Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City
TP. Hồ Chí Minh(Chùa Vĩnh Nghiêm (Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh))

Overview & history
Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda (Chùa Vĩnh Nghiêm; literally Ever Solemn) is a pagoda in an area of 6,000 square metres (65,000 sq ft) at 339, Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa street, Ward 7, District 3 Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first pagoda in Vietnam to be built in Vietnamese traditional architecture style but with concrete. The highest structure in this pagoda is the 7-story, 40-metre-high (130 ft) tower. This pagoda houses and worship of one buddha and two bodhisattvas: Gautama Buddha, Manjusri, Samantabhadra. The Peace Bell was donated by a monk of Entsuji Temple in Fukushima, Japan. The seven-storey tower was built with the assistance of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association.
History
In 1964, two monks, Thích Tâm Giác and Thích Thanh Kiểm, who had come to South Vietnam from North Vietnam to spread Buddhism, began the construction of Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda. The model and namesake of the pagoda was the 11th century Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda in Đức La Village, Trí Yên Commune, Yên Dũng District, Bắc Giang Province, which dates the reign of Lý Thái Tổ during the Lý dynasty. The village was once a major center of Buddhist teaching and the Trúc Lâm sect of Vietnamese Buddhism.
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: 10.79040, 106.68200
🧭 Directions on Google MapsReferences
- Vietnamese Wikipedia
- English Wikipedia
- http://www.vinhnghiemvn.com/
- http://www.vtv.vn/vi-vn/VTV3/sacmau/2004/8/23812.vtv
- http://www.vnn.vn/xahoi/doisong/2005/05/426653/
- http://www.sgtt.com.vn/cacsobaotruoc/517_19/p06_holuicongchua.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014758/http://www.vtv.vn/vi-vn/VTV3/sacmau/2004/8/23812.vtv
- https://web.archive.org/web/20070321180048/http://www.vnn.vn/xahoi/doisong/2005/05/426653/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20050524210523/http://www.sgtt.com.vn/cacsobaotruoc/517_19/p06_holuicongchua.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20070308025950/http://vinhnghiemvn.com/