Discover 6 must-visit temples in Ho Chi Minh City during Vesak Festival.

On the occasion of Vesak Festival, Mytour presents 6 most unique temples within downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Giác Lâm Temple – the oldest of its kind

Established in 1744, Giác Lâm Temple stands as one of the earliest temples in Gia Dinh land, constructed by the monk Ly Thuy Long, a Ming Hoa practitioner.

The architectural style of Giác Lâm Temple represents the essence of Southern temples, featuring a Tam-shaped layout with 98 supporting columns and housing 113 ancient statues made from various materials.

As the most renowned ancestral temple, Giác Lâm Temple preserves invaluable resources on history, culture, architectural art, sculpture, and religion, including horizontal lacquered boards, couplets, altars, ancient worship items... Notably, the set of Eighteen Arhats sculptures vividly illustrates the development of Buddhism in the South.

A remarkable feature of the decoration is that the temple has utilized nearly 7,500 carefully arranged plates along the two walls of the Western corridor, Buddha hall, ancestral tower, roof... and has been recognized by the Vietnam Record Center as the temple with the highest number of decorative plates in Vietnam.

Address: 118 Lac Long Quan, Ward 10, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda – Home to the tallest and most exquisite stone tower in Vietnam

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is the large and well-known temple of Ho Chi Minh City. The road in front of the temple once marked the final battle site of hero Nguyen Van Troi in 1964.

Additionally, the pagoda is recognized as having the tallest and most elaborate stone tower in Vietnam, with 7 floors, 14 meters high, inaugurated in 2003. The tower is built with dense stone carving art, elaborately crafted with patterns, and carvings covering every inch... all following the Ly - Tran cultural style.

Address: 339 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ward 7, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

Hoang Phap Pagoda – Famous for its summer retreat for teens

Hoang Phap Pagoda, renowned for attracting Buddhist followers to visit and participate in the most Buddhist retreats. Among them is a 7-day summer retreat, highly endorsed by teens.

Here, you learn how to take care of yourself, understand love, accept setbacks, and difficulties as essential. Within 7 days, all external connections are severed, teens must live in 'isolation' from family, no TV, no phones, no internet,...

The summer retreat is also a healthy spiritual environment, helping you balance material and spiritual life, dispel sorrows, build necessary baggage for the future, rediscover true life values. Buddhist teachings become lively thanks to the witty integration of the teachers. Strict rules such as bedtime, early wake-up... help teens 'detox' from computers. This retreat is entirely free of charge.

Address: Tan Hiep Commune, Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City.

Xa Loi Pagoda – Pagoda with the tallest bell tower in Vietnam

Xa Loi Pagoda is not only known for its magnificent architecture and scenery but also quite famous for historical evidence of Buddhists' struggle against the authoritarian regime of Ngo Dinh Diem's discrimination and religious oppression.

The top floor houses a 2-ton giant bell, with its famous resonating sound, known to many generations through the classic song 'The Bell of Xa Loi Pagoda' composed by songwriter Viễn Châu.

The pagoda was built to worship the benefactor Buddha so it was named Xa Loi Pagoda. Xa Loi Pagoda is the first pagoda in the city built in a new architectural style, with the upper part as a courtyard, and the lower part as a lecture hall.

The famous pagoda is home to the tallest bell tower in Vietnam consisting of 7 floors, 32 meters high, inaugurated in 1961.

Address: 89 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, Ward 7, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

Southern Heavenly First Pillar – One Pillar Pagoda in the South

Besides the extremely famous One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City also has a similar place. That's the 'Southern Heavenly First Pillar,' colloquially known as One Pillar Pagoda in the South, erected by Venerable Thich Tri Dung in 1958 and completed in 1977.

Southern Heavenly First Pillar adheres to the architectural model of the One Pillar Pagoda in Thang Long (One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi) but is shorter and smaller. From the three-gate entrance, Southern Heavenly First Pillar is erected amidst the Long Nhan Lake, with lotus flowers gently swaying on the water waves, creating both a familiar and pure space, as well as a serene atmosphere.

Furthermore, here you can also admire the 61 kg statue of Earth Store Bodhisattva cast in precious metal.

Address: 511 Dang Van Bi, Ward Binh Tho, District Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City.

Van Duc – Pagoda with the tallest main hall in Vietnam

The main hall of Van Duc Pagoda is 43.5 meters tall, making it the tallest main hall today. The construction took 2 years with over 60 builders to complete. Besides its aesthetic and solemn values, the construction also serves as a model for sculptural art in modern architecture.

Address: 23/4 To Ngoc Van, Ward Tam Phu, District Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City.

Source: Mytour Travel Guide – According to Tinmoi