Ngoc Am Pagoda (Tung Lam Temple)

Lào Cai(formerly Yên Bái)(Chùa Ngọc Am (Tùng Lâm Tự))

Overview & history

Ngoc Am Pagoda, formally Tung Lam Temple and popularly “Chua Am”, stands on the left bank of the Thao (Red) River in today's Hong Ha ward, Yen Bai city. A Northern-school Mahayana temple, it is considered the Buddhist center of Yen Bai province.

History

The pagoda originated in the late 19th – early 20th century, when Vietnamese and ethnic-Chinese merchants and riverboat owners plying the Tuan Quan wharf pooled funds to build a small hermitage (“Am”) to pray for safe passage. In April 1900, when Yen Bai province was founded, the hermitage was expanded into a full pagoda with a resident abbot under the name Tung Lam. The name “Chua Am” commemorates the transfer of incense ashes from the Am Hon shrine on Cao Su street; today the temple bears the twin names Ngoc Am and Tung Lam Tu.

Relic status

The pagoda was recognized as a provincial historical, architectural and religious-art relic by Decision 177/QD-UBND of 6 February 2007. It ranks among the most sacred religious sites at the gateway to the Northwest and is a key center of spiritual life for the people of Yen Bai city.

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Visiting 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.