Giac Lam Pagoda

Giac Lam Pagoda was built in 1744 so it is believed to be the eldest pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam.

Giac Lam Pagoda located at 565 Lac Long Quan street, Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City. It was built by Ly Thuy Long under Nguyen dynasty. In the beginning pagoda’s name was Son Can then change. In 1774, Zen Master Linh Nhac (abbot of Tu An pagoda) sent his disciple, Zen Master Vien Quang, to become Giac Lam Pagoda’s abbot and change the name of pagoda to Giac Lam.

Giac Lam Pagoda

Giac Lam Pagoda

Giac Lam Pagoda have 3 main houses: main shrine, lecture hall and Trai house. Triple gate was not built until 1955. The structure of the main shrine is “Buddha in the front, ancestor behind”. There are many Buddha statues in the shrine such as: Thich Ca, Di Lac, etc. and 18 Arhat statues, 10 Hades statues along the wall. Behind the main shrine is ancestor altars which worship Giac Lam Pagoda abbots. During the war with France and America, Giac Lam Pagoda is a place for Vietnam army to stay and scout the city. In front of the pagoda is a hexagon-shaped 7 floors tower was built in 1970 and has worshiped Xa Loi Buddha in floor 7 since 1994.

Giac Lam Pagoda has 113 ancient statues, most of them were made of wood and only 7 statues were made of bronze. On main pillars of the pagoda were engraved many poems (about 86 sentences) and covered by gold.

Buddha Statue in Giac Lam Pagoda

Buddha Statue in Giac Lam Pagoda

Giac Lam Pagoda is only 3 km away from Cho Lon, you can reach the pagoda easily by taxi or motorbike. If you want to visit Giac Lam Pagoda and other interesting places in Ho Chi Minh City, you can buy a city tour to have an exciting trip.

 

Giac Lam Pagoda Map

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