Decorative Art at Hoi Khanh Pagoda Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam: Characteristics and Values
Decorative art at Southern Vietnamese temples is an important element in the structure of Vietnamese Buddhist art, reflecting the cultural, spiritual, and aesthetic values of the community. Hoi Khanh Temple, located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (formerly Binh Duong province), built in 1741, is one of the typical Buddhist structures with a rich system of decorative patterns, influenced by traditional Vietnamese art, Chinese, Cham, and Indian cultures, and the Mahayana Buddhist art of the Southern region. This study aims to analyze the sculptural characteristics, aesthetic value, cultural significance, and artistic symbols in the decorative patterns at Hoi Khanh Temple, based on the integration of theoretical foundations from aesthetics, art history, semiotics, regional cultural studies, and theories of cultural exchange and transformation.
The research methodology includes field surveys, description, motif classification, sculptural analysis, regional comparisons, and the application of interdisciplinary methods between art history, ethnology, history, and cultural studies. The research results show that the decorative art of Hoi Khanh Pagoda possesses unique characteristics such as harmonious composition, exquisite carving techniques, widespread use of motifs of mythical creatures, flowers, and Buddhist symbols; and the localized cultural exchange creating a distinctive decorative style of the former Binh Duong region.
This research not only contributes to supplementing the theoretical basis of Southern Vietnamese Buddhist decorative art but also provides important documentation for heritage preservation and the promotion of traditional art values in the current context.