More than 100 large and small dragons are exquisitely decorated, winding inside the sacred temple in the middle of the river in Ho Chi Minh City, attracting a large number of people to visit and worship.
More than 100 large and small dragons are exquisitely decorated, winding inside the sacred temple in the middle of the river in Ho Chi Minh City, attracting a large number of people to visit and worship.
Phu Chau Temple, also known as Floating Temple (in Ward 5, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City) exists like an oasis in the middle of the river. The temple has a unique position in the middle of the Vam Thuat River, a branch of the Saigon River (formerly called Ben Cat).
Located on a 2000m² land in the middle of the Vam Thuat River, a branch of the Saigon River, this ancient temple existed before 1800. On the West bank is a residential area (Ward 5, Go Vap), on the East bank is specialized farming area (An Phu Dong ward, district 12), connecting the West and East banks are Mieu Noi and Ben Cat ferry wharves.
Legend has it that people traveling by boat to trade on the river one day stopped to stay overnight and saw the Five Gods, namely Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, to sell goods at high prices. A few days later, a group of merchant boats stopped by and built a small temple to worship the Five Marble Ladies who bless and protect people passing by on boats on the river, as well as the local people here.
In 1989, a Chinese man named Luc Cau donated money and mobilized people to repair the temple. Currently, after many restorations, Phu Chau Temple has become a spacious temple, with unique architecture with mixed Vietnamese and Chinese culture, and is one of the prominent tourist attractions in Saigon.
Currently, Phu Chau temple has been renovated and spacious. The name is Phu Chau Temple, but local people often call it Floating Temple because it is located between four sides of the river.
Right at the entrance are a pair of marble dragons curving in a "two dragons confronting" position.
A special feature is the more than 100 decorated dragons present everywhere in the Floating Temple.
The dragon is decorated in a stylized manner
Because the temple is located in the middle of the river, people who want to worship must go by boat from the shore
In the middle of the hall is the shrine of Maitreya Buddha.
Both sides worship Buddha Tathagata and Mother Earth.
The walls of the temple are exquisitely carved
The roof of the temple is decorated and carved very delicately.
Dragons curl up on the pillars of the sacred temple with sophisticated, eye-catching designs.
Although located in the middle of the river, surrounded by water on all sides, the temple also attracts a large number of people to visit and burn incense to pray for peace.
Hoang Yen (34 years old, living in District 8) said that when she was young, she often followed her mother to Noi Temple to burn incense and pray for peace. Therefore, when she grew up, she still came here several times a year to burn incense. "Many people say that the temple is very sacred. When I came to the temple, I found peace and a pure soul," the girl shared.
Ho Chi Minh City
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Update day
: 17/02/2024
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