Top 10 Famous Pagodas in Vietnam

Vietnam has many famous pagodas; some of them have existed for more than 1000 years. They not only have a direct link to the locals’ religious life but also become attractive destinations for many tourists from around the world. Now, let’s discover the top 10 famous Pagodas in Vietnam with us, as below.

1. Bai Dinh Pagoda

About 100km north of Ha Noi, Bai Dinh Pagoda is located at the western gate of Hoa Lu Citadel – a Historic vestige. Covering more than 500 ha and located in Hamlet 6, Tay Hoa Lu Ward, Ninh Binh Province, Bai Dinh nestles amidst Trang An Eco-tourism Complex. Here is a cluster of Buddhist architectural structures, consisting of new, giant, and imposing temples in the newly built Bai Dinh Pagoda area, which stand alongside ancient and respected shrines in the ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda area.

The first feeling upon setting foot in Bai Dinh Pagoda is likely being overwhelmed by the vast mountain scenery, the impressive scale and architecture of the complex, and the sacred atmosphere. Bai Dinh Pagoda is divided into 2 areas:

• The ancient pagoda area (Bai Dinh Co Tu) was built by Zen master Nguyen Minh Khong in 1136. After thousands of years, ancient relics are still preserved quite intact, such as Light Cave – Dark Cave, the temple of Cao Son, Saint Nguyen, and Jade Well.
• The new pagoda area was built in 2003, featuring impressive architectural works typical of Vietnamese Buddhist culture, such as the Tam Quan gate (Triple Gate), Stupa, 500 lively monolithic green-stone Arhat statues, a cultural park, and a Buddhist academy.

Since its construction, Bai Dinh Pagoda has set many records in Vietnam and Asia, including the largest gold-plated bronze Buddha statue in Asia, the longest Arhat corridor in Asia, the tallest and heaviest Shakyamuni Buddha statue in Asia, and the largest bronze bell in Vietnam.

The most suitable time to travel to Bai Dinh Pagoda is from January to March of the lunar calendar when the spring weather is still cool. You can combine spring sightseeing, pagoda ceremonies for good luck, and participating in major festivals in both Trang An and Bai Dinh.

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2. Con Son Pagoda  

The highlight of the relic site is Con Son Pagoda, which reflects Vietnam’s historical, cultural, and religious value. Vinh Phong reports. Con Son Pagoda, also known as Hun Pagoda, is located at the foot of Con Son Mountain. It was built in the 10th century and was expanded in the 13th century during the Tran dynasty. The pagoda consists of a front hall, an incense-offering hall, an upper hall, and an ancestor-worshipping hall. The upper hall worships the Buddha and features a 3-meter statue.

In the ancestor-worshipping hall, there are statues dedicated to King Monk Tran Nhan Tong, Venerable Monk Phap Loan, the second founder of the Truc Lam Zen sect and his successor Huyen Quang, high-ranking mandarin Tran Nguyen Dan, and national hero Nguyen Trai.

There are two annual festivals held at Con Son Pagoda. The spring festival takes place from the 16th to 23rd of the lunar January to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Venerable Monk Huyen Quang.

The festival includes many rituals, a water procession, a worshiping ceremony, a prayer ceremony, wrestling, human chess, and Quan Ho folk singing. The autumn festival is held from the 16th to 20th of the 8th lunar month to mark the death anniversary of national hero Nguyen Trai. Participants take part in ceremonial singing, requiems, lantern festival, swimming, and wrestling competitions.

3. One Pillar Pagoda

How can a list of beautiful temples in Vietnam lack the One Pillar Pagoda – the temple with the most unique architecture in Asia? One Pillar Pagoda is located in the park behind Ong Ich Khiem Street in Ba Dinh Ward and has long been a symbol of the Capital in both architecture and spiritual life. Therefore, the pagoda is a unique and sacred tourist destination that attracts many domestic and foreign tourists.

The pagoda is like a lotus floating on the water, a harmonious combination of architecture and creative stone sculpture. The details are carved with bold Vietnamese cultural symbols, harmoniously interwoven to create a picture that is preserved and archived to this day. 

One Pillar Pagoda was first built in 1049 during the reign of Emperor Ly Thai Thong. According to legend, aging Emperor Ly Thai Tong, who had no children, often went to pagodas to pray to Buddha for a son. One night, he dreamed that he was granted a private audience with Buddha. Months later, when the queen gave birth to a male child, the king ordered the construction of a pagoda with only one pillar to resemble the lotus seat of his dream in honor of the Buddha.

The pagoda is open from 7:00 – 18:00. On the first or full moon days, One Pillar Pagoda will hold worship ceremonies for Buddhists and for people to offer incense.

Reference price: Free visit 

4. Tran Quoc Pagoda

Located on an islet in West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda is one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam. Its construction was under King Ly Nam De (544-548). Standing at one end of Thanh Nien Road, one can see the towers of the pagoda rising above the lake’s surface.

The pagoda’s highlight architectural work is the lotus stupa built in 1998. The large stupa has 11 floors, 15 m high. Each floor of the tower has 6 arched doorways, each housing a precious stone statue of Amitabha Buddha. The top of the tower has a 9-story lotus platform also made of precious stones.

This stupa is built symmetrically with the Bodhi tree – extracted from the original tree in Boh Gay where Buddha meditated and attained enlightenment, given by the President of India – Mr.Rajendra Prasad when he visited Hanoi in 1959. Also, a stele dating to 1639 recounts the history of this pagoda.

5. Huong Pagoda (Perfume Pagoda)

Huong Pagoda is a cultural and religious complex in Vietnam that includes many Buddhist Pagodas, Temples, and shrines associated with agricultural beliefs.

The center of Huong Pagoda is located in Huong Tich Cave on the right bank of the Day River, in Huong Son Commune, Hanoi. The heart of this pagoda complex is Huong Pagoda, located in Huong Tich Grotto, also known as Trong Pagoda (The Inside Pagoda).

Huong Tich Cave is the most beautiful and famous cave in the area. It was discovered more than 2000 years ago. In the middle of the cave is a statue of Bodhisattva Kuanin. Surrounding the statue are stalagmites resembling golden trees, silver trees, cocoons, hillocks, and a group of nine dragons. Visitors can trek up or take the cable cars from Thien Tru Pagoda to Huong Tich Cave.

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6. Dai Tong Lam Pagoda

Dai Tong Lam Tu Pagoda is an imposing relic located in Phu My Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. The sanctuary is an ideal place to indulge in sacred tranquility.

Built in 1958 on 100 hectares, the pagoda has a statue garden, a tower, and a sanctum. The highlight of the pagoda is the 17-meter-high statue of Bodhisattva standing on a dragon head. The two-story sanctum, built in 2002, is 91 meters long and 46 meters wide.

In front of the sanctum is a statue of Maitreya Buddha carved from a granite rock from Khanh Hoa Province. The rock weighs 40 tons and is 5.1 meters in height. The statue holds the Vietnamese record for the country’s largest granite Buddha statue.

The second floor is dedicated to the worship of nine granite Buddha statues. The surrounding walls are carved with 10,000 small Buddha statues; each 0.25 meters wide and 0.3 meters high. It also holds a Vietnamese record as the country’s largest sanctum.

The pagoda is renowned for its statue garden, which features 48 statues, including an 18-meter Buddha Amitabha.

7. Keo Pagoda

Keo Pagoda is located in Dung Nhue village, Vu Tien Commune, approximately 18km south of Thai Binh Ward. The full name of this pagoda is Tran Quang Pagoda. It is one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam, which is nearly 400 years old.

Keo Pagoda still retains its unique, ancient architecture after such a long time. The architectural arrangement of the pagoda follows the style “tien Phat Hau Thanh” (the front is dedicated to the Buddha and the back to deities). At present, the pagoda preserves many valuable votive objects. In its back sanctuary, there is a statue of Zen Master Khong Lo, made of aloewood in 1094, several ancient statues from the Le Dynasty, and ancient porcelain objects.

8. Giac Lam Pagoda

The Giac Lam Pagoda, also known as Cam Son Pagoda, is located at 565 Lac Long Quan Street, Bay Hien Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. It is one of the oldest pagodas of this city and the center of the Rinzai school in the Southern Region of Vietnam. It is built in the shape of the Kanji Character “San” (meaning “Three”), including the main hall, lecture hall, and two food-service buildings. Along both sides of the main hall are two collections of 18 Arahants (a big one and a smaller one).

There are 133 statues made of precious wood, which are skillfully lacquered and gilded. All the statues, chairs, tables, antique grave towers, etc., are skillfully sculpted by talented artists.   

On spring days, Giac Lam Pagoda welcomes thousands of pilgrims and foreign tourists who come to pray for peace and happiness and to contemplate the pagoda’s antique beauty.

9. Linh Phuoc Pagoda Da Lat

This is the most special pagoda in Vietnam, situated in Lam Dong Province. It attracts a large number of tourists who come to observe its unusual architecture. The whole pagoda is covered with fragments of porcelain and bottles, creating a strange and impressive appearance.

Upon visiting Linh Phuoc Pagoda, tourists’ first impression must be the beautiful appearance of the 7-floor tower, the highest pagoda tower in Vietnam. Legend has it that when the tower was completely built, there was a shining halo appearing on its top in several days.

Another highlighted feature of this pagoda is the Long Hoa Vien, a 49-meter-long dragon that winds around the statue of Maitreya Buddha. The fins of this dragon are made of 12 000 fragments of beer bottles. Beneath this wonderful work lies a beautiful lake with artificial mountains.

On the other hand, the Statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva is also a highlight of Linh Phuoc Pagoda. This statue is made of thousands of golden everlasting daisies to mark the Da Lat Flower Festival in 2011.

10. Linh Ung Pagoda

A beautiful pagoda in Da Nang that anyone who comes to the coastal city should visit at least once, Linh Ung Son Tra Pagoda is located on But Beach on the Son Tra Peninsula, with an impressive, mountain-like terrain facing the sea. The pagoda is renowned for its sacredness among indigenous people, so it is both a tourist destination to enjoy the scenery and a spiritual place for people to pray for peace and good fortune.

Although the pagoda is 10km from the city center, from afar you can easily see the silhouette of Linh Ung Pagoda in Son Tra with the tallest statue of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in Vietnam (67m high, 35m lotus diameter, equivalent to a 30-story building), majestic in the middle of the mountain.

The pagoda has a simple architecture, combining a contemporary style with the inherent tradition of pagodas in Vietnam, featuring a curved dragon-shaped roof and solid pillars surrounded by sophisticated, sinuous dragons. After going up the stairs of Tam Quan gate, you will see the Main Hall at the other end of the large yard. The pagoda grounds, in addition to Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, feature rows of Arhat statues, a 9-story Xa Loi tower, and Buddha statues seated beneath cool green trees.

You can visit and sightsee Linh Ung Pagoda at any time of the year. However, if you come to the temple on the full moon day, Buddha’s Birthday, Vu Lan, or Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be more bustling festivals and activities.
Reference price: Free visit

Conclusion

Vietnam has many pagodas throughout the country. If you follow Buddhism, this would be a great chance when traveling to Vietnam to admire and learn about the history and culture, and enjoy the peace at these pagodas.