Name: Thiên Mụ Pagoda
Address: Kim Long, Hương Long, Hue
Rating: 5.0000

Alberto Moreno

A symbol of Hue

The Thiên Mụ Pagoda (which means Heavenly Lady) is on a hill next to the Perfume River and is a symbol of the city of Hue.

Legend has it that in 1601 a mystic predicted that whoever found a pagoda on the promontory along the Perfume River would usher in a great dynasty. Nguyen Hoang, governor of the province of Thuan Hoa, followed the directions and the mystic's prediction was confirmed. The Nguyen Dynasty and its lineage, was the last of the imperial dynasties to rule Vietnam and lasted until 1945.

The pagoda can be recognized by its Phuoc Duyen octagonal tower. Each of the tower's seven floors is dedicated to a Manushi-Buddha, which is a Buddha that makes its appearances in the form of a human. The best thing is definitely the boat ride on the Perfume River from the center of Hue to the outskirts where the pagoda stands.

Pagoda of the Heavenly Lady

The Thiên Mụ Pagoda is located on the banks of the Perfume River and is a Vietnamese icon. Ever since the 60’s, it has been a popular place for political protests.

The Austin car which brought the monk Thich Quang Duc to his famous place of self-immolation in 1963 is housed here. The image of his protest of the Vietnamese president made headlines throughout the world.

It’s worth spending an entire afternoon there absorbing the peace and quiet and watching the monks walk through the gardens and their novices (the boys in blue robes and the girls in brown, all with shaved heads) play around.

It’s also a nice place to watch the sunset over the Perfume River. As a bit of trivia, the Perfume River got its name from the perfume merchants who used to bring their goods up and down it the river to the emperors.

Sailing the river near Hue

You can visit this monastery where they currently still train young novices to become monks. The interior holds the car which took Thich Quang Duc (the first monk to self-immolate in protest of the South Vietnamese government) to Saigon.