two sides have the concave square in the two Sanskrit words “Án” means judgment symmetrically with each other.

The remaining two plots are covered with eight-sign figure – a symbol of Taoism and are also associated with the Confucian worldview.

On the third floor, on the East-West side, the tower is named Hoa Phong, but on the North-South side, “Bao Thien Tower” is recorded.

The top of the tower is decorated with bottle gourd, a symbol of blessings in Buddhism and Taoism.

The decorative motifs of the tower feature Oriental characteristics, rigorous in each line.

Inside tower.

According to the researchers, Hoa Phong tower is a type of tower rarely seen in Buddhist architecture, with the first floor to be bigger and taller than the two upper floors.

The tower is located in a very special position, in front of the temple gate, not in the garden like the usual square towers in Vietnamese pagodas.

The decorative motifs show the tower bearing the ideology “Cư Nho Mộ Thích” popular in the Nguyen Dynasty.

According to the remaining documents, Bao An Pagoda inaugurated the 7th year of Thieu Tri (1847) on the old foundation of Ngu Long Lau in Trinh Lord capitol. The person in charge of setting up the pagoda is the governor of Ha Ninh (Hanoi – Bac Ninh) Nguyen Dang Giai, that is why people call it the pagoda Quan Thuong.

After its inauguration, Bao An Pagoda has the superficial scale and is the most famous type of Hanoi at that time. This is one of the constructions bearing the Nguyen Dynasty on Thang Long land.

In 1889, the French colonialists destroyed Bao An Pagoda to build a palace and post office (now the Government Guest House and the Hanoi Post Office).

Perhaps, Hoa Phong tower was fortunate not to be demolished because it was located outside the pagoda grounds.

After two centuries, the architecture of the ancient tower remains intact.

Nowadays, Hoa Phong tower has become an iconic building on the banks of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Images of the ancient towers have marked in the hearts of many generations of Hanoi people.

This is also a must-visit place for tourists when coming to the city’s top attractions.

Source: kienthuc.com.vn

Hoa Phong Tower: Ancient tower has a special history of Hanoi
Nguyen Thanh Van