Perfume Pagoda

We originally planned to travel by rowboat, but the hour
long journey in the rain quickly lost its appeal. This is
where we got on the motor boat - no dock, or shallow
area - just step through the bush into the boat!

Just before boarding the boat with 3 of our 5 guides.

 On February 4, we left Hanoi with Randy and Heather Kline on a day trip to explore the Perfume Pagoda.  This is a large complex of approximately 30 Buddhist temples and shrines built into the limestone Huong Tich mountains.

The weather was a humid mix or sun, mist and clouds on the day we were there, and a temperature of about 23 degrees C.

It is also the site of a huge, 3 month long festival which attracts thousands of Buddhist pilgrims and seems to coincide with Tet. The Perfume Pagoda Festival began officially on February 10th. We were fortunate to visit before the pilgrims. It was interesting because vendors were setting up all manner of shops along the entire route to the Huong Tich Pagoda. Everything had to be brought in by boat, including refrigerator units, building materials for the stalls, chairs, tables, goods etc. The way was very steep and most materials were carried or pushed in carts by hand. There appeared to be only one or two small trucks and no permanent facilities other than the temples and shrines.

A couple times during the ride to the site, our guides seemed to be hiding.

It was a rainy trip to the site. Most people do the trip by
rowboat, but it takes an hour and we didn't want to be
completely soaked by the time we got there.

Our boat was long and narrow with metal seats, and it was raining during the trip to the Pagoda site. We didn't board at the main dock where our driver dropped us off - we travelled by scooter down narrow back roads and through a couple farms, and then walked down a farm lane to the river.  We thought nothing of it - it is Vietnam after all - until later when we started putting pieces together! We passed one or two of what looked like river inspection stations and our guides seemed to hide. Then, on the trip home, when we were loaded and ready to go, suddenly there was much yelling and angry  words exchanged among the boat driver, and one guide who remained after we climbed to the Huong Tich Pagoda. What we 'deduced' later was that our guides had wanted to avoid paying the docking and river use fees, so they had us board in an obscure, hidden place along the river, and had us hide when we passed the inspection stations. They ultimately had to pay the docking fee on the way back, although they did try to leave. It was disconcerting for us; a lot of yelling and waiting, and by that time we were tired and hot (the sun was out).

The Tro wharf, the main tourist and pilgrim dropping point. Notice the structures along the left of the path. Those
are all retail stalls being prepared for the festival. 

With 2 of our 5 guides at the Tro wharf

The complex overlooks the Suoi Yen River. After visitors are dropped off at the Tro Wharf, they travel on foot to the Thien Tru Pagoda, past stall after stall of goods for sale, from lanterns, small Buddhas, fruit and vegetables to fans, and furniture!

The path through the complex winds its way up hundreds of stone steps.

Paul doing his best Vana White interpretation. There was no sign in English, so we had to guess where we were. Our guides didn't really explain this. Luckily, Heather was able to refer to her 'Eyewitness Travel' guide.








The climb to the Thien Tru Pagoda was long and fairly steep, with many shops and booths along the way. The Perfume pagoda Festival is the biggest and longest annual festival in Vietnam, with an estimated one million +  tourists and pilgrims visiting the site during its 3 month duration. Officials this year expanded the wharf and put 4,500 boats into service to ferry visitors to and from the site. The shops and booths are supposed to be set up far from worship areas, but to us they seemed to be located along the entire route. Some interesting notes about the festival:



 - loudspeakers are forbidden;
- shop owners were asked to pledge not to overcharge tourists and pilgrims and to guarantee food hygiene;
- reports of illegal and unregulated' criminal activity during the festival, abound!

This was what we assumed was the entrance gate to the Thien Tru Pagoda.

'

Thien Tru Pagoda - Main building

alter inside main shrine

The Thien Tru Pagoda, also known as the Kitchen Pagoda dates to the 17th century. It is built on three levels on the mountainside. At left, is an alter inside the main building. You can see some of the offerings on the alter.

The main shrine, with a statue of Quan Am, Goddess of Mercy.

lion in Chinese style

I haven't done much praying in my adult life, unless it was for deliverance from an exam, but I felt like I should embrace the experience while at this famous pilgrimage site. The cost was 40000 VND (about $2.00) and our guide brought me a platter of fruit, chocolate, sweets and incense, which I then 'dedicated' to the Goddess. To my surprise, the offering did not end there. The guide took me to the shrine of the 'brother' and, another 40000 VND, another plate of food and more prayers. And then to a final shrine, with a statue of the 'lady buddha' inside, which is supposed to be lucky for women. By that time, I was running out of dong AND prayers. Can you pray for the same thing 3 times (like in Miss Congeniality - world peace! When Paul finally found me, he was annoyed (as I was myself) that I had been duped into 3 offerings - too polite to say no.

Of the 2, I think my mother would have preferred this one!

one of the small temples inside the main complex (Thien Tru pagoda)

Paul descending the 120 steps that lead
to the Huong Tich Pagoda

It is a very steep walk up hundreds of stone steps to the ultimate destination of pilgrims and tourists alike: the Huong Tich Pagoda. This shrine is set near the peak of Huong Tich Mountain, deep in a cavern.  It contains several gilded figurines of Buddha and Quan Am (Goddess of Mercy). it takes about an hour to walk to the shrine so the 4 of us took the cable car. Although the mountain setting is beautiful, the mist and booths all along the path would have prevented us from seeing much. The cable car afforded a great view.













The cave is cool, damp and dim, although the alters and statues are bathed in artificial light. At the entrance to the grotto there is a bronze bell (left) which was moulded in 1655. When we visited, the alters were covered with offerings and there were many Buddhist pilgrims and monks worshipping.

Inside the cavern

When we were at the dock waiting while our guide and boat driver argued over docking fees, we watched this barge
of ostriches being unloaded - well I actually looked the other way; all kinds of animal cruelty guidelines being violated I'm afraid. We discovered after that, during the Perfume Pagoda Festival, many restaurants serve 'exotic' meat like deer, porcupine and . . . ostrich.

Hanoi

Paul on the The Huc Bridge of Hoan Kiem Lake

at Den Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain Temple)

 Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, has been known by many names since the area was first inhabited in around 3000 BC. It recently, 2010, celebrated its official 1000th birthday. The name Ha Noi, meaning the city at the river's bend, was given by the Nguyen emperor, Minh Mang in 1831. It is the second largest city in Vietnam, after Ho Chi Minh City, with a population of about 7 million. It has a warm, humid, subtropical climate with four seasons, even though the fall and spring seasons only last 1 month each! When we visited Hanoi in February (winter), the temperature fell between 20 and 24 degrees C, which the Vietnamese consider cool.

Inside Den Ngoc Son

park near former French Quarter

Hanoi has survived many invasions and wars. The French made it the capital of colonial IndoChina in the the late 1800's and began a vigorous campaign of building and infrastructure construction. Hanoi was occupied briefly by the Japanese in 1940, but was reoccupied by the French in 1946. After 9 years of fighting between the French and the Viet Minh (Ho Chi Minh's communist party), Hanoi became the capital of an independent North Vietnam in 1954 and, after the end of the American War, it was proclaimed capital of a reunified Vietnam in 1976.

We stayed at the Hanoi Essence hotel, a marvellous hotel
right in the heart of the old quarter.

Hanoi is definitely a place to visit in Vietnam. With its Chinese influence and legacy of French colonial style: huge mansions, grand boulevards, parks and lakes, it was exciting and attractive. Even after American bombs and Russian influenced planning (after WWII), it still represents a good example of a French inspired colonial city.

Old quarter, during Tet

The old quarter is the oldest commercial district in Hanoi. Most of the narrow streets are named after the trade guilds they once represented, for example, Hang Tre (Bamboo Street), Hang Bac (Silver Street). While today the shops offer more than what their name suggests, it is a unique and interesting glimpse into history.

Van Mieu Gate, Temple of Literature

The Temple of Literature is the oldest architectural complex in Hanoi. It was founded in 1070 in honour of the Chinese philosopher, Confucius. It is divided into 5 courtyards separated by walls and gateways and connected by a central pathway which divides the complex into symmetrical halves.

Well of Heavenly Clarity

One Pillar Pagoda

The One Pillar Pagoda is an icon in Hanoi. It was built by Emporer Ly Thai Tong in AD 1049 and sits on a single stone pillar which stands in a lotus pond. It was built to represent a lotus flower in gratitude for the birth of the Emporer's son. Over the centuries, the pagoda has been damaged and reconstructed many times. It was burned by the French in 1954, presumably in retaliation for the battle of Dien Bien Phu.

Hoan Kiem Lake

Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) is situated in the centre of Hanoi. Legend tells of golden turtle living in the lake which presented a magical sword to General Le Loi. With the help of the sword, the general was able to expel the occupying Chinese from the city and establish himself as Emporer. Some time later, when he was sailing on the lake, the turtle rose to the surface and reclaimed the sword.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Located next to the Mausoleum, the Ho Chi Minh Museum was built in 1990 to chronicle and celebrate the life of 'Uncle Ho'. The exhibits are housed on 3 floors of the 107000 sq. ft. Soviet inspired, whitewashed building. Ho's life story is told in flashy, propaganda style, that is I'm told, lacking in substance. We did not go in but I liked the stark, clean appearance of the building.    

Zoom Tour

During the last week of February, I went on a tour of HCMC with a couple visiting relatives of CIS staff. The tour was called 'Vietnam Vespa Adventures', and it is headquartered in a cafe in District 1 called the Zoom Cafe. You travel around the city on the back of a Vespa, driven by a Vietnamese driver. The idea is to get people off the crowded tourist trail and experience parts of the 'real' Saigon. I really enjoyed this tour. We left at 8:00 am and returned at 2:00 (after lunch at Zoom Cafe). Highly recommend this tour.

We started out at the 'bird park'. It works a bit like a dog park. People come from all over, by scooter, with their birds. Some bring many cages on 1 scooter. It is supposed to be good for the birds to socialize. I didn't see any women, so I asked the guide where they were. "They working." OK, without wanting to sound biased, but isn't that just typical. The men enjoy a morning at the park (with their birds) and the women are working, busy with jobs and family!!

There are clothesline-like structures so the cages can be hung.

                                   
This beautiful statue was erected to  Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc, who drove to the busy intersection across from this site, doused himself with gasoline and burned himself to death. He was protesting the treatment of Buddhists by the then Catholic government of South Vietnam under Diem. This happened in 1963, and the picture, taken by Malcolm Browne, won a pulitzer prize. Although Duc's act did result in reforms being developed, these reforms were never adopted and the treatment of Buddhists worsened until Diem's assassination in late 1963.

I am lighting an incense stick and my Zoom tour companion,
Vera, has just put one in the cauldron.

The large cauldron in the centre of the picture holds in incense sticks. Incense is burned to purify the surroundings, calm the mind, and as a gesture of respect. It is believed in Buddhism, that the smoke acts like a bridge to connect real life with the after life. By lighting incense, we are inviting our ancestors back to earth, to enjoy our offerings and to receive their blssings and protection.

On our way to the flower market. All the
storefronts are open and you can buy all kinds of goods.

Selling drinks from the back of a
scooter.

 One lady was making biscuits (for sale) on this little habatchi like contraption.

We weren't sure what these were, although they looked tasty. I've been told it is best to avoid street food, unless you are with a Vietnamese person who knows what you're getting.











Not many people have a clothes dryer (including us). So, clothes are hung on the balcony, or outside the window. Our apartment is fairly modern, so we have a drying room. It is like a balcony, but the whole wall is metal bars about 4 inches apart, allowing the air to pass through. There is a small storage room and another bathroom off the drying rooom.

Each flower had a protective cover.

 A stall in the flower market. Vietnamese people love flowers. There is a whole market devoted to just flowers.


Transport of bolts of cloth by scooter.

Cloth market

The cloth market was mainly for wholesale purchases, but Vietnamese will sell to anyone, even in small amounts.

Cloth market

           

Incense in the cauldron

Cholon (District 5), coils of incense hang from the ceiling.

We visited a temple and a pagoda. A pagoda is a several storied, tiered tower for worshipping Buddha. A temple is usually one or two stories. This is a Chinese Temple in Cholon (District 5) which is the China town of Saigon. The coils on the ceiling are incense. They take about a week to burn. People pay extra for one of these because it takes longer to burn and therefore they will have better fortune and pay higher honour and respect to their ancestors. Each incense coil has a name tag. 

Me with our guide.

 Cholon (China Town in HCMC) What you see on the alter are offerings to the ancestors and Buddha.

We also went to a Buddhist pagoda and saw an actual service, which was fascinating. All the participants were wearing flowing black robes and the monks were in orange robes. You must remove your shoes in the alter chamber and your clothing should be modest: long pants and long sleeved shirts, however all the temples and pagodas I have visited were not too strict about dress. I think if you had spaghetti straps and short shorts, you would have been denied access.

The top floor of the Pagoda was the worship hall. We had to remove our shoes on the floor below.  Worshipers covered themselves with black robes (provided) and the monks were in orange and white, more ornate robes.

The Pagoda was narrow and several stories high. The third, fourth and fifth floors looked like a library (above). However, it is not books that are being stored - it is the ashes of the ancestors, all neatly labeled. 

Herb/medicine market in District 5. I didn't recognize anything!

 Me with my traveling companions, Malcom and Vera. Saigon River and District 1 in the background.