Buu Lam Pagoda was erected in 1742 and underwent many changes during the history of Tien Giang Province. The pagoda is located in 162 Nguyen Van Giac Street, Ward 3, My Tho City, Tien Giang Province. It’s not too far from the city center of Ho Chi Minh, so it’s always chosen as a must-have part in the itinerary of tours from travel agents in the city.
How to get to Buu Lam Pagoda from Ho Chi Minh City
Buu Lam Pagoda is situated in Tien Giang Province, so you must reach the provincial city of My Tho first. You can choose motorbike or bus to come there. Just reach the Tien Giang travel guide to know more.
Upon arrival in My Tho City, just ask the locals or the receptionist at your hotel to Buu Lam Pagoda. It’s within walking distance of the city center of My Tho.
When you don’t have time to search for the way to Buu Lam Pagoda first and the directions are quite complex for you, a tour at some travel agent in Ho Chi Minh City is a good choice. The tour will take you to Buu Lam and even other amazing destinations in Tien Giang Province.
The history of Buu Lam Pagoda
At the beginning of the 18th century, a Buddhist nun went with the Nguyen Lord’s emigrants to the South for settling down. On the way to the South, they went through Dau Village, and the nun stopped there and built a small temple for meditation. Because the nun knew a lot about oriental medicine, she grew herbs around the temple and helped people.
After a short time, the nun was known well by more and more people. They came for meditation and ask for treatments. Hence, she made a decision to erect a pagoda in 1742. After that, she passed away and left the pagoda isolated from people. In 1803, a monk, Tu Lam came and recovered the growth for the pagoda.
The monk ordered to build the pagoda of wood and named it Buu Long. The meaning of Buu Long is to wish the Rinzai school – one sect of Zen the monk followed sustainable development. Since then, Buu Lam Pagoda underwent a lot of refurbishments before you see its architecture nowadays. The outside is far different from itself in the past, but the inside seemingly remains unchanged. That’s why the pagoda is known as a famous ancient pagoda in Tien Giang Province.
The Architecture of Buu Lam Pagoda
Located at Anh Giac Street, Ward 3, My Tho City, Buu Lam Pagoda is constructed in a unique design. The three-door gate is decorated with beautiful patterns in the shape of dragons and phoenixes.
The path to the pagoda is embellished by lots of statues, and when you reach the end of the path, you will see the main part of Buu Lam Pagoda. The pagoda’s left is a small house. The rest of the pagoda is designed in the letter “mouth” in Chinese character. Inside the pagoda has plenty of ancient Buddhist statues, one of which was built in 1802. There are also some other priceless objects, e.g. horizontal lacquered board from 1909. The great hall is also decorated with exquisite carvings and impressive pictures.
Where to stay nearby
Minh Tai Hotel
Address: No.1 Nguyen Hue Street, Ward 1, My Tho City
Price from VND 280,000
Song Tien Annex Hotel
Address: No.31 Thien Ho Duong Street, Ward 1, My Tho City
Price from VND 450,000
Chuong Duong Hostel
Address: No.1 Truong Duong Street, Ward 1, My Tho City
Price from VND 700,000
Truc Quynh 2 Hotel
Address: 199 Hung Vuong Street, Dao Thanh Commune, My Tho City
Price from VND 335,000
Minh Quan Hotel
Address: 69 30/4 Street, Ward 1, My Tho City
Price from VND 412,000
Tien Minh Quan Hotel
Address: 206-208 Hung Vuong Street, Dao Thanh Commune, My Tho City
Price from VND370,000
Minh Kieu Hotel
Address: No.2 Thu Khoa Huan Street, Ward 1, My Tho City
Price from VND 412,000
Loc Mai Hotel
Address: 216 Hung Vuong Street, Dao Thanh Commune, My Tho City
Price from VND 300,000
Mekong Hotel My Tho
Address: 1A Tet Mau Than Street, Ward 4, My Tho City
Price from VND 1,360,000
Tips for a trip to Buu Lam Pagoda
Before you visit Buu Lam Pagoda in Tien Giang, you should take a look at some following important points
- The pagoda is spacious and surrounded by beautiful bonsai trees, so you not only come here for worship, but also enjoy the ravishing landscapes.
- The way to the pagoda is quite easy. You reach the intersection of Trung Luong and go to My Tho City. Find out Ap Bac Street. Go straight along that street and cross the bridge of Nguyen Trai. After that, you will see Buu Lam Pagoda.
- Buu Lam Pagoda is in proximity to serval other famous destinations, such as Ngoc My Monastery, My Tho Cathedral, Vinh Trang Pagoda, Tien Giang Museum.
- You can include Buu Lam Pagoda in your itinerary to explore My Tho City and savor specialties, such as My Tho rice noodle, chicken salad, snakehead smoked with straw, Lo Ren Star-apple, and snakehead porridge.
- Buu Lam Pagoda was designated as a national relic site in 1999
- Buu Lam Pagoda belongs to Mahayana – one of the existing branch of Buddhism
- Buu Lam Pagoda is not only a famous ancient pagoda in Tien Giang, but also one of the biggest religious sites in the Mekong Delta. Therefore, more and more people come to visit this place every year.
