Keo Pagoda attracts a large number of visitors from near and far to pay homage and enjoy the scenic surroundings every year, especially right after the Lunar New Year celebrations when the Keo Pagoda Festival takes place.
Keo Pagoda is a famous spiritual tourist destination in Thai Binh. Photo by Nguyen Trong Cung
This year, the spring festival at Keo Pagoda lasted for five days, from February 1st to 5th (the fourth to the eighth day of the first lunar month), featuring a variety of unique cultural activities.
Apart from the highly anticipated pen-touching ceremony, visitors to the pagoda during this time also had the opportunity to participate in vibrant festivities such as drum performances, water puppet shows dedicated to the saints, boat singing competitions, and fire-starting and rice-cooking contests, among others.
Visitors lined up to receive blessings and calligraphy at the pen-touching ceremony. Photo by Nguyen Trong Cung
Nguyen Trong Cung, a local photographer who has visited Keo Pagoda many times during the Lunar New Year, shared that it is one of the most representative and ancient spiritual architectural works in Thai Binh province, and even in the whole Northern region of Vietnam.
The pagoda boasts a serene and peaceful landscape. Not only during the Lunar New Year but also on regular days, it attracts visitors seeking tranquility and a sense of calm.
The peaceful scenery of Keo Pagoda in the early days of the New Year of the Dragon, 2025. Photo by Nguyen Trong Cung
According to archived documents, the construction of Keo Pagoda began in 1630 and was completed in 1632. The entire complex covers an area of approximately 58,000 square meters and consists of several distinct architectural clusters.
Centuries later, Keo Pagoda still preserves almost intact the typical Vietnamese architectural style of the Le Dynasty, featuring gracefully curved roofs, lim wood pillars, and intricately carved dragon-adorned doors.
In 2012, the Keo Pagoda complex was recognized as a Special National Relic. Photo by Tuyen Parafu
The current architectural ensemble of the pagoda includes 17 structures with 128 compartments built in the style of “internal work, external country.” The most prominent feature is the 11-meter-high bell tower with three layers of roofs and a structure made of stacked mountain-shaped blocks.
The bell tower’s wooden frame is intricately joined without the use of nails, supporting 12 tiled roofs with 12 gracefully curved ridges.
The bell tower is a distinctive architectural feature of Keo Pagoda. Photo by Tuyen Parafu
Beyond its impressive architecture, Keo Pagoda also houses 197 artifacts and antiques associated with its history, dating from the 17th century to the present. Among these, two unique National Treasures stand out: a pair of dragon-carved doors and a fragrant altar.
At the beginning of the year, visitors to Keo Pagoda can also explore other spiritual sites in Thai Binh, such as Am Vo Pagoda (Phong Chau commune, Dong Hung district), Tran Temple (Tam Duong village, Tien Duc commune, Hung Ha district), Tien La Temple (Tien La village, Doan Hung commune, Hung Ha district), and Dong Bang Temple (An Le commune, Quynh Phu district), to name a few.
Additionally, don’t forget to indulge in the local cuisine and specialties, including Quynh Coi fish soup, ‘bun bung’ (a traditional Vietnamese pork and vegetable stew), ‘goi nghech’ (a traditional Vietnamese dish made with snakehead fish and herbs), Thai Thuy jellyfish salad, and ‘banh gai’ (a sticky rice cake) from Dai Dong.
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