Vietnam: Vinh Trang Pagoda, Mỹ Tho

Date: 25 October 2019

Today was my third day in Vietnam but day 2 of my sightseeing. Yesterday, I saw Ben Thanh Market and Mariamman Hindu Temple, Independence Palace and Norodom Palace Exhibit, the War Remnants Museum and finally checked out Bui Vien Street — Ho Chi Minh City’s nightlife area (for tourists).

I had booked a tour of the Mekong Delta today but let me be clear — it wasn’t really a tour of the Mekong Delta — just stops at My tho and Ben Tre. You see, the Mekong Delta is a huge region in south western Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The places I would visit today as part of this day tour only covers a fraction of what Mekong Delta is. There are multi-day tours of Mekong Delta which include stops at the rice paddy fields and such but I’m from Kerala — where there are enough rice paddy fields only a short drive away from me.

Instead, I did this short tour (cost 320000 VND or ₹1020/$13/€11.8) — mainly for one activity — which will be in the next post. The first stop on the tour was a temple called Vinh Trang Pagoda (a Buddhist temple) in Mỹ Tho, an hours drive from Ho Chi Minh City.

An Travel tour guide Ho Chi Minh City — My tour was organized by An Travel and this girl was our guide

September 23 park Saigon Vietnam — After getting picked up from my hotel in the morning, the minibus went to Bui Vien street to pick up other tourists

High rise apartment Ho Chi Minh City — We were leaving Ho Chi Minh City and heading south

Industrial zone Vietnam — I got to see new industrial zones just outside the city

Mekong rest stop Vietnam — We stopped en route at a rest stop to take a break

From the rest stop, it was a short drive to the temple. Our minibus parked outside the entrance.

Vinh Trang pagoda entrance — This is the entrance to Vinh Trang

Standing Bo Dai statue Vietnam — This standing Buddha statue outside the main gate is Amitabha Buddha, symbolizing mercy and wisdom

Laughing Buddha Vinh Trang pagoda Vietnam — Inside is the giant Laughing Buddha statue, or Bố Đại in Vietnamese. The Laughing Buddha symbolizes happiness and good luck.

Laughing buddha statue Vietnam — This ranks as one of the largest Buddha statues in Asia

Vinh Trang pagoda Vietnam — This is the main temple. The facade is inspired by European architecture including elements from the Renaissance period.

The Vinh Trang temple was first completed in 1850, but it suffered heavy damage during a battle between French colonial forces fighting the Nguyễn Dynasty’s army for control of what is now southern Vietnam. The temple later fell into disuse until various monks revitalized it and rebuilt it over the decades.

Prayer hall Vinh Trang pagoda Vietnam — Inside though, the temple structure features a mixture of Chinese, Vietnamese and Angkor (Cambodian) architectural styles

Passed away Vinh Trang pagoda Vietnam — Past monks who cared for the pagoda were laid to rest inside the grounds and their graves are decorated with engraved stones.

Tables Vinh Trang pagoda Vietnam — It’s not a very big temple

Side hall Vinh Trang pagoda Vietnam — I took a quick walk around the temple as we only had 30 minutes at this place

The Vĩnh Trang temple was recognized by the Vietnamese government as a national historical and cultural relic in 1984 and is now one of the Mekong Delta’s biggest tourist attractions.