One of the most beautiful places to see in Hue is the Thien Mu pagoda. It is located on the banks of the Perfume River in the city of Hue, in central Vietnam.
The atmosphere that is breathed here is one of absolute peace. Without a doubt, it is one of the best places to see in Hue and in this post I will tell you what the Thien Mu Pagoda is and what you can visit in the complex.
Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue
I advise you to make the journey with the "taxi boat" to get there. The walk along the river bank is beautiful. Depending on the season in which you travel, you will be able to see the trees bloom. Along the entire shore you will see a lot of vegetation and some fishermen's cabins.
The Thien Mu Pagoda is located in a complex where there are 3 more temples.
As soon as you enter the complex you will find the Phuoc Duyen Tower (The Pagoda). As you pass through the gates of the complex you will see a beautiful garden area, full of flowering trees. Throughout the walk in the garden you will see statues of soldiers, known as the guardians of the temple.
In a small building you will find a bronze bell that weighs 2 tons and they say that they can be heard up to 10km away.
There is also a big stele where they tell you the history of Buddhism in Vietnam. And how it has survived despite the fact that Buddhism is not the majority religion in the country.
Here is also the car that took the monk who burned himself to death in 1963, a guy named Thich Quang Duc.
There is also a small Buddhist temple and a Taoist temple.
The Pagoda is a very old building built by the Nguyen Dynasty (Nguyen Hoang), in the year 1601.
The name Thien Mu Pagoda means “Heavenly Lady Pagoda”. Although there are several translations that change the lord for lady.
The Pagoda dates from the year 1844 and its name is Phuoc Duyen. The perspective from the river is beautiful, although I recommend that you make a stop to visit the temples in the area, where you will find Taoist and Buddhist temples.
The Pagoda is 21 meters high and has 7 floors. It has an octagonal plan, something not very common in the architecture of the time. Each of its floors is dedicated to a different Buddha, something common in Vietnam.
Admission is free and you can visit the complex from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located 3 km from the center of Hue. You can get there by risk-shaw or taxi, although I recommend you get there by boat. There are several boats on the riverbank and for little money you can hire a ride that makes several stops, including at this Pagoda.
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I hope you enjoy your trip to Vietnam very much and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue reading many more related articles on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon!