Ngoa Cuong Pagoda, a historical revolutionary relic in Quang Binh

Ngoa Cuong Pagoda is located on a fairly high hill in Ngoa Cuong village, Canh Hoa commune, Quang Trach district. Ngoa Cuong Pagoda, also known as Ngoa Linh Tu, was built around the 16th century, initially with simple bamboo and thatch. In 1860, the pagoda was rebuilt with solid, sturdy bricks by local people with contributions of labor and money. The pagoda is a place for local people to entrust their spirituality and aspirations for a prosperous, peaceful, and beautiful life.

Compared to other pagodas in the area, Ngoa Cuong Pagoda is not large but solid with very thick walls, some places are more than 1 meter thick. The roof of the pagoda is arched, inside are carved with many unique motifs. The pagoda gate has 2 parts: the gate and the tower. The roof of the gate is curved, around the gate and the tower are embossed images of dragons and phoenixes playing with clouds. The pagoda grounds are quite large, surrounded by a fence, but many sections have now collapsed.

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Ngoa Cuong Pagoda is not only a place to worship Buddha but also a place to mark typical revolutionary historical events during the period of Party establishment and resistance against French colonialism. Besides, the pagoda is also closely associated with the activities of Thanh Thuy – Ngoa Cuong Party Cell for a long time. From this pagoda, the first party members in Quang Trach district such as Cao Van Toan, Nguyen Van Huyen, Le An, Tran Dien… secretly ignited the revolutionary movement, from which it gradually spread and grew stronger, joining the revolutionary wave in Quang Binh, contributing to the General Uprising to seize power in the fall of 1945.

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, being an important area located on the Gianh River trough, and having Highway 12A passing through, Canh Hoa became one of the fierce bombardment targets of the US imperialists. Moreover, the commune had many places to hide goods, vehicles, and ferries safely and secretly. This was also the place where the 12.7mm anti-aircraft artillery position of the army and people of Quang Trach district was located. During this time, Ngoa Cuong Pagoda was also used as a place to hide weapons, food, provisions, weapons, and ammunition.

Therefore, the US imperialists continuously sent aircraft to bomb and plow day and night. Ngoa Cuong Pagoda was severely damaged. The Party Committee and people of Canh Hoa commune were determined to stay in the village to both produce and fight. The militia and guerilla forces of the commune proactively built battlefields, coordinating with battlefields of neighboring communes such as Tien Hoa, Chau Hoa, Mai Hoa. shot down 2 F4H aircraft of the US enemy and damaged many others.

On August 18, 2004, the People’s Committee of Quang Binh province issued Decision No. 2542 QD-UB recognizing Ngoa Cuong Pagoda as a provincial historical relic. Since then, the local government has also promoted the relic to help people understand more about the relic, and at the same time called on everyone to protect the precious heritage of their homeland. With the spirit of socialization among the entire population, promoting the spirit of revolutionary tradition and cultural tradition of the homeland, the government and people of Canh Hoa commune have invested in building a road connecting from Highway 12A to the relic.

From Highway 12A, the path to the pagoda stands out with two large dragons built with yellow-painted cement on both sides. The steps leading to the pagoda are paved with bricks, which are both beautiful and easy to walk. On both sides of the gate of Ngoa Cuong Pagoda, many types of trees such as frangipani, bo quan, etc. are also planted. This road will create favorable conditions for people and tourists to visit the pagoda. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, Ngoa Cuong Pagoda will be invested in to prevent deterioration for the following items, so that the historical revolutionary relic of Ngoa Cuong Pagoda will not only be protected and its value promoted, but also so that people near and far have a place to entrust their spirit, aspirations, and remember the ancestors who worked hard to create this heritage for future generations.