Hội Sơn Pagoda
TP. Hồ Chí Minh(Chùa Hội Sơn)
Overview & history
Hội Sơn Pagoda was established from the early 17th century to the mid-21st century as an ancient pagoda located in Ho Chi Minh City, at 1A1 Nguyễn Xiển Street, Long Bình Ward, District 9 (now Thủ Đức City). This is one of the oldest pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City, with a history of up to 300 years. In July 2012, an unfortunate incident occurred when this ancient pagoda was destroyed by fire.
History
Hội Sơn Pagoda is situated on a hill 15 metres above sea level, built by Zen Master Khánh Long in the 17th century. The pagoda still preserves many rare and precious antiques such as a horizontal lacquered board presented by King Khải Định, ancestral tablets, altars, ancient statues, and more. In 1993, the pagoda was classified as a national architectural and artistic monument; it was officially recognised as a national architectural and artistic heritage site in 1993.
Fire
At 9:30 pm on the night of 17 July 2012, the pagoda lost power. Nearly an hour later, many people reported that the main hall had caught fire. As the pagoda is located on a high hill and there was a power outage, firefighting on site was difficult. The entire main hall, covering more than 300 square metres and made of wood, was quickly engulfed in flames. Firefighters extinguished the blaze; although there were no human casualties, the entire main hall collapsed. More than 30 ancient Buddha statues, 15 altars, hundreds of sets of scriptures, the donation box, and many worship items were burned to ashes, and the bronze bell was split in two by the fire. All the scriptures in the main hall were completely destroyed by fire. The Buddha statues were reduced to charcoal; most of the statues in the pagoda were made of wood, with only a few made of stone, so they were easily incinerated. Many wooden Buddha statues hundreds of years old, bronze bells, scriptures, and other items in the main hall were destroyed.
Photos
📷 Contribute photosVisiting tips
- Dress modestly; remove hats and keep quiet inside the main hall.
- Incense, flowers and offerings are usually sold right outside the gate; light an odd number of sticks (1 or 3).
- Most pagodas open from early morning to evening and are free to enter (some major sites charge a small scenic fee).
- Full-moon days, the 1st of the lunar month and Tet are very crowded; visit on weekday mornings for a quiet experience.
- Ask permission before photographing inside shrines; do not touch statues or altar objects.
Read more & references
Useful links to learn more before your visit:
Location
Coordinates: 10.87139, 106.84118
🧭 Directions on Google MapsReferences
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