Entrance gate to the Kim Liên pagoda near Hồ Tây in the north of Hà Nội
The city of Hà Nội has many pagodas and temples, this page introduces three of these which are easily visited in the northern districts. They are not spectacular, but do show the main features of Vietnamese Buddhist centres. Sadly the third one has lost its name to the mists of my memory, however, it helps show the range of typical institutions. (You might like to compare the
Thầy Pagoda,
just outside Hà Nội - which oozes 'atmosphere'.)
Tourist spots adopted these signs in Hà Nội in 1997, offering Vietnamese, French and English versions of their name
Taken at a slightly different angle, the Sheraton Hotel does dominate the gatehouse with its proximity
The tiled upturned roof corners of the pagoda have both a ridge decoration and a very diminutive and stylised dragon - compare this to a more flamboyant example on a
southern pagoda
View of the main shrine room from the garden
End walls of the pagoda complex
The carved woodwork in the roof ends
The shady courtyards of such places offer quiet...
...spots for important conversations - the
world over
Providing peaceful garden spaces is one of the great benefits of pagodas throughout Vietnam
To a pagoda on the north west of Hà Nội - Đình Quán
An open sided pavilion in the Đình Quán pagoda grounds
The entrance to the Đình Quán pagoda - the rich ochre recalling the classic
government buildings of Hà Nội
The path leading to the main shrine
The steps of the main shrine room
A pool gives a home to one of the rocks so beloved of eastern cultures, beyond a buddha figure with
raised hand
Decorated pillar and peeling wall
Lantern, and cauldron for incense sticks
Colonnade, beside shrine room doors
The main shrine complete with fans to keep the fruit offerings cool
Here are four photographs from a pagoda within 20 kilometres of the city centre, towards the north
The figures, in this covered side aisle of the courtyard, each have incense holders, allowing individual remembrance of that figure
A wooden roof corner with no dragons. This pagoda, visited seventeen years ago, has slipped through the increasingly holey net of my memory
Elsewhere, funeral wreaths that accompany ceremonies often held in Buddhist centres. White, not black, is the traditional colour for clothes on such occasions
The main shrine with its fruit offerings.
The somewhat large box on the right is for donations, but its label is puzzling, normally it would read 'Hòm Công Đức - charity box (not Hòm Cung Dức)
Trailers...
The next Picture Posting page
moves out of Hà Nội and visits three places Hanoians enjoy for day trips.
The next page
of the Mosaic Section is headed 'Contradictions'.
Or go to the contents Go to the contents of the Mosaic Section. of the Mosaic Section.
...guide to this site