Tran Quoc Pagoda, as a religious relic with a beautiful & peaceful surrounding scenery, is a favourite stop-over of so many foreign visitors and pilgrims.
Tran Quoc Pagoda-the oldest & Buddhist center in Hanoi
Tran Quoc pagoda is located on Kim Ngu (Golden Fish) island, connecting with Thanh Nien road- the romantic bank separating two beautiful lakes : the west lake & Truc Bach lake. You can take part in a cyclo trip or electrical car with its travel route to this famous pagoda, known as the oldest pagoda & the center of Buddhism in Hanoi.
Tomb towers in Tran Quoc Pagoda
The history of Tran Quoc Pagoda
This pagoda was originally built in 541 and completed in 545 under the reign of the Emperor Ly Nam De (544-548) with its name Khai Quoc ( National Founder). It was firstly set up on the bank of Red river, then removed to Golden Fish island in 17th century as it is today with its new name Tran Quoc (National Defence). Nowadays, Tran Quoc pagoda has become a famous tourist & pilgrimage destination for locals and international travellers.
It is worth paying a visit to Tran Quoc Pagoda
This temple is daily open with 1.5 hour noon time closed (12h00 to 13h30 p.m).There is no entrance fee for visiting the place, therefore visitors can easily come visit anytime during the day until late in the afternoon .Your trip to Hanoi will be a miss if not pay a visit to this holy temple for those reasons.
A corner of Tran Quoc Pagoda
Firstly,this pagoda could be considered as a cultural symbol of Vietnamese Buddhism. You get to know great values of beautiful Buddha statutes, local Buddhism practice & their Buddhist belief in Vietnam by travelling inside the pagoda. When passing by the entrance, you will see many ancient stupas or tomb towers for ancestor monks who used to host and built the pagoda, the altar to worship them and the altar to worship typical mother goddesses – representing different super-natural forces : the sun & sky force (Red Mother Goddess), the mountain & forest force ( Green Mother Goddess) and the water & sea ( White Mother Goddess)- Vietnamese native belief before any religions entering Vietnam.Travelling to the main pagoda, you will be impressed by a wonderful arrangement of many beautiful Buddha statutes : Buddha of the past, Buddha of the present and Buddha of the future –telling you about the life of Buddha in the process of helping his followers overcome their sufferings and his famous teaching of Karma & reincarmation to people’s life.
The view of Tran Quoc Pagoda
Secondly, a visit to Tran Quoc pagoda is nice way to relax with beautiful scenery you can have.I must say that the island and pagoda provide a beautiful backdrop, particularly when viewed at sunset. Standing at one end of Thanh Nien Road, one can see the towers of the pagoda rising above the lake’s surface. In the pagoda’s garden stands a Bodhi tree presented by Indian Prime Minister in 1959.This plant was cut from the same holy bodhi tree where Sakyamuni sat in meditation position and got his enlightenment in India 2500 years ago.Today, the tree is green and luxuriant, shading over part of the pagoda's yard.
Note: The pagoda is open daily and visitors must be decently attired, long trousers are required
Photo with Indian group at Tran Quoc Pagoda
The Location of Tran Quoc Pagoda
In order to visit this pagoda, you can do it yourselves by walking or by electrical car and it is a better way to take part in our guided Hanoi city tour operated daily to explore different famous attractions in Hanoi, including a stop to Tran Quoc Pagoda.This Hanoi Tour surely provides you with valuable insights of Hanoi’s history, culture & people.For more information about Hanoi or Hanoi tours,you can visit our travel site http://goldenholidaytravel.com or feel free to email us, we will feedback you with useful consultancy for your enjoyable vacation in Hanoi, Vietnam.
