The one pillar pagoda has into official name of "Nhat Tuc".

It locates in the street of the same name in the President’s Palace, the Ho Chi Minh Mauseleum and Museum.

According to old book, it was built in 1049 and named "Dien Huu" (long standing Happiness). It is legendary said that King Ly Thai Tong once dreamt that he was taken by the Goddess Bodhisatva to city on a lotus. His cabinet considered it as bad luck so they asked the King to build a pagoda as a lotus in the middle of Linh Chieu pond.

According to books, former pagoda had a large scale and the landscape was more beautiful.

The pond was surrounded by handrail. Outside, a pond named Bich Tri was dug and a curve bridge was made up to access. At both ends of bridge, towers were erected. In 1080, Queen Y Lan ordered to cast great bell. A stone 8 "truong" high (old Vietnamese measurement until) "phuong dinh" was built to hang the bell tens of tons in weight but the bell had bad sound so it was left at Quy Dien field. In the XV century, Ming aggressor broke the bell to cast bullet for cannon when they were encircled in Dong Qua (Hanoi) by Lam Son troop.

The former large one pillar pagoda had been rebuilt and restored many times. In 1954, before withdrawing from Hanoi, the French troop destructed the pagoda completely. Our state had it rebuilt imitating the former one. The architecture of pagoda is the successful combination of romantic imagination from lotus image and complete solution of wooden structure with system of hinge, tenon and especially, applying diagonal bar connecting pillar and floor that causes stability and beauty of curve of lotus, a peaceful coordination of roof and floor, symmetrically. Square pond under earth symbolized the earth (round sky, square earth), the pagoda presented a great idea "charity lights the people".

Additional architectural blocks comprising pond, trees, plants, create a familiar atmosphere and purification. Before breath taking landscape, our soul share, integrate in to sky, water and green plants to sweep sorrows away and gain a peace in soul.

[source:www.hanoi.gov.vn]