Truc Lam Tay Thien Monastery

Truc Lam Tay Thien Monastery is a major Zen Buddhist monastery of the Truc Lam Yen Tu school located in the Tay Thien scenic area in Dai Dinh Commune, Tam Dao District, Phu Tho Province (formerly Vinh Phuc). Built on the slopes of the Tam Dao mountain range, it is one of the three largest Truc Lam monasteries in Vietnam and serves as a center for Zen practice, pilgrimage and sightseeing amid pine forests.

Visitors can expect a large, tranquil Zen monastery complex set in pine forest on the mountainside. The site includes the main worship hall (Dai Hung Bao Dien), drum and bell towers, meditation halls, courtyards, statues and landscaped gardens with mountain views. Paths and stairways connect buildings within a forested setting. The monastery is part of the broader Tay Thien pilgrimage area and is accessible on foot or via the nearby Tay Thien cable car system.

The monastery was constructed from 2004 and inaugurated in 2005 as part of the revival of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen school founded by King Tran Nhan Tong in the 13th century. It was built within the historic Tay Thien sacred area, traditionally associated with National Mother Lang Thi Tieu and long regarded as a pilgrimage site, and developed as a national center for Zen study and practice.

The monastery is an important contemporary center of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism and a key pilgrimage destination within the Tay Thien cultural and religious complex. It hosts meditation retreats, Buddhist ceremonies and the annual Tay Thien Festival (15th day of the 2nd lunar month), attracting pilgrims and visitors for spiritual practice and cultural sightseeing.