Vietnam Pagodas

Phước Tường Pagoda

TP. Hồ Chí Minh(formerly Bình Dương)(Chùa Phước Tường)

Overview & history

Phước Tường Pagoda is a nationally recognised historical and cultural monument located in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City. The pagoda was acknowledged and certified by the Ministry of Culture and Information of Vietnam on 27 July 1993, and was also recognised as an Architectural and Artistic Monument according to Decision No. 43/VH-QĐ dated 7 January 1993.

Architecture

Phước Tường Pagoda is situated on a plot of land nearly 30,000 m² in size. The pagoda's architecture strongly reflects the style of ancient Southern Vietnamese pagodas, with buildings arranged in an inverted L-shape. The main axis consists of the main hall (chánh điện), ancestral hall (tổ đường), lecture hall (giảng đường), open courtyard (sân thiên tĩnh), monks’ quarters (tăng đường), and refectory (trai đường). The secondary axis includes the east wing (đông lang), used as a storeroom and kitchen. The front hall (tiền điện) features statues of Dharma Protectors (Hộ Pháp), Vajra Warriors (Kim Cang), and intricately carved wooden screens (bao lam) depicting pine and crane motifs. Notably, there is a horizontal lacquered board inscribed "Phước Tường Tự" dating from 1834, under the reign of Emperor Minh Mạng.

The main hall is the principal worship area, displaying many ancient Buddha statues, most prominently a large carved wooden screen (bao lam) featuring the Four Sacred Creatures: Dragon (Long), Qilin (Lân), Turtle (Quy), and Phoenix (Phụng). In front of the main hall stands a row of columns carved with golden dragons winding around red-and-gold parallel sentences (câu đối sơn son thếp vàng). Adjacent is the ancestral hall (tổ đường), where Patriarch Bodhidharma (Tổ sư Đạt Ma), former abbots, the altar of "Mother of Birth and Nurture" (Mẹ sinh mẹ độ), and a pair of precious wooden couplets "Long giáng" are venerated.

Phước Tường Pagoda follows the "Buddha in front, Patriarchs behind" (Tiền Phật hậu Tổ) layout typical of Southern pagodas, preserving 53 statues, 13 horizontal lacquered boards (hoành phi), as well as many carved screens (bao lam), spirit screens (thần vọng), and ancestral tablets (bài vị). Most of the worshipped statues are wooden, with some dating back to the early 19th century.

Photos

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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.

Read more & references

Useful links to learn more before your visit:

Location

Coordinates: 10.94946, 106.69351

🧭 Directions on Google Maps

References

Other pagodas in TP. Hồ Chí Minh

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Chùa Đại Tòng Lâm
Đại Tòng Lâm Pagoda, with its full name being Vạn Phật Quang Đại Tòng Lâm Tự, is a grand pagoda featuring many large-scale and modern structures. The pagoda is located on National Highway 51, Quảng Phú quarter, Phú Mỹ ward, Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam.
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Chùa Hộ Pháp (Thích Ca Phật Đài)
Hộ Pháp Pagoda is a pagoda built in the Southern (Theravāda) Buddhist architectural style, located at 610/2A Trần Phú, Vũng Tàu Ward, Hồ Chí Minh City, within the Thích Ca Phật Đài architectural complex. The pagoda features four steles inscribed with the Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra (Discourse on Turning the Wheel of Dharma) in four different languages. The Vietnam Record Organisation has recognised these as holding the record for 'The largest mother-of-pearl inlaid Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra steles in four languages.'
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Chùa Khỉ
Chùa Khỉ (the official name is Thiền viện Trúc Lâm Chân Nguyên) is located at the foot of Minh Đạm Mountain, in Phước Hải Commune, Hồ Chí Minh City. The pagoda was built in 1990.
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Linh Sơn Cổ Tự
Linh Sơn Cổ Tự Pagoda is a Buddhist temple located at 104 Hoàng Hoa Thám, Vũng Tàu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The pagoda was recognised by the Ministry of Culture and Information of Vietnam as a national historical and cultural site on 3 August 1991. The pagoda was originally built in 1919 on Núi Nhỏ (Small Mountain), but as the French occupied the site to build a pilot station, another pagoda was constructed at the current location and has existed until today. This is the oldest pagoda in Vũng Tàu. Although Linh Sơn Cổ Tự Pagoda is not grand or spacious, it is the oldest pagoda in Vũng Tàu, situated on Hoàng Hoa Thám Street, Vũng Tàu Ward. In its early days, the pagoda was built on the slope of Small Mountain, but in 1919 this area was occupied by the French to build villas for their pilots. Immediately afterwards, another pagoda was built and has remained until today. In the main hall, there is a 1.2-metre-high Buddha statue made of stone and gilded with gold leaf, skilfully carved to create a gentle and lively expression on the Buddha’s face, in the style of Chăm Buddha statues. Archaeologists estimate that it dates back about 1,600 years. Regarding the origin of the Buddha statue, legend has it that over a year ago, a group of fishing boats from Central Vietnam came to fish at Bãi Trước. While searching for firewood on Núi Lớn (Big Mountain), they accidentally discovered two stone Buddha statues buried in the ground on the mountainside near Bãi Dâu. They dug them up together and waited until the next day to perform a ritual to take them away. When the local people heard the news, they rushed to see and insisted that these were local historical relics and demanded to keep them. The group of fishermen from Central Vietnam pleaded for a long time before being allowed to take the smaller statue. The larger statue was brought back by the villagers for worship and is the very statue currently enshrined at Linh Sơn Cổ Tự Pagoda.
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Niết Bàn Tịnh Xá
Niết Bàn Tịnh Xá is a Buddhist tịnh xá (monastery/temple) situated on the slope of Núi Nhỏ (Small Mountain), in Vũng Tàu ward, Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam. The tịnh xá was organised and constructed by Most Venerable Thích Thiện Huệ from 1969 to 1974 on the slope of Núi Nhỏ, which was formerly known as Tao Phùng Mountain, facing the sea. This is a grand complex consisting of many buildings, covering an area of nearly 10,000 m², and is a famous spiritual tourism and pilgrimage site in Vũng Tàu. On 14 December 1989, the temple was recognised and ranked as a national historical site by the Ministry of Culture and Information of Vietnam.
Thích Ca Phật Đài
Thích Ca Phật Đài
Thích Ca Phật Đài (lit. 'Platform of Shakyamuni Buddha') is a notable Theravada Buddhist temple in the coastal city of Vung Tau in southern Vietnam. It lies to the northwest of the Lớn mountain and was built between 1961 and 1963 when it was opened.