Explore Giac Lam pagoda, the oldest Buddhist temple in Ho Chi Minh city

There are many reasons why many foreign tourists choose Vietnam as a tourist destination, among them, learning about culture combined with religious tourism is one of the most popular reasons. If you are traveling in Ho Chi Minh city and want to visit a temple, Giac Lam pagoda is an ideal choice for you.

A guide to move to Giac Lam Buddhist temple

Giac Lam is the name of a Buddhist temple that was built in the 18th century. Giac Lam is the oldest temple in Ho Chi Minh city and is also considered to have a very typical architecture of Southern Vietnamese. The location of Giac Lam pagoda is not in the city center but is still a destination that attracts a lot of foreign tourists.

From the city center, there are many ways for you to get to Giac Lam Buddhist temple, but for convenience and savings, we recommend moving by bus (specifically bus number 38, departing from 243 Hoang Dieu street, District 4). This is a famous temple in Ho Chi Minh city and very familiar with local drivers, so it is also not too difficult if you choose other means of transportation.

The exact address of Giac Lam pagoda is 565 Lac Long Quan street, Ward 10, Tan Binh district.

About the opening hours of Giac Lam pagoda, the temple is open every day of the week, from 7 am to 8 pm. So if you have the opportunity to visit Ho Chi Minh city, be sure to take time in your schedule to visit Giac Lam pagoda.

The special features in Giac Lam pagoda’s architecture

Overview of the pagoda architecture

Giac Lam Buddhist temple is recognized as a national historical-cultural relic of Vietnam in 1988. It is one of the oldest temples in Vietnam and impresses visitors with its unique architecture. Giac Lam pagoda has undergone many renovations to be lined with bricks and tiles, but some of the main structures of the temple are still retained to this day.

The current pagoda is composed of 3 equal rows of inside area. In the pagoda, there are more than 50 large pillars, each pillar is elaborately carved with traditional images such as the four sacred creatures and the crane flowers.

Small shrines located in the Giac Lam pagoda’s courtyard are made of stone.

Valuable statues inside Giac Lam Buddhist temple

There are more than 100 statues in the temple. The ancient statues are made from many different materials such as wood, plaster, copper, and cement. The most famous and oldest statue in Giac Lam Buddhist temple is the wooden statue of Buddha Thich Ca. In addition to the ancient Buddha statues made of many materials, the pagoda also preserves many ancient works and items that are intricately carved with images bearing many historical, cultural, and artistic values. 

Festivals at Giac Lam pagoda that you should attend

Like other temples, the 1st Full Moon and the Vu Lan festival are the times when Giac Lam pagoda holds the most festivals.

All year round, Giac Lam pagoda still holds small festivals to attract Buddhists and tourists to visit and pray for peace, but it only a few and has no specific time.

Things need to remember when coming to Giac Lam Buddhist temple

Here are some things that visitors should remember and should not do when visiting Giac Lam pagoda.

About costumes

Like any spiritual place, costumes are also a top factor that you should keep in mind when coming to Giac Lam pagoda. Tourists do not wear offensive and too revealing outfits. In case you have accidentally worn a rather revealing outfit, you should buy or rent accessories to help the outfit become more suitable (usually a shawl or large fabric).

Also, because the Giac Lam pagoda area is quite large and there are also many stairs, you should not wear high heels, but choose sneakers or sandals for comfort during the tour. There will be some areas in the temple that do not allow visitors to put on shoes, so for the convenience of taking off but still being polite, a loafer is probably the best choice for you.

About behavior in Giac Lam pagoda

In Giac Lam pagoda, you should not talk too loud, and remember to turn the phone sounds off before entering the temple.

About going around Giac Lam Buddhist temple

Inside Giac Lam pagoda there will be some living area and place of worship that limit (or do not allow) visitors to enter. These areas will have notice boards on the entrance. However, some notice boards in the temple are not written in English, so before deciding to enter a certain area, you should ask the Buddhist monk of that area or ask some local visitors for help.

Other notes

Giac Lam Buddhist temple does not completely prohibit visitors from filming and taking photos, but in spiritual places, you should still behave delicately. The camera or video recording device use should be made sure that it does not have any sound and flashes. Do not take photos of monks, other Buddhist groups, or visitors without permission.

Visitors to Giac Lam pagoda are absolutely not allowed to smoke, even in the courtyard of the temple.

Giac Lam pagoda is an ancient temple, everything here is full of traditional Vietnamese images. Coming to Giac Lam pagoda, you have just come to a famous spiritual place to pray for peace, and you partly understand history as well as traditional Vietnamese characteristics. Through the above topic, hope that you will have more useful information if you are planning to visit Giac Lam Pagoda Ho Chi Minh city.