No one can deny that Dalat has a reputation as one of the most attractive cities in Vietnam, which can be accounted for by the fact that its architecture was the combination of French and Vietnamese style. The Domaine De Marie (Dominion of Marie) Church is one example of that interaction between the two cultures. Today, it […]
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The St. Nicholas Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral, seat of the diocese of Da Lat, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh (alternatively still called Saigon). It is located in Da Lat,capital of Lam Dong province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. There are five masses every Sunday. The building was built as a Catholic parish by the French in 1931-1932 […]
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Jutting into Ho Tay, beautiful Tay Ho Pagoda is perhaps the most popular place of worship in Hanoi. Throngs of people come here on the first and 15th day of each lunar month in the hope of receiving good fortune from the Mother Goddess, to whom the temple is dedicated.
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One of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam, Tran Quoc Pagoda is on the eastern shore of Ho Tay, just off Ð Thanh Nien, which divides this lake from Truc Bach Lake. A stela here, dating from 1639, tells the history of this site. The pagoda was rebuilt in the 15th century and again in 1842.
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Shaded by huge trees, Quan Thanh Temple was established during the Ly dynasty (1010–1225) and was dedicated to Tran Vo (God of the North), whose symbols of power were the tortoise and the snake. A bronze statue and bell date from 1677. The temple is on the shores of Truc Bach Lake, near the intersection […]
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Meaning ‘Temple of the Jade Mountain’, Hanoi’s most visited temple sits on a small island in the northern part of Hoan Kiem Lake, connected to the lakeshore by an elegant scarlet bridge, constructed in classical Vietnamese style. The temple is dedicated to General Tran Hung Dao (who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century), La […]
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A symbol of the tenacity and resilience of the Hanoian people, the Long Bien Bridge (built between 1899 and 1902) was bombed on several occasions during the American War, and on each, quickly repaired by the Vietnamese. Designed by Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame) the bridge, used by trains, mopeds and pedestrians, is undergoing […]
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One of the Old Quarter’s best-restored properties, this traditional merchants’ house is sparsely but beautifully decorated, with rooms set around two courtyards and filled with fine furniture. Note the high steps between rooms, a traditional design incorporated to stop the flow of bad energy around the property. There are crafts and trinkets for sale here, […]
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Tay Phuong Pagoda, also known as Sung Phuc Pagoda, consists of three single-level structures built in descending order on a hillock that is said to resemble a buffalo. Figures representing ‘the conditions of man’ are the pagoda’s most celebrated feature – carved from jackfruit wood, many date from the 18th century. The earliest construction dates […]
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The One Pillar Pagoda was originally built by the Emperor Ly Thai Tong who ruled from 1028 to 1054. According to the annals, the heirless emperor dreamed that he met Quan The Am Bo Tat, the Goddess of Mercy, who handed him a male child. Ly Thai Tong then married a young peasant girl and […]
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