Embedded Files
Hunt for pagoda bell
Hunt for pagoda bell
What I learned from this journey:
Generally speaking, pagoda or temples in Vietnam is a little bit different from those in other Sinosphere countries. It is still a holy religious/spiritual place where people kept rules and pray, but it is also permeated with "bụi trần", ordinary life. A pagoda is not a separated realm to worship higher beings, it is a part of life, of the village, of the living people.
Bell time is praying time, at 4am and 5pm everyday. Most pagodas in the inner city is closed at those hours, but might still be open on holidays and on the 1st and 15th of Lunar calendar.
Chùa Vũ Thạch
Chùa Vũ Thạch
Pagoda, temple, communal house complex.
Pagoda, temple, communal house complex.
Situated in the innermost part of Hanoi, but hidden inside a tiny alley. There's a nicely decorated hostel next to the entrance of the pagoda.
A tiny pagoda that doubled as a communal house. The architecture is very interesting, spaces are layered and hidden in each other. The main pagoda altar is on top of a communal space where elders are cooking sticky rice for the offerings. There's a wood-fueled kitchen underneath a walkway where the bell is.
A hidden garden behind the main house where there's a low hanging grapefruit tree (the fruits are on the ground) with roots cover almost the entire area.
The elders are cautious, excerpt for one male elder who is friendly and chatty.
Time for the bell ring is at 5pm, but outside guests are not allowed to be there.
Chùa Láng
Chùa Láng
The front entrance area of this pagoda is used as a public park where kids can go play soccer (despite against the rules of the pagoda) and families to take a stroll. The main pagoda area is not open to visitors on 29/9/2026.
Chùa Quán Sứ
Chùa Quán Sứ
Situated in the center of the capital city, the pagoda main house was first built in the 15th century, though subjected to many destruction and reconstruction. In 1934, the General Buddhist Association of Tonkin was established, and Quan Su Pagoda was selected as its headquarters.
Visited on 29/9/2026, the pagoda was closed.
Chùa Tiên Tích
Chùa Tiên Tích
The pagoda dates back to the Lý Dynasty (11th century). The name of this place, meaning "Trace of the Fairy", is tied to a folk myth regarding the sighting of a fairy in this area.
Visited on 29/9/2026, pagodas was closed.
Chùa Cổ Lễ
Chùa Cổ Lễ
Co Le Pagoda is a complex blending Vietnamese Buddhist architecture and indigenous beliefs with Christian Gothic cathedral elements. The pagoda houses the Đại Hồng Chung (Great Bell)—the largest of its kind in Vietnam. The pagoda has been designated a Special National Relic.
In front of the pagoda stands the Cửu Phẩm Liên Hoa (Nine-Tiered Lotus) Tower that rests on the back of a large turtle, with the animal's head turned toward the pagoda. The turtle sits in the center of a square pond, flanked at the four corners by large artificial rockeries featuring life-sized elephant sculptures.
This is the first place that I managed to record the bell sound, albeit with environmental noises due to the Great Bell area remaining inaccessible to tourists.
Google Sites
Report abuse