Saigon Temples

We ventured out into Ho Chi Minh City to visit various Buddhist temples around town.

These had quite a different quality than Balinese temples. The Vietnamese temples were primarily indoors, rather than outdoors, and centered around giant statues of Buddhas, whereas in a Balinese temple there was no visual representation of the deity.

In each temple there were multiple shrines surrounded by offerings brought by worshippers, and a thick haze of incense smoke in the air.

The temple typically had a booth to purchase incense, candles, and other tributes, and an area where significant patrons of the temple are remembered.

Thien Hau Temple

Thien Hau Temple is a Chinese-style temple of the Chinese Goddess of Sea, Mazu, located in District 5 (Chinatown) of Ho Chi Minh City.

Dozens of spiral incense sticks hung from the ceiling, and hot ash would occasionally fall on our clothes from above.

A hot open fire burned in the middle of the courtyard, which added to already sweltering heat of the sun

Offerings of fruit adorned the main shrine.

Van Phat Pagoda

At the end of an unassuming alley in District 5 of Ho Chi Minh City is the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

This narrow four-floor complex was busy with worhippers and visitors.

We were welcomed by strings of red streamers and lanterns that are the hallmarks of the new year.
The lower floors contain altars to various figures from the Chinese Buddhist pantheon. Here is Budai, the so-called “Laughing Buddha” or “Fat Buddha”.
Shrine to Sahasrabhuja, the “thousand armed” bodhisattva.
This temple has an area that holds ashes of the deceased, offering a kind of protection for the souls of believers.
A shrine to Guanyin.
The top floor features a hall where the walls are covered with ten thousand Buddha statues of various sizes.
It is totally awe inspiring! The amount of detail and the scale of the work is incredible.
In the center of the hall sits Vairona Buddha on a thousand-petal lotus flower. Above, a massive chandelier, more small Buddha statues, and a skylight.
The central Buddha statue is flanked by two bodhisattvas, forming a triad - a common formation in Mahayana shrines.

Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda

Located in District 3, Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda is a sprawling, busy Buddhist temple built in 1964.

At the entrance visitors are greeted by a large statue of Guanyin, goddess of compassion.
A large stupa called Avalokiteśvara Tower.
The main hall features a statue of Gautama Buddha, and two bodhisattvas, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra. Neon lights accentuate the statues.
Offerings included fruit, flowers, pyramids of canned soda and boxes of cookies.
This temple had more spacious, outdoor, celebratory feel. Like the other temples it was also incredibly busy.
Part of the temple complex includes housing for monks, and a koi pond.

We had an epic day exploring three different temples in Saigon! Even though we didn’t always fully grasp the significance of each aspect, it was clear that these places were truly alive with community and played a key role in the lives of residents.

These places felt in some ways like community centers in addition to places of worship, and they were welcoming, calming, introspective places despite the crowds and the noisy city outside.

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