Thien Hau Pagoda

Ho Chi Minh City is so packed with worshiping sites like churches, pagodas and mosques that in every ten meters you’ll encounter one. It’s no shortage of new style, but there’re also some ancient ones that have been standing for hundreds of years, let's say, Thien Hau Pagoda, built by Chinese in the early 19 century to honor the goddess Thien Hau, the Lady of the Sea. 

Inside the pagoda, an altar dedicated to the goddess is placed in a partially covered courtyard, which contains burner and large coils of amazing incense suspended overhead - some are quite large with a more-than-a-meter diameter and can burn up to a month. Cast some donation you can have your own coil lit and hung from the ceilings as well. The porcelain dioramas that decorate the roof and walls are sure to be worth a long look. They show scenes from a 19-century Chinese city and include colorful figures, duels on horseback, arena fighting and divine symbols like dragons and turtles. Pungent aroma of burning incense and its swirling pale white smoke encircled the interior with devout faces of worshipers exudes an ambience of myth.

The temple is close to the China Town. In the area visitors can easily hop to other famous sites like Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace, Jade Emperor Pagoda, History Museum, War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market.

Vietnam is bordered with Cambodia, a Buddhist country delivers different taste of Asia. If you wish to explore the two at one time, see this 14 - Day Best of Vietnam & Cambodia Tour.