Dear Friend,
Thank you for your deep practice, for the many words of support you have sent us, and for your continued generosity.
With this email we humbly offer some updates on construction and renovation projects currently being planned or underway in Upper, Lower, and New Hamlets. At the same time, please know that we are in the very early stages of this campaign, and further improvements planned over the next few years will require additional, significant, and ongoing support.
UPPER HAMLET
Upper Hamlet will soon complete an important step in its pre-construction process: improved roads, electrical service, and rain water management. Additionally, construction permits will soon be filed for construction of two dormitory-style “garden houses” for lay guests. And the preliminary design phase will begin soon for the renovation of Dharma Breeze (used to house visiting monks) and Turtle Lodge (sometimes used to house volunteers).
Meanwhile, planning and consultation work is being done ahead of planned renovations in late summer for Harmony House, an old stone building that will provide 29 beds for retreatants and offer multi-use space (photo above).
LOWER HAMLET
While monastics deeply value silence, palpable joy greeted the rumble of diggers in January as they began to mindfully prepare the land in Lower Hamlet for construction of a seven-building communal hub (photo above). As with Upper Hamlet, this includes improvements of roads and paths, electrical service, and rain and wastewater management. The buildings, which should be completed in autumn 2027, will serve both lay guests and monastics and include a zendo, library, retreat activity spaces, classrooms, and other multi-use spaces.
As part of its commitment to support local artisans in the region, Plum Village is working with a local, family-run tile factory that has been in operation at the same location since the mid-18th century. The terracotta tiles, which are made of ethically and sustainably sourced clay, will be used on walkways and other outdoor areas around the buildings.
Additionally, work has begun on construction of three “Cherry Huts” that will add a total of 13 beds and six bedrooms for eventual use by retreatants. The structures should be completed this spring. Also expected to be completed this spring are four small, pre-fabricated “chalets” called “Poplar Huts” (below) that will each accommodate three beds and dedicated bathroom facilities.
Finally, preliminary work is being done ahead of rebuilding Purple Cloud, which housed nuns and included space for Thay when he visited Lower Hamlet. Purple Cloud was destroyed by fire early last year.
NEW HAMLET
Construction of the nunnery in New Hamlet is progressing steadily. The main structures are now in place, and work has moved to the interior finishing phase, including floors, walls, and installations (photos above and below). It’s an exciting milestone as New Hamlet—the youngest of Plum Village’s three hamlets—celebrates its 30th year in 2026.
New Hamlet works exclusively with local artisans whose expertise reflects generations of knowledge, allowing the hamlet to build in harmony with the region’s climate, materials, and natural environment.
A part of New Hamlet’s mission is the restoration of a traditional “séchoir,” rare architectural structures once used for curing tobacco and unique to this area of France. A construction permit application has been submitted to renovate one such séchoir that will serve as the home for beloved Sister Chan Khong (collage below: current building, rendering of future renovation, and Sister Chan Khong with other nuns). By restoring and repurposing this building, we preserve not only the physical structure, but also the cultural memory and craftsmanship they embody.
The New Hamlet sisters also aspire to build a new meditation hall, as the current hall is not large enough to accommodate retreatants during big retreats. The hamlet is working with architects to develop a thoughtful and well-integrated design plan.
YOGA LOVE: A PEER-TO-PEER FUNDRAISING SUCCESS STORY
 | When psychotherapist and yoga teacher Adelheid Rehmann (left) heard about the fire at Lower Hamlet’s Purple Cloud building in January 2025, she felt moved to help in some way. A practitioner in the Plum Village tradition, she spent last summer volunteering with the German children’s program in Lower Hamlet. Then, in the autumn, she offered an eight-session online yoga course through her Yogapsychologische Praxis (Yoga Psychology Practice) in Berlin, Germany. |
The program, titled “I Have Arrived, I Am Home,” would directly support construction of the nuns’ quarters in Lower Hamlet, with all proceeds going through the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation. In the end, 17 people took the course, contributing 1400€ to Lower Hamlet.
“I enjoyed Adele’s yoga class very much,” a client by the name of Juli wrote about the course afterward. “It is wonderful to do some good to your own body and mind while being able at the same time to contribute to the funding of Lower Hamlet’s new nunnery buildings simply by participating in the course. Fantastic idea.”
Thank you, Adelheid!
Are you interested in creating your own community fundraiser, such as a day of mindfulness, a community meal, or an alternative to gifts for your next birthday? Just click the button below, enter a description of your fundraiser, and choose a goal amount in your local currency. You’ll receive a unique fundraising link to share with friends.
None of this work would be possible without you, dear donor! Thank you for being there, and for helping ensure that Plum Village will continue to be a home for monastic and lay residents, training ground for aspirants, refuge for retreatants, laboratory for envisioning fresh ways to share the Dharma, and place of pilgrimage because of Thich Nhat Hanh’s indelible mark on this special place.
With gratitude,
The Plum Village Construction Team and the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation
