Announced on October 10 in Faridabad, India, pagoda was one of five records that Viet Nam put forward for the Asia Book of Records fields of culture – religion category. Others included "The largest bronze-made pagoda" (Chua Dong or Bronze Pagoda in Yen Tu Vestige in Quang Ninh Province); "Pagoda with the largest archive of timber-made Buddhist prayer books" (Vinh Nghiem Pagoda – Bac Giang Province); "The largest gold-inlaid bronze Goddess of Mercy statue" and "The largest gold-inlaid bronze Tam The (Buddha in the past, present and future) statue" (Bai Dinh Pagoda – Ninh Binh Province).
Built under the reign of Ly Thai Tong (1029-54), the One Pillar Pagoda was recognised as a national relic in 1962. It is one of the most important vestiges in Viet Nam, located on the complex of President Ho Chi Minh's Museum and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and attracts thousands of local and international visitors every year.
As its name suggests, the entire pagoda is set on a single stone pillar, evoking imagery of a lotus rising up from the water surface. Each side of the square-shaped pagoda is 3m long and its curved roofs crowned with the shape of two dragons flanking a moon.
Its rich architectural and cultural heritage, led the pagoda's designation as a national historic site in 1962. More recently, it was acclaimed as Viet Nam's most architecturally unique pagoda by the 2006 Vietnam Book of Records.
A representative of the Asia Book of Records will visit Viet Nam on October 27 to bestow the certificate to the Vietnam Book of Records