Visiting the temples and pagodas in the beginning of the year is a beautiful custom of the Vietnamese. Along with the aim of praying, it is also a chance for people to go sightseeing and enjoy the spring. The following pagodas and temples in Hanoi attract a large number of tourists in the capital that most visitors cannot ignore in the spring days.
Quan Su Pagoda (No. 73 Quan Su Street, Hoan Kiem District): The history witness of Buddhism in Vietnam
Built from the reign of King Le The Tong, Quan Su Pagoda today are more than 500 years old. Served as the headquarter of Buddhism, the pagoda has witnessed many historical events of the Buddhism in Vietnam. The typical event is the unity of Buddhism in Vietnam and the integration of Buddhism in the country with the world. In the freezing air of the first month of the new year, walk through the entrance gate and 11 steps, guests will enter a historical, dignified as well as peaceful space, and admire the parallel sentences written entirely in the national language and pray for a new year of peace and happiness.
Quan Thanh Temple (Quan Thanh Street, Ba Dinh District): Everlasting existence in the mind of the Vietnamese
Along with Bach Ma Temple, Voi Phuc Temple, and Temple Kim Lien, Quan Thanh temple has become one of the “Four towns of Thang Long”, the four most sacred temples of the city. This place locates a copper statue of the god Huyen Thien Tran Vu who was respected in the consciousness of Vietnamese people with many thrilling anecdotes when he protected the country. Visit the temple, visitors can admire the architectural, cultural, artistic values of the monument located on the banks of the West Lake.
Ngoc Son Temple (Hoan Kiem): A harmonious complex of ancient architecture
For years, Ngoc Son Temple, The Huc Bridge, Pen Tower, and the Writing Pad have become a famous architectural complex, attracting a lot of tourists in the country and internationally. There rarely has a certain architectural ensemble concentrating all the solemn in spiritual aspects and the harmony, unique in terms of architecture and art as such complex. Therefore, the complex has become one of the symbols of the capital and has become the first impression in the hearts of those who arrived in Hanoi. Here, visitors can pray for career and admire the poetic landscapes that the scholar Nguyen Van Sieu designed two centuries ago.
Tran Quoc Pagoda (Tay Ho, Hanoi): One of the 16 world’s most beautiful temples
For more than a millennium and a half, Tran Quoc Pagoda is the oldest pagoda in Hanoi. The pagoda was born at the birth of Van Xuan under the reign of King Ly Nam De, as a result, it was originally named Khai Quoc Pagoda.
For over 1,500 years with much restoration, relocation, the pagoda is now famous not only for its age but also for its architecture which was sequenced and complied with the stringent requirements of Buddhist architecture. Combined with the elegant and harmonious landscape of romantic West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda has been put in one of the 16 world’s most beautiful temples voted by Dailymail in 2016. In spring days, visiting the superlative ancient pagoda in Vietnam with marvelous architectural beauty is a pleasant experience to start a new year.
