QUAN ÂM PAGODA (ÔN LĂNG)
One of the greatest little jewels that Cholon carefully hides in between small streets and food stalls.
Founded in the early 19th century, this gorgeous pagoda is named after the Goddess of Mercy, whose full name is Quán Thế Âm Bồ Tát. QuanÂm is her shortened name. As her divine mission is to provide help and assistance to anyone who is in trouble, she is a quite popular and worshipped goddess all around Asian Buddhist countries.
Located on a tiny street, this pagoda is one of the oldest surviving temples in the city and still regularly welcomes Buddhistbelievers. It’s much smaller than the other temples you may find around town, and it has an almost cozyatmosphere. It is also one of the most colorful temples you could hope for ! If you’re fond of photography, you will want to spend hours there capturing the amazing shades and colors of the mural decorations.
Fantastic lacquer representations of guardian spirits can be found at the entrance and superb ceramic scenes decorate the roof, depicting figures from traditional Chinese tales.
You definitely want to visit this pagoda on special days of the lunar calendar such as the 1st and the 15th when lots of worshippers go to pagodas. Activity and heavy incense smoke spirals create a memorable experience.
If you want to discover and visit this pagoda in the heart of Saigon’s Chinatown, book our self-guided tour and come investigate the strange case of Dr Lam!
