For a hundred years now, Cuong Xa Pagoda in Hai Duong Province has been both an important religious symbol and a famous tourist destination because of its one-of-a-kind architecture and spiritually serene atmosphere.

It is located 80 kilometres from Hanoi, Cuong Xa, Hai Tan Commune. It is one of the most ancient pagodas in Vietnam dating back to as early as between the 1^st and 3^rd centuries. It is also known as Quynh Khau Pagoda or Jade Mound Pagoda.

Cuong Xa Pagoda is designed with five major halls, three back halls, five ancestor worship halls (to the right), and five Mother and Buddha worship halls on the left. The whole structure is built from 3,000 blue stones each weighing 80 kgs., 40 cms. long, 30 cms. wide and 35 cms. thick. Each stone is also carved with swastikas signifying good fortune and eternal life. In fact, it was recognized by the Vietnam Book of Records as one of the country’s first pagodas to have a stone foundation and walls decorated with swastiks.

It underwent several restorations, the first being in the 17^th century during King Le Vinh To’s reign. The second was in 1946 after it was heavily destroyed by the war. In 2009, it was rehabilitated by the Head of Cuong Xa Pagoda Venerable Thich Thanh Cuong, extended up to over 360 square metres. Just recently, in April of this year, a hall was constructed in the pagoda to worship Buddha, Buddhist teaching and Shangha. It is made of stone with 18 pillars of iron wood. Each pillar is one metre in perimeter, 8 metres high and weighs 1.7 tons.

In the first row of the hall can be found the statues of Amida Buddha, the Goddess of Mercy, and the Great Bodhisattva. The second row consists of the statue of Kuan Yin, known for its thousand eyes and hands. In the third row stands the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, weighing 6.6 tons and made of white stone taken from the Ngu Hanh Son Mountain in Danang. The Cuu Long Tower is situated in the fourth row, made of bronze, while the fifth row is composed of seven statues of Bhaijyaguru Buddha, praying for peace for the nation and the people and for good weather.    

Every year, thousands of pilgrims and tourists visit Cuong Xa Pagoda. Its structural ingenuity and spiritual tone creates an overall peaceful effect to its visitors that it continually sparks the interest and motivation of people from around the world to experience the uniqueness and in general, natural beauty of the pagoda.