Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | History, Architecture

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City Overview

Located in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is the largest Mahayana pagoda in the city and the first one to incorporate traditional Vietnamese elements in a concrete structure. The temple is dedicated to Gautama Buddha and two bodhisattvas, and features a large Buddha statue surrounded by wooden carvings of the sacred animals - dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix.

Covering an area of 6000 sq metres, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is the largest Mahayana Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City. It is the first traditional Vietnamese style pagoda to be built with concrete. This pagoda is visited by a large number of people to pray and seek blessings of Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama and Samantabhadra. Since the complex was built by Japan Vietnam Friendship Association, a beautiful Japanese style Buddha statue can also been seen in the pagoda. This statue is surrounded by two goddesses and wooden carvings of the four sacred animals including unicorn, dragon, tortoise and phoenix.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda Architecture

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam — Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is a Mixture of Vietnamese and Japanese
Architecture (Source)

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is a mélange of traditional Vietnamese architecture and modern Japanese architecture. This pagoda has two floors, with the ground floor being where people gather to worship the idols and the top floor is the sanctuary. A building built adjacent to this pagoda acts as a home and classrooms to the temple's monks and nuns. A four storey tower, with a height of 25 meters, devotee relic is located behind the pagoda. A majestic 40 meters tower called Kwan-Yin is also located in the complex. It is the tallest tower among Vietnam Buddhist Association.

Viet Chay
A restaurant serving vegetarian food is located inside the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda complex where one can enjoy scrumptious food after exploring the pagoda.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda History

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda Altar — Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Built in 1970, is the Largest
Mahayana Buddhist Temple in Vietnam (Source)

In 1964, two monks, Thich Tam Giac and Thich Thanh Kiem, arrived from the North to spread Buddhism. Soon after the construction of a pagoda was started. It was designed by Nguyen Ba Lang. The Pagoda was based on the model of 11th century Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Bac Giang Province and hence was named the same. The construction of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda took seven years and was finished in 1971.

How to Reach Vinh Nghiem Pagoda

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is located on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street near the centre of the city. You can easily reach here by either hiring a taxi or a motorbike.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda Dress Code

Make sure that you are modestly dressed while visiting the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, as it is a sacred and respected place.

Best Time to Visit Vinh Nghiem Pagoda

The best time to visit the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is on the Vietnamese New Year (Tet) or the 15th of every month to witness the beauty of it completely. A large number of people flock to the pagoda during this time to pray for luck, happiness and safety.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is a pristine temple with a lot of historic significance that makes it a must visit. The positivity and piousness of this temple will definitely make for a wonderful visit.