National Geographic magazine has listed Hanoi’s Tran Quoc Pagoda and HCM City’s Bửu Long Pagoda among the world’s most beautiful Buddhist monuments.

Located on a small peninsula on the east side of West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda, nearly 1,500 years old, was ninth on the list of the world’s 20 “most beautiful Buddhist temples” compiled by US magazine National Geographic.

Adding to the architectural beauty and historical significance of the pagoda is a Bodhi tree said to be the “offspring” of the original tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment in India.
The pagoda also has several worship statues in the front yard. Hundreds of years old, these statues were engraved and polished meticulously by skillful craftsmen.

Bửu Long Pagoda in District 9 on the outskirts of HCM City is ranked 11th on the list.

The magazine praised the “carved dragons that curve down the temple stairs and a turquoise pool reflecting the temple’s white walls and golden spires”.

One interesting feature of Bửu Long Pagoda is that followers are not allowed to burn incense or candles because it practices Theraveda Buddhism. Only the Buddha is worshipped in the pagoda, unlike most other Vietnamese temples where many deities, including those from other countries, are worshipped. —VNS