50 Best Sights in Vietnam

A Khmer temple has stood in this spot since 711 and the beautiful complex, also known as Bodhisalaraja, is now the center of Khmer spiritual life in Tra Vinh. A library with unique wooden features was added in 1916. The monks here are quite friendly and sometimes like to practice speaking English with male tourists.

Smokey incense coils hang from the rafters of this atmospheric temple inside the Guangzhou Assembly Hall, which was built by the Chinese at the end of the 19th century. Assembly halls were important centers of worship, community, and governance. Ong Temple is primarily dedicated to Chinese military leader and diety Kuang Kung (known as Quan Cong in Vietnam), who symbolizing justice, loyalty, and honor. Many of the temple's decorative features were imported from China in 1896.

A centuries-old Chinese pagoda that underwent renovations over the centuries, this active temple is an important cultural and spiritual meeting place for Tra Vinh's Chinese community. The main god of worship is Quan Cong (Guan Yu), a Chinese military general, a model of loyalty and justice. Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, this colorful pagoda hosts Tet Nguyen Tieu, the lantern festival, which marks the first full moon of the lunar new year.

Considered one of Vietnam's most important Buddhist sites, the Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong) is the largest of a cluster of shrines carved into the limestone of the Huong Tich Mountains. In late spring the trails leading up to the shrines are clogged with thousands making their pilgrimage to pray to Quan Am, the goddess of mercy and compassion.

According to a Vietnamese version of the Chinese legend, Quan Am was a young wife falsely accused of trying to kill her newlywed husband. Thrown out of her mother-in-law's house, she took refuge in a monastery, posing as a monk. A reckless girl one day blamed her pregnancy on the monk, not knowing he was a she. Without a word of self-defense, the vilified monk took the child in and raised him. Only after Quan Am died did villagers discover her silent sacrifice. In the past, pilgrims came to the grottoes to pray for Quan Am's help in bearing sons and in fighting unjust accusations.

From the shores of the Yen River, you are ferried to the site, 4 km (2½ miles) away, on sampans that seem to be made of flimsy aluminum. It's a spectacular 45-minute ride through the flooded valley. You'll be let off at Chua Tien Chu. From there, follow a stone path uphill to the various pagodas and shrines. After an hour or so  you'll reach the Perfume Pagoda, or take the 10-minute cable-car (220,000d return ticket) A steep set of stairs takes you inside the impressive cavern, where gilded Buddhas and bodhisattvas sit nestled in rocky recesses. The air is misty from incense and the cooking fires of the Buddhist monks who tend the shrines.

In early spring, from just after Tet to the middle of the second lunar month, thousands of Buddhists make their pilgrimage to the Perfume Pagoda. This is an intense—and sometimes stressful—time to visit as the crowds of Vietnamese faithful clog the Yen River with extra boats and make navigating the slippery stairs more of an exercise in caution than a journey of discovery. The atmosphere at this time of year is positively electric with thousands of Buddhists crowding into the cavern to leave offerings, catch a droplet of water from a holy stalactite, or buy Buddhist trinkets and mementos from the dozens of stall owners. Note that the climb up to the pagoda can be rough going, especially when it's muddy, and that local operators sometimes lead the climb at a very fast pace. Be careful of independent tourist agents—some have been known to take unsuspecting travelers to a smaller pagoda closer to Hanoi and tell them it's the Perfume Pagoda.

The original temple was built in 1785 to honor Phi Yen, one of the 21 wives of Nguyen emperor Gia Long. After the Tay Son rebellion, Gia Long fled to Con Son Island with his family and retainers. From there, he sent emissaries to France to ask for assistance in repressing the uprising. Phi Yen urged him not to deal with the French and was imprisoned for her efforts, suspected of sympathizing with the rebels. As the emperor sailed away from the island, her four-year-old son cried for her, angering his father, who threw him overboard (or so the story goes). A tiger and an ape freed Phi Yen from her prison and she stayed on the island, tending her son's grave, until taking her own life "after an unfortunate encounter with a man." The existing Phi Yen Temple was rebuilt in 1958 so pilgrims could pay tribute to the former queen, revered for her loyalty and honor.

February and March are the months to join the mass Buddhist pilgrimage to the Perfume Pagoda, but be prepared to deal with serious crowds—many thousands each day—if you make the trip during this peak season. Smaller religious festivals take place at Hanoi's temples and outlying villages in March and April. Because all Vietnamese festivals follow the lunar calendar, check online or with your tour operator for exact dates.

Founded in 1653 by the Chinese community, this impressive temple is dedicated to Quan Van Truong, a revered general of the Chinese Han dynasty. The temple is divided into four parts: the front hall, the left and right sections, and the main sanctuary. The entrance leads through a large garden to the temple, where the main altar is, along with a gilt-and-papier-mâché statue of the general standing between two life-size, jolly-looking horses. Quan Cong lends itself to contemplation and meditation, and you get a real sense of that in the rear courtyard, gazing up at the unicorns and dragons perching on the colorful ceramic tiled roof or watching the small school of fish that happily dart around in the pond out front. The carp, symbolic of patience in Chinese mythology, is displayed throughout. Every year, on June 24 of the lunar calendar, Hoi An organizes a ceremony for Quan Cong, and pilgrims, especially merchants, come to the temple to make offerings.

Dating back to 1932, this small, colorful pagoda sits on top of a hill 4 km (2½ miles) east of Duong Dong Town. Access is via 40 stone steps, and it's more of a working temple than tourist destination.

Across the "Water" Mountain of the Marble Mountains, you'll see the tiny but charming Tam Thai Tu Pagoda, where monks still live. The pagoda is dedicated to the bodhisattva Phat Di Lac, and was rebuilt more than 400 years ago by King Minh Mang of the Nguyen Dynasty. Tam Thai offers a serene view of the landscape below, especially during early morning.

Phu Tay Ho, a temple dedicated to a 17th-century princess named Lieu Hanh, more popularly known here as Thanh Mau (Mother of the Nation), is attractive for its gigantic banyan trees and the view from West Lake's eastern shore. In the middle chamber of the main prayer hall is a sub-altar containing the statue of a holy tiger that protects Lieu Hanh, who is visible through the wooden slats of a locked separating wall inside the back chamber. In a second worship hall, women come to pray to another national mother figure, Nhi Thuong Ngan, for happiness and luck in motherhood and marriage. Two prayer stupas in the shady courtyard are dedicated to the guardian spirits of young boys and girls, Lau Cau and Lau Co, respectively. Outside of the temple is a cluster of simple restaurants serving banh tom (shrimp cakes), a specialty of the area. A taxi is the easiest way to get here.

The Tay Phuong Pagoda, or Western Pagoda, comprises three sanctuaries built into Cau Lau Mountain and surrounded by a square enclosure. Each ancient wooden structure is separated by a small pool of water that reflects an eerie soothing light into the temples. Begun in the 3rd century, the pagoda was rebuilt in the 9th century and expanded to its present size under the Tay Son dynasty in 1794. The centuries-old curved rooftops are particularly noteworthy, as are the masterpieces of wood sculpture: more than six dozen figures carved from jackfruit wood. The pagoda's rafters are elaborately carved with bas-reliefs of dragons and lotuses, and ceramic animal statues grace the rooftops.

On the road to the Cambodian border, 4 km (2.5 miles) northwest of Ha Tien, this cave pagoda is in an echoey cavern in a limestone karst, with various chambers holding funerary tablets. The cave is home to a colony of bats (so keep your mouth closed when you look up), and the views from some of the openings across to Cambodia are pretty. At the base of the mountain is a small monument shaped like a clenched fist that commemorates the murder of 130 local civilians by the Khmer Rouge in 1978.

The Thay Pagoda, or Master's Pagoda, is named in honor of Tu Dao Hanh, a 12th-century monk. The grounds of the four main sanctuaries here ring shrill with the chirping of cicadas and are lush with fruit trees and a giant frangipani said to be 700 years old. In the upper pagoda (Chua Thuong) a statue of Master Hanh sits in the foreground of a large central altar that supports the statues of 18 arhats, monks who have reached enlightenment. The altar to the left of this holds Ly Nhan Tong, a king who was the supposed reincarnation of Tu Dao Hanh. Stone steps adjacent to the pagoda lead farther up the mountain to various shrines and temples and lovely vista points. The Thay Pagoda is the site of one of two ancient water-puppetry stages remaining in Vietnam. Constructed during the 15th century, this small stage sits on stilts in the middle of a pond and was used during elaborate pagoda ceremonies and royal visits. Water-puppetry shows still take place here, particularly on the annual festival of the pagoda, which is from the fifth- through the seventh days of the third lunar month.

Overlooking the Perfume River, this pagoda constructed in 1601 under Lord Nguyen Hoang has impressive Buddha statues, a seven-tiered monument, a two-ton bronze bell, and a marble turtle dating back to 1715. Take note of the engraved graffiti covering the turtle's shell, most of which dates back to the 1950s, when refugees from northern Vietnam inscribed notes of their whereabouts. As Hue's oldest pagoda, this structure still functions as a monastery. Housed inside the grounds is the Austin car once used by Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc, who lit himself on fire in protest of the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963. The best way to reach this official symbol of Hue is by boat up the Perfume River.

One of Hue's most beautiful and peaceful pagodas is accessed via a junglelike path off the road, past a half-moon-shape pool. Built in 1843, the temple houses a large Buddha and it is the root pagoda of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. It's a good place for quiet meditation. The monks live in simple rooms off to the side and hold services several times a day. At the far corner of the pagoda is a cemetery for the Nguyen Dynasty's eunuchs who made contribution to building and renovating the pagoda.

The name translates as Cloudy Hill Palace, and it's a picturesque place to visit, not so much for the temple—even though it is quite beautiful—but for the panoramic view it offers of Con Dao Town, An Hai Lake, and Con Son Bay below. The temple was built in 1964 for the prison officers and government officials stationed on Con Dao and is now considered a memorial to the martyrs who died during Vietnam's fight for independence.

About 2.3 km (1.4 miles) from Vinh Long Market, this Chinese Confucian temple built in the mid-19th century is decorated with multicolor dragons and statues of Confucius, which is odd because the monks here practice Buddhism. Added to the original structure is a different style of hall built in honor of Phan Thanh Gian, a Vietnamese fighter, government official, and diplomat, who committed suicide in Vinh Long in 1867 rather than submit to French rule. Locals often refer to the temple by his name rather than its official title. Although the temple has opening hours posted on the gate, it's often inexplicably closed; ask around and someone may have a key.

This small temple, established in 1762, honors the deity Nam Hai (the whale), who fisherman believe can protect them from strong waves and storms. A large room at the front houses a complete 22-meter-long fin whale skeleton, while the temple at the back has a glass storage room, behind the altar, full of whalebones.

Dating to 1849, this pagoda, which was built in the shape of the Chinese character for nation, combines European and Asian design elements and is set within lovely ornamental gardens with bonsai, lotus ponds, and a gigantic laughing Buddha. Take time to soak up the tranquil atmosphere, plus admire the elaborate carved wood in the hushed interiors and the ornate ceramic mosaic of the arch out front.

Like many seaside villages in Vietnam, Vung Tau has a temple dedicated to Ca Ong, Mr. Whale, the guardian angel of the seas. This humble place of worship, highlighted by the bones of an 18-meter-long whale, is an interesting place to visit, although there is no information in English to explain the beliefs and rituals of the temple.