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Vinh Nghiem is no doubt HCMC’s biggest pagoda. But its impression and majesty come not only from its size.
Vinh Nghiem is the most famous of the many pagodas in HCMC. It is not the oldest, nor does it have a rich and colorful history, but it is the biggest and the most majestic.
Archives confirm that Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, located halfway between Tan Son Nhat International Airport and downtown, has unique architecture. Architect Nguyen Ba Lang drew up the designs, in cooperation with his colleagues Le Tan Chuyen and Co Van Hau, based on the original structure of a pagoda having the same name in northern Vietnam.
At the time it was built, from 1964 to 1971, Vinh Nghiem was unique in that new construction materials were used (reinforced concrete and steel) while the traditional architecture characteristics of Vietnam’s ancient pagodas were retained.
When entering through the pagoda’s three-door gate, visitors will see a seven-story tower on the left. This 35m tall tower is where Quan The Am Bo Tat (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) is worshiped.
The main building is a two-story structure covered by a two-tier roof with curved eaves in the shape of a dragon’s head. On the ground floor are a library, classrooms, a lecture hall, offices and the rooms of the Buddhist monks.
Three 23-step staircases lead to the second floor, opening onto a terrace 10m deep. On the left side is the bell tower which houses a special big bell of 1.8m in diameter, a gift from Japanese Buddhists who in 1971 raised funds to have it cast. During the last war against the American invasion, the bell was sent to Vietnam to pray for peace.
A large statue of Thich Ca Buddha (Sakyamuni) and two of his most prominent followers are located in the main hall, just a few steps up from the terrace. In the yard behind the main hall is a three-story repository for labeled ceramic urns containing the ashes of people who have been cremated.
Also in Vinh Nghiem’s premises is Vietnam’s tallest stone tower. It was built between April 2001 and December 2003 to celebrate the late Most Venerable Thich Thanh Kiem, one of the two founders of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, who died in 2000. The tower is 14m tall and is made entirely of stone.
Anyone wishing to observe the local custom of visiting the pagoda should go to Vinh Nghiem on the fifteenth day of every lunar month. The setting will be even more interesting on the occasion of bigger ceremonies, especially on ram thang gieng (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month), ram thang tu (Buddha’s Birthday, the fifteenth day of the fourth lunar month) and ram thang bay (the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month). During these ceremonies, tens of thousands of Buddhists visit Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.
Visiting Vinh Nghiem on these occasions will expose you to part of the Saigonese lifestyle
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