Pay a visit to five most famous pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City

 Ho Chi Minh City is well- known for its impressive architecture which includes some beautiful pagodas that exemplify the Oriental architectural style. Not only do Buddhist followers visit pagodas on important occasions as an ancient traditional habit, but world travelers also tend to visit them.

Important relics are kept in pagodas as the center of worship, and they also serve as publishing houses to promote Buddhist literature. The beliefs are expressed with stunning beauty and a great sense of aesthetic.

Here are some famous pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City tours:

1. Giac Lam Pagoda

Regarded as the oldest temple of Ho Chi Minh City, Giac Lam Pagoda is a place filled with tranquility among chaos of the city life. Charming natural scenery and unique architecture inside has turned the pagoda into one of the most alluring attractions in the city. The special highlight of the pagoda is the complex of towers built in the early 19^th century. These towers have been witnessing the development of Buddhism in the South.

Giac Lam pagoda has stored 118 statues which are the specific proof of inheriting, promoting and innovating new style in sculpting technologies in the South in the 18^th and 19^th century. You should have a look at a 49- Buddha oil lamp that fascinated tourists a lot.

Add: 118 Lac Long Quan, Ward 10, Tan Binh District, HCMC.

 

2. Vinh Nghiem Pagoda

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is known as the largest Mahayana pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, a center for Buddhist beliefs and practices, and one of the city’s most beautiful tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City. It was built in the ancient architectural style with modern techniques and materials, and thus this pagoda is one of the typical works for Vietnamese Buddhist architecture in the 20^th century.

The complex is an area of around 6000 square meters, made up of the pagoda itself as well as a-25-meter tower standing behind the pagoda. The pagoda has two floors- a sanctuary on the top floor and ground floor usually open to visitors.

There is a spacious courtyard in front of the building and the walls are decorated with scrolls of Jakata Tales.

The best reason to Visit Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is to witness one of the many celebrations the temple hosts. The area packed with people on important days, especially the lunar new year.

Add: 339 Nam Ki Khoi Nghia, District 3.

3. Jade Emperor Pagoda- Ngoc Hoang Pagoda

Built in 1892, the pagoda has a Chinese architectural style with brick decoration and colorful Yin- Yang style roof. The pagoda has approximately 100 statues made of cartridge- papers which are nearly 100 years old but still look new. There are two special fierce and menacing Taoist figures in the main building. Off different halls, the goddess of fertility Kim Hua, surrounded by figures of women and small children, blesses childless couples who pray for an offspring here. The goddess of mercy Kuan Yin, who forms a very important part of any Taoist temple, has an altar in a room on the top floor,

Emperor Jade Pagoda is a living and working shrine very much in use by the locals who come here to prayer or make votive offerings of flowers, and light candles and joss sticks.

Add: 73 Mai Thi Luu, Da Kao Ward, District 1, HCMC.

 

4. Hoang Phap Pagoda

Hoang Phap Pagoda was built in 1959 by Monk Ngo Chan Tu and was rebuilt in 1995 by Monk Thich Chan Tinh. Because of not being influenced by Chinese architectural culture, the pagoda is pure Vietnamese style, from the architecture to the red tiled roof to the name to the parallel sentences in the modern Vietnamese language.

In 2000, about 3000 followers descended upon the pagoda to study Buddhism and learn how to lead a meaningful life, and then Hoang Phap has become one of the famous pagoda in Vietnam where offers spiritual training and scholarly documents.

Hoang Phap runs training courses in the summer to teach children how to behave with their friends, relatives and neighbors and how to express their love and gratitude to their parents, not to mention monthly courses for cancer victims and the vision- impaired who use the teachings of the Buddha to overcome misfortunes.

 

5. Xa Loi Pagoda

Xa Loi Pagoda is known as the largest pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City and the headquarters of Buddhism in the South of Vietnam. The famous highlight is its tallest bell tower in Vietnam having two tone bells on the top.

During the Buddhist crisis in 1963, when monks and supporters campaigned against the tyranny of the US supported regime Ngo Dinh Diem, Xa Loi Pagoda became the epicenter of the struggle in Saigon.

The main hall of the pagoda is located on the upper level. Women use the staircase to enter the main hall and men use the stairs on the left.

Add: 89 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan St, District 3, HCMC.

More Ho Chi Minh city tours by Kim Travel