“Lost and forgotten, yet still whispering secrets,” muttered an old woman, her eyes fixed on Chùa Bảo Ân. “This temple, Chùa Bảo Ân, it remembers.” We stood before the remnants of Chùa Bảo Ân, a poignant echo of Hanoi’s rich past. Once a grand structure, it was tragically demolished in 1888 to make way for the Hanoi Post Office. Constructed around 1842 under the Nguyễn Dynasty, Chùa Bảo Ân, also known as Liên Trì Pagoda or Quan Thượng Pagoda, was a sprawling complex. It boasted 180 compartments and 36 peaks, a testament to its architectural complexity. Its grounds, nearly 100 mẫu, were filled with lotus ponds, giving it the name Liên Trì, meaning “Lotus Pond”. It was also called Quan Thượng, as King Nguyễn Đăng Giai was referred to as Cụ Thượng. The temple’s destruction was a consequence of French colonization. In 1885, after the French had solidified their control over Vietnam, they initiated land reallocation projects in Hanoi. Governor-General Jean-Marie de Lanessan ordered the demolition of houses around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, including Chùa Bảo Ân. The only surviving vestige of Chùa Bảo Ân is the Hòa Phong Tower, standing silently beside Hoàn Kiếm Lake on Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street. It serves as a poignant reminder of a temple lost to time, a whisper of Hanoi’s forgotten grandeur.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to