Temples in Vietnam. Buddhist temples in Vietnam

So the old year is coming to an end and a new year will come very soon, and with it, new year holidays... I think many are planning to go somewhere to rest during these holidays. Ideally, everyone tends, as a rule, to warm countries, to the sea, the sun and delicious, fresh fruit. We are also no exception, but going from St. Petersburg to the southeastern countries turns out to be too expensive, from Ulan-Ude it is much easier and less expensive. We had such an experience in 2012, we flew to Vietnam and celebrated the New Year 2013 there. Recently looking at photos, I found that a lot of useful and interesting information I can tell you about Vietnam and its attractions. It seems to me that now it will be more relevant and useful than ever. I will make a reservation that we went to Vietnam with a burning package tour, so it came out cheaper. We visited some excursions and places on our own, for example, an entertainment island, and saw some sights as part of a guided tour group. On first sightseeing tour there were three sights of Nha Trang:

1. Oceanarium in Nha Trang. In general, its full name is the National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam and it is organized on the basis of the Institute of Oceanography, founded in 1923. In principle, it is interesting and you can visit it, especially if you are with children. Of course, it cannot be compared with the Bangkok Aquarium, but the collection of marine life is huge and there is also interesting here. Some pets are under open air in pools, the other part in a room with aquariums. In another room, there is a whole collection of various fish and other marine life in alcohol. Each fish in its own jar is signed. There are also a couple of skeletons of marine life.

You can get to the aquarium by bus # 4 for 5000 VND from tourist area... It is necessary to leave near seaport... Address: 01 Cau Da. Or take a taxi. Speaking of taxi, it is not expensive 2-3 $ per 1 km, all are equipped with meters.

Opening hours of the aquarium: from 06.00 to 18.00, the cost of an admission ticket for an adult is 30,000 dongs, for children - 7,000 dongs.

2. Temple Long Son Pagoda (Temple of the White Buddha) is located in the city of Nha Trang, where we rested.

The temple is famous for being the main Buddhist temple in Khanh Hoa province, whose capital is Nha Trang. In the main building of the temple there is a bronze Buddha statue 1.6 m high and weighing 700 kg.

But the most remarkable thing is outside the walls of the temple, on the top of the hill - the statue of the White Buddha, which is 14 meters high. A staircase with 193 steps leads to the White Buddha. Climbing the 44 steps to the White Buddha, look at the statue of the Sleeping Buddha, pray, make a wish and rub the elbow of the Buddha.

On the feet of the Buddha is not a swastika, but a Buddhist symbol of perfection.

And on the way to the White Buddha, you will meet the Pagoda of Desires - this is a pagoda with a large bell. In order to make a wish and it came true, you need to climb under the bell, and at this time the monk reads a prayer and lightly strikes the bell. You feel quite unusual and interesting at the same time.

But now, finally, we are at the top of the hill and can fully contemplate the statue of the White Buddha. At the base of the statue, you will see the faces of seven monks who carried out an act of self-immolation in the name of preventing Buddhism from being eradicated in Vietnam. It's scary to even imagine such a thing! The White Buddha statue is really big, and inside the statue there is even a small temple that can accommodate only a few people. Unfortunately, we did not get there, as is the case with paid excursions, we were limited in time. By the way, right there at the top there is an observation deck with beautiful views of Nha Trang.

Attention! The entrance to the territory of the temple and to the White Buddha is free. Do not take or buy anything from locals who will approach you, just ignore and they will fall behind. Prices are too high, and what was supposedly free (usually sticks) will ask for a large sum at the exit. A local guide can also be attached, who will also extort money. In general, do not get fooled by these tricks and be vigilant.

How to get there and visit yourself.

It is not difficult to get to the temple from the tourist area, guided by the map, the journey will take about 30 minutes on foot. If you do not want to walk, you can take the same bus number 4 or take a taxi again

Opening hours of the temple: from 08.00 to 20.00, admission is free.

3. Cham Towers Po Nagar in Nha Trang.

The temple complex of Po Nagar dates back to ancient times, erected in the period from the 8th to the 13th centuries, during the time of the Cham state. The entire complex is made in Hindu style, consists of four towers, the largest of which is dedicated to the goddess Po Nagar, who taught people crafts and agriculture. The territory of the complex is beautifully decorated, offering panoramic views of the city.

There is also an exhibition hall, which displays photographs, exhibits telling about the history and work of preserving the Cham towers.
In addition to the flow of tourists, local residents still come here to pray. When entering the temples, you should take off your shoes, your shoulders should be covered with your knees. In one of the towers, as it turned out, local women ask the goddess for children. To do this, you need to rub the phallic symbol for a boy, and if you want a girl - its square base.

These robes are given out free of charge to those who have bare shoulders and knees.

In the foreground is the same phallic symbol 🙂

I do not advise you to go as part of an excursion group, it is too crowded and not enough time allotted. I recommend to go to the Cham Towers on your own, since the complex is located not far from tourist center cities.

How to get there and visit yourself.

The easiest way to get there is by taxi, it will cost about $ 2-3 one way. Economical - by bus, guess which one? Correctly number 4 for 5000 VND. Well, the most economical one is on foot, it will take about 1 hour to walk. Address: Nha Trang, 2 Thang 4.

Opening hours from 06.00 to 18.00, entrance to the complex costs 21,000 dong ($ 1).

I consider visiting Vietnam in winter the most optimal time of the year, as the weather ranges from 23-27 degrees, mostly cloudy and a cool breeze blows. To my mind ideal conditions to get acquainted with the sights of any country.

Here is a short video from the Nha Trang Oceanarium:

Temples of Vietnam on the tourist map of the country

The ancient city of Dalat is a treasure trove of temple architecture in Vietnam. The city is rich in sights. Among them are the most visited by tourists temples of vietnam: the Ngoi temple, called the temple of the Golden Buddha by the inhabitants of the country, and the Linh Phuok pagoda, built from fragments of broken dishes.

By the way, all the interior decoration of the pagoda also consists of the smallest pieces of porcelain. The city is a popular resort, so fascinating excursions to ancient shrines can be combined with a splendid rest in one of the hotels on the shores of the purest mountain lake Xuan Huong.

Nha Trang, no less popular among tourists, can also offer city guests a very interesting excursion program of visiting ancient Buddhist temples. The pagoda with nice name Long Son, where tourists from all over the world flock every year in search of real Asian exoticism. The pagoda has a distinctive feature that sets it apart from the long line of Buddhist temples in Vietnam.

There is a 38-meter snow-white statue of Buddha, which can only be reached by overcoming 150 steps steeply going up the mountain. There are others in the city interesting places.

For example, the Cathedral of St. Mary, built in the Gothic style and in stark contrast to the many Buddhist temples and pagodas.

The capital of the country, Hanoi, is a place of attraction for believers from all over the world. Indeed, in this ancient city there are about six hundred temples. Each of them has ancient history, each is unique in its own way. The most famous Vietnam Quan Thanh is located in Hanoi. According to ancient legend, it is he who protects the city from troubles and misfortunes.

Rules for visiting a Buddhist temple

Buddhism is one of the most democratic religions in the world. However, visiting Buddhist temples, nevertheless, you must follow a few simple rules:

Before entering the temple, you must take off your headdress and shoes.
Clothes, both for men and women, should not be too open.
It is not considered decent to stand with your back to the altar.
You should also leave the temple, turning your face to the shrines.

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Buddhist temples in Vietnam

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Vietnam is a country where representatives of many faiths coexist very well side by side. Often in Vietnamese cities within one square kilometer you can come across a Hindu temple, a Buddhist pagoda and a Catholic cathedral. This is not surprising, because in different time Vietnam was influenced by representatives of different nationalities and religions.

Buddhism in Vietnam

There is not much information about how Buddhism spread throughout Vietnam. According to information from Chinese sources, the first Buddhist preachers appeared in the northern part of the country (then it was part of the Chinese Han Empire) in the II-III centuries. Despite the fact that on this moment many of the Vietnamese are atheists who support only the cult of the spirit of the ancestors; Buddhist temples are never empty. Monks live in them, people come to perform rituals traditional for Buddhism. New beautiful pagodas are constantly being built, which attract not only local residents, but also tourists.

Buddhist temples occupy great place in the religious and spiritual life of the country. There are pagodas in cities and beyond. Often Vietnamese choose to build temples Beautiful places for example, mountains with magnificent viewpoints at the top, or building pagodas amid verdant rice paddies.

A feature of Buddhist temples in Vietnam is that the focus is on the statue of Buddha. It can be a fairly large-scale sculpture that can be seen from different parts of the city. Pagodas with large statues are usually the most attractive to tourists.

We want to tell you about several famous Buddhist temples in Vietnam located in different parts of the country.

One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi (Chùa Một Cột)

This very small pagoda is known throughout Vietnam. Despite its tiny size, many tourists come to the temple. Its peculiarity is that it really stands on one pillar in the middle of the lake in the center of the Vietnamese capital. In its shape, the pagoda resembles a lotus flower, which is the Buddhist symbol of purity. The temple was built in 1049 by the then emperor, to whom a bodhisattva appeared in a dream and gave the ruler a son. The pagoda has undoubtedly been restored during its thousand-year history. Nevertheless, this place still retains the strength and spirituality of the past centuries.

Linh Ung Pagoda in Da Nang (Chùa Linh Ứng)

This pagoda is located on a peninsula near the city of Da Nang. It is famous primarily for the huge statue of the goddess of mercy Kuan Am. In the European manner, she is called Lady Buddha. The statue can be seen from the city beach of Da Nang, and in order to get to its foot, you need to drive onto the peninsula and drive up the serpentine road. The height of the statue is 67 meters. And from the territory of the pagoda a magical view of the sea and the city of Da Nang opens.

Long Son Pagoda in Nha Trang (Chùa Long Sơn)

This pagoda is also famous mainly for the large white Buddha statue. The temple is located not far from the city center, so most tourists definitely come here. The white Buddha sitting in a lotus flower rises on a mountain, where a staircase leads to the floor of a hundred steps.

Temple on Mount Taku near Mui Ne resort

The place itself is very attractive for tourists. You can climb the mountain by cable car, from the cabins of which you can enjoy magnificent views. At the top is the famous reclining Buddha statue. It is to her that hundreds of pilgrims come to pray. By the way, they do not use the cable car, but go the hard way up the mountain on foot.

Chuk Lam Buddhist Monastery in Dalat (Thiền Viện Trúc Lâm)

This is a wonderful place by the lake, next to pine forest where the monks grow beautiful flowers and bonsai trees. If you get there, after a walk by the temple and flower beds, be sure to go down to the lake and enjoy the peace and quiet that reigns in the forest.

How to behave in a Buddhist temple

It is always worth showing respect for the religion of others. When entering the temples, you must cover your knees and shoulders. On hot days, you can take a light sweater or scarf with you. In some churches, special capes are issued at the entrance. Before entering the premises located under the roof, you must take off your shoes. In the halls of some temples there are signs prohibiting photography. This is extremely rare, but still, if you are faced with such a prohibition, it is better to refrain from taking photos. So this rule has its own reasons.

Visiting Vietnamese Buddhist temples, you will see that they are all similar in their atmosphere, but each of them is unique in its own way. It is especially good to come to the temples early, when there are still few tourists. Or choose to visit remote and uncrowded pagodas.

The Temple of a Thousand Faces Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn is an atypical temple located 27 km from Nha Trang. If you are an independent traveler and are thinking about what to do in Nha Trang, then a trip to this quiet, serene temple, buried among mountains, greenery and rice fields is definitely a great idea.

More about the temple

Important: as of February 2019, the temple is closed to the public. If you know that the temple is open now, please write in the comments!

I am completely indifferent to religious buildings. I do not admire them and do not agitate to visit. It seems to me that instead of pouring money into churches, schools and hospitals would be better repaired, instead of building another pagoda dedicated to a fictitious creature, they would better solve real problems.

Therefore, if at the beginning of our travels I also wrote about, then in recent years I have completely stopped mentioning them. But this time I'll make an exception, because in the vicinity of Nha Trang there are 2 religious buildings that are really worthy of mention: Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn and Tu Van (Chùa Từ Vân).

If about the Dragon's Labyrinth and the Pagoda Tu Van (Chùa Từ Vân), made of sea shells, you can easily find reports on the net (Russian tourists are taken there), then the Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn temple is almost unknown to the general public. Let's talk about him.

Construction of Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn (pronounced fap vien sun) began in 2006 and continues to this day. Styles of various religious movements (from Buddhism to Hinduism) are mixed in the design of the temple, so the temple does not have its own style, but it's funny that this is exactly what its charm is.

For example, a stone statue overgrown with moss (typical of Bali) is a symbol of tranquility, next to a screaming monk. Cool, isn't it?

Adorable baby elephant with mother sat next to Chinese dragons... Where else can you find this?

The temple is beautiful, elegant, completely new! And there is no one here except monks, monk students and rare tourists. Gorgeous.

Just look how cute: grandmother walks across the bridge over a pond full of red fish, and a disgruntled wooden grandfather with long eyebrows sits next to her.

Do you want a joke? IN In March 2017, friends, on my advice, took a taxi to this temple and even a taxi driver was there for the first time! Can you imagine how amazing this place is?

I managed to find a blog in Vietnamese, which says that until the author arrived in the Nha Trang area, he did not know anything about this place at all. And when I arrived, I realized that in narrow circles it was actually quite enough. famous place: there are benches everywhere with the names of Vietnamese singers, musicians and other popular personalities who donated funds for construction (in Asia, it is customary to write the names of donors on beautiful benches).

And yet, how the temple manages to hide from ordinary people for so long is not clear to me. Why is there still so little information about this place on the net? Some kind of mysticism.

What, at every step you can find temples where styles of different religions are mixed and there is even your own mini-version of Angkor Wat?

This is a photo of a real Angkor Wat:

Or are there mini versions of Vietnam's most popular landmarks everywhere? Here, for example, you can climb into a tiny copy of the famous Hanoi Pagoda on one pillar and pat the Golden Turtle on the head, the one that, according to legend, gave Le Loy the sword that defeated the Chinese armies.

Here is a photo of a real 1 Pillar Pagoda from Hanoi:

In general, Vietnam - amazing country, so many thousands of tourists seem to have come here, but little-known places still remain here. For example, few people know about, but it is not so close to Nha Trang, or about where you can feed crocodiles with giant pieces of meat, or about, or about - there are so many cool non-tourist places in Vietnam that you cannot visit for 1 vacation!

But back to the temple.

Despite the heat, it is very comfortable to be on the territory of the temple. Hidden in a charming grove, you sit and admire the views.

And what kinds!

The temple is surrounded rice fields, palm trees, hills and mountains.

The Temple has its own website and even Facebook page... Cool, when modern technologies are used, the bad thing is that all the texts there are only in Vietnamese, and the Google translator translates from Vietnamese so-so. For example, the name Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn itself is translated by Google translator as Dharma Institute in the context of some phrases. I don’t know about you, but for me this translation is clearly associated with the Dharma Initiative (hello to the recently revised Lost) :)

A monk's disciple goes about his business:

And we, meanwhile, are resting in the attic. It is not tidied up here, unlike other places of the temple, where there is perfect cleanliness. But this is even good. Atmospheric.

Pilgrims often visit the "Land of Buddha" (as they call this place). I hope I was able to convince you that the Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn temple is worthy of visiting not only pilgrims, but also ordinary mortals. Come before the place is super popular. It's great here! And admission is free.

How to get there

The secluded temple Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn is located 27 km west of Nha Trang.

Exact coordinates: 12.31015, 109.01922

You can get there by taxi (), a motorcycle taxi or a rented motorbike. Renting a bike in 2017 costs about 120,000 VND per day if you take it from a hotel or 100,000 VND if you take it on the street. Read about

There is no escape from visiting numerous temples and Buddha statues in Vietnam, so we still visited a couple of temples there.

True, I can't say that what attracted my attention there was something that should have attracted a normal tourist :)

On the other hand, it's quite a Buddhist approach! :)

As always, ignoring the theoretical part of the excursion deafening (yes, yes, I am very sorry and do not promise to improve at all!), I wondered if Mr. Shenderovich posed for the author of this sculpture of a monk returning from Tibet with one shoe, it looks very suspiciously like: )

Vietnamese temples are happy to accept donations.
And if not a donation was made, but donation, then the name of the donor can be immortalized with an inscription on a bench standing in the alleys near the temple.
It is in such a simple way that some Lyagusha Vladimir and Myakov (or Mayakov? :)) Alexei from Moscow became famous :)

The Vietnamese love only Buddha more than dragons. With huge heads, eyes and teeth :)
Fairy-tale characters, in the image of which the Vietnamese pushed at the same time deer antlers, a lush mustache and a sword-shaped tail :) well, right, but there is always someone to scare children with :)

Most Vietnamese Buddhas smile very affectionately and kindly.
All of them moderately well-fed men in their prime are depicted as plump and eared.
Although the Buddha's right leg sticking out from under the belly embarrassed me in the first moment ... :)

Local stamens and pistils. Ah, I would have known then that I would not return in the spring, but in the mockingly provided by the heavenly office of the opportunity to kick the snowmen for the fifth month in a row, I would sit in the pool all the time, emerging only for a meal and cocktails!

A powerful propeller was discovered on the rear facade of the Buddha.
I thought the ancient Vietnamese invention for teleportation turned out to be just a highlight, designed to inspire awe of the greatness of the Buddha.

Cheerful striped flags are a symbol of Buddhist faith and peace.
The six colors of the flag symbolize the six colors of the aura emitted by the Buddha when he “caught” enlightenment.

The counterclockwise swastika on the Buddha's chest is a symbol of perfection.
According to legend, the swastika was imprinted on the heart of the Buddha. Her image is placed on the hearts of initiates after their death.

But, as always, I see something of my own everywhere - IMHO, this is a spitting image of Lenin, broadcasting from an armored car :)
And with a very elegant make-up :)

Vietnamese dragons are the personification of goodness, well-being, everything positive ... and the dream of any dentist.

Feyshuy garden. All Vietnamese sculptures are extremely symbolic and mythological, so for tourists who do not want to clog their brains, it is better to walk in such places without delving into symbols and meanings, otherwise a visit to each place will take at least 3-5 hours :)

Buddha in front. The lotus in the hands of the Buddha is an indispensable attribute of peaceful Buddhist deities.
Legends say that at the moment of the Buddha's birth, a plentiful rain of lotuses poured from the sky, and a huge lotus grew wherever his foot went.
"Buddha Flower" serves as a reminder of the impermanence of all things, blooming for only two or three days.

Our next goal was the Truk Lam pagoda, located on the territory of a very beautiful reserve.
Green guard dogs met us there ...

And delightfully manicured gardens and lawns :)
True, even if a romantic mood suddenly floods over you, you will pick such a fig flower from a flower bed without the risk of leaving in plaster :)

The monastery was built in just a year in 1994. Monks and nuns, local Buddhists and followers of this religious movement from other countries were involved in its construction.

I caught an intimate moment in the frame.
As I understand it, if you climb into the bell and make a wish, it will certainly come true.
Such fun does not work with me, so I passed by, not our method! :)

The territory of the temple is huge - more than 11 hectares. It contains the temple itself, the school of Buddhism, male and female cells, a house for pilgrims, a huge garden and cable car on the observation deck with an exit to the city, through which we, in fact, got here.

A lost penguin mimicking an urn :)

Inside Buddhist temples, it is customary to cover the shoulders and knees, and take off your shoes when entering the temple. We were warned about the rules in advance, so there was no need to blush or politely stomp at the entrance, stretching your neck :)

For the sake of curiosity, we went to the temple, watched the mystery of the "business process" of the minister of the temple, they did not torture him with requests for posing, although they heard that the monks did not refuse such requests.

I took a good moment, when there were no crowds around, and took a photo of the pagoda.
It is immediately noticeable that the architecture is modern - everything is done extremely simply and concisely.

The monks living here take care of the cleanliness and improvement of the territory themselves.

In addition to the gorgeous views, the general atmosphere of peace and harmony, the gently ringing music of the wind, there are ponds, fancifully trimmed bushes and bonsai, and sometimes you can even meet walking monks and nuns in bright orange or blue robes.

Locals love to get out here for picnics and romantic dates.

And this is one of the houses where monks and pilgrims live. The entrance to this territory is fenced off and tourists are prohibited, so I had to be content with a view from afar :)

It must be admitted that the chosen place for the temple is surprisingly beautiful - in a pine forest at an altitude of 1.5 thousand meters above sea level. From the park near the temple, a crazy view of the lake lying as if underfoot opens up.

You will be in those parts, do not forget to take a pleasant companion with you, something tasty to eat and a cool drink, make yourself comfortable in one of the gazebos overlooking the lake, and sunbathe, let the whole world wait! (C)

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