Temples in Vietnam. Buddhist temples in Vietnam. Temples of Vietnam on the tourist map of the country
Temple of a Thousand Faces Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn is an atypical temple located 27 km from Nha Trang. If you are an independent traveler and are wondering what to do in Nha Trang, then a trip to this quiet, peaceful temple, surrounded by mountains, greenery and rice fields, is definitely a great idea.
More about the temple
Important: as of February 2019, the temple is closed to visitors. If you know that the temple is open now, please write in the comments!
I am completely indifferent to religious buildings. I don't admire them or encourage them to visit. It seems to me that instead of pouring money into churches, they would have renovated schools and hospitals better, instead of building another pagoda dedicated to a fictional creature, they would have solved real problems better.
Therefore, if at the beginning of our travels I also wrote about, then in recent years I have completely stopped mentioning them. But this time I will make an exception, because in the vicinity of Nha Trang there are 2 religious buildings that are really worthy of mention: Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn and Tu Van (Chùa Từ Vân).
While you can easily find reports online about the Dragon’s Labyrinth and the Tu Van Pagoda (Chùa Từ Vân), made from sea shells (Russian tourists are taken there), the Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn Temple is almost unknown to the general public. Let's talk about him.
Construction of Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn (pronounced phap vien sun) began in 2006 and is still ongoing. The design of the temple mixes the styles of various religious movements (from Buddhism to Hinduism), so the temple does not have its own style, but it’s funny that this is where all its charm lies.
For example, a stone statue overgrown with moss (typical of Bali) - a symbol of calm, is adjacent to a screaming monk. Cool, right?
A charming baby elephant and his mother sat down next to Chinese dragons. Where else can you find something like this?
The temple is beautiful, elegant, completely new! And there is no one here except monks, students of monks and rare tourists. Gorgeous.
Just look how cute it is: a grandmother walks across a bridge over a pond full of red fish, and a disgruntled wooden grandfather with long eyebrows sits next to him.
Do you want a joke? IN In March 2017, friends, on my advice, went to this temple by taxi and even the taxi driver was there for the first time! Can you imagine how amazing this place is?
I managed to find a blog in Vietnamese, which said that until the author came to the Nha Trang area, he knew nothing at all about this place. And when I arrived, I realized that in narrow circles this is actually quite famous place: There are benches everywhere with the names of Vietnamese singers, musicians and other popular personalities who donated funds for the construction (in Asia it is customary to write the names of donors on beautiful benches).
And yet, how the temple manages to hide from ordinary people for so long is beyond me. Why is there still so little information about this place on the Internet? Some kind of mysticism.
What, at every step you can find temples where the styles of different religions are mixed and even have their own mini-version of Angkor Wat?
This is a photo of the real Angkor Wat:
Or are there mini versions of Vietnam's most popular attractions everywhere? Here, for example, you can climb into a tiny copy of the famous Hanoi Pagoda on one pillar and stroke the head of the Golden Turtle, the same one that, according to legend, gave Le Loi the sword that defeated the Chinese armies.
Here is a photo of the real 1 Pillar Pagoda from Hanoi:
In general, Vietnam is amazing country, it seems like so many thousands of tourists came here, but they still stay here little known places. For example, few people know about, but it is not so close to Nha Trang, or about, where you can feed crocodiles with giant pieces of meat, or about, or about - there are so many cool non-tourist places in Vietnam that you can’t even visit them on just one vacation!
But let's return to the temple.
Despite the heat, it is very comfortable to be on the temple grounds. Hidden in a charming grove, you sit and admire the views.
And what views!
The temple is surrounded rice fields, palm trees, hills and mountains.
The Temple has its own website and even Facebook page. It’s great when modern technologies are used, the bad thing is that all the texts there are only in Vietnamese, and Google translator translates from Vietnamese so-so. For example, the very name Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn is translated by Google translator in the context of some phrases as Dharma Institute. I don’t know about you, but for me this translation is clearly associated with the Dharma Initiative (hello to the recently revised “Lost”) :)
The monk's disciple goes about his business:
Meanwhile, we are relaxing in the attic. It is not tidy here, unlike other places in the temple, where there is perfect cleanliness. But that's a good thing. Atmospheric.
Pilgrims often visit the “Land of Buddha” (as they themselves call this place). I hope I was able to convince you that the Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn temple is worthy of visiting not only pilgrims, but also ordinary mortals. Come before the place becomes super popular. It's great here! And entry is free.
How to get there
The secluded Pháp Viện Thánh Sơn temple is located 27 km west of Nha Trang.
Exact coordinates: 12.31015, 109.01922
You can get there by taxi (), motorcycle taxi or rented motorbike. Renting a bike in 2017 costs approximately 120,000 VND per day if rented at a hotel or 100,000 VND if rented on the street. Read about
Vietnam is not only a country snow-white beaches, the purest turquoise sea and comfortable hotels. Of particular interest to tourists are temples of Vietnam, after all, by visiting them you can touch the original culture of the country and its inhabitants.
Temples of Vietnam on the tourist map of the country
The ancient city of Dalat is a treasure trove of temple architecture in Vietnam. The city is rich in attractions. Among them are the most visited by tourists temples of vietnam: Ngoi Temple, called by the inhabitants of the country the Temple of the Golden Buddha, and Linh Phuoc Pagoda, built from fragments of broken dishes.
By the way, the entire interior decoration of the pagoda also consists of tiny pieces of porcelain. The city is popular resort, therefore, fascinating excursions to ancient shrines can be combined with a wonderful vacation in one of the hotels on the shores of the purest mountain lake Xuan Huong.
No less popular among tourists, Nha Trang can also offer guests of the city very interesting excursion program visiting ancient Buddhist temples. The pagoda with beautiful name Long Son, where tourists from all over the world flock every year in search of real Asian exotica. The pagoda has a distinctive feature that sets it apart from the long line of Buddhist temples in Vietnam.
Here there is a 38-meter snow-white statue of Buddha, which can only be reached by climbing 150 steps that go steeply up the mountain. There are others in the city interesting places.
For example, St. Mary's Cathedral, built in the Gothic style and sharply contrasting with the numerous Buddhist temples and pagodas.
The capital of the country, Hanoi, is a place of attraction for believers from all over the world. After all, in this ancient city there are about six hundred temples. Each of them has an ancient history, each is unique in its own way. The most famous of Vietnam, Quan Thanh, is located in Hanoi. According to ancient legend, it is he who protects the city from troubles and misfortunes.
Rules for visiting a Buddhist temple
Buddhism is one of the most democratic of all religions existing in the world. However, visiting Buddhist temples, However, you must follow a few simple rules:
- Before entering the temple, you must remove your hat and shoes.
- Clothes for both men and women should not be too revealing.
- It is considered rude to stand with your back to the altar.
- You should also leave the temple turning your face to the shrines.
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Excursions in Vietnam: Temple of Literature
Vietnam – promising and constantly developing tourist destination South-East Asia. The country attracts millions of travelers with its exotic, relatively cheap tours, high-quality beach holiday and developed infrastructure at an acceptable level. Tourism in Vietnam began to actively develop around the late 1990s. For almost the entire first decade of the 2000s, the bulk of travelers were Chinese, and only a small percentage came from guests from Europe, America, and other continents.
The country's territory stretches along the coast Pacific Ocean approximately 2000 km. It is conventionally divided into Northern, Central and South Vietnam. Each of these parts has seaside resorts with beautiful beaches, quality hotels and interesting attractions.
People go to Vietnam mainly for a beach holiday. In any part of the country you can find hotels to suit every taste - from small, economical 2* and 3* to luxurious 5* on the first coastline. Almost every one has a cozy garden with bright unusual flowers and plants, and a small swimming pool. For those who want to get to know Vietnam better, local travel agencies organize exciting excursions. Gourmets will not remain indifferent to traditional cuisine. Pho soup, nem pancakes, spring rolls, lau soup are basic dishes for the locals. Seafood is a special item. In Vietnam they are excellent and sold at reasonable prices.
The best hotels and inns at affordable prices.
from 500 rubles/day
What to see in Vietnam?
The most interesting and Beautiful places, photographs and brief description.
This is a modern metropolis with developed industry. Here you can feel the pulse of business Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is also called the “city of mopeds”. In the mornings, residents do gymnastics in the parks; in the evenings, they stroll in the square in front of Notre Dame de Saigon, the main Catholic Cathedral south of the country. The city is named after Ho Chi Minh, the founder of the Communist Party and the first president of a united Vietnam.
This bay is one of the most recognizable symbols of Vietnam. Almost every tourist brings a postcard with a picture of a ship with flying scarlet or brown sails against the backdrop of views of the bay. Halong is a bay with three thousand islands, grottoes, caves, cliffs, located a couple of hundred kilometers from the capital. The bay belongs to world heritage UNESCO because of its unique beauty.
This complex was created to show people all the horrors of the war with the United States of 1965-1973. The museum contains photographs of Vietnamese people maimed by American chemical weapons (under the special name “Agent Orange”), instruments of torture, stories of abuse of the local population, and mass exterminations.
An underground labyrinth of approximately 250 km. These tunnels near Ho Chi Minh City served as a refuge and base for Vietnamese guerrillas. From here they made successful attacks against the Americans. Visitors are presented with cunning traps, weapons and household items of the soldiers who once lived here.
It is of great historical interest, since the imperial family once lived here, and mere mortals could not get here. Tu Cam Thanh is located in Hue and consists of a complex of palace buildings, temples and gardens, many of which are hundreds of years old.
The surviving remains of Hindu temples of the Thiapma (Champa) Empire that once existed on the territory of Vietnam. Before the arrival of the Viets, the lands were inhabited by the Chams, who approximately moved here from borneo islands. From the 4th century Michonne was the capital of the Cham state.
A large cultural complex where excavations are still ongoing. It began to be built during the Vietnamese Ly dynasty in the 11th century. Over the course of its long existence, the territory of the citadel expanded, was destroyed, rebuilt again, and only in the 20th century. managed to begin full-scale archaeological work to extract valuable ancient exhibits.
The tomb of the national hero and socialist leader Uncle “Ho”, as he is called locally. This is one of the main modern attractions of Hanoi. In addition to the body of Ho Chi Minh itself, tourists are invited to look at the chambers where the leader of the nation lived and worked, as well as stroll through the magnificent park around the mausoleum.
A seven-tiered structure symbolizing the moment of Buddha's enlightenment. It was created in 1601. Thien Mu is the tallest pagoda in Vietnam. Not far from the tower in the 60s. In the twentieth century, the Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc, who, together with his brothers, fought against the oppression of the Catholic ruler, committed ritual self-immolation.
Another architectural monument from the period of Tyampa’s rule. This is a group of temples located in the city of Nha Trang. Some of them are still in effect today, despite the fact that they are more than a thousand years old. From the observation deck on site temple complex An extensive panorama of Nha Trang opens.
A temple with a large statue of a deity towering over the whole of Nha Trang. It can be observed from almost anywhere in the city; it seems to be floating in the clouds. There is a Buddhist monastery on the territory of the pagoda, and services are constantly held. To climb to the seated Buddha statue (the highest point of the pagoda), you need to walk 150 steps.
Another unusual temple from the reign of Ly Thanh Tong in Hanoi. It was built in 1049 by a grateful emperor in honor of the goddess Quan Am, who in a dream predicted the birth of a son. Nowadays, only a small pagoda with a statue of Quan Am, actually standing on one pillar, has survived from the entire building.
This is a complex in Hue, including a pavilion, a temple, a crypt, a court of honor and a pond with lotuses. All these structures were supposed to emphasize the greatness of the ruler and perpetuate his name. It was You Duc who came up with the tradition of building tombs in this way. After him, many tombs of later rulers appeared in the surrounding area.
Another name for the temple is Notre Dame de Saigon. This is a piece of Europe near the equator and the main Catholic church of Ho Chi Minh City, built in 1880. During construction, Notre Dame de Paris was taken as a model. In the temple you can attend a classical mass, celebrated by a Vietnamese priest in broken Latin, or simply admire the beautiful stained glass windows.
Another Catholic church built with the help of the French. It can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. This temple took many years to build and was completed by 1939. The structure turned out to be majestic and massive, designed to inspire appropriate awe of divine power. Now the residence of the bishop is located there, and Mass is regularly celebrated.
The cathedral is another striking architectural monument, reminiscent of French rule throughout Indochina. European canons are easily discernible in the Gothic outlines of the temple, and the interior decoration creates an atmosphere of reverence.
One of the most striking attractions of the capital of Vietnam. Emperor Ly Thanh Tong ordered the construction of this temple in honor of Confucius in 1070. A few years later, a university for the offspring of high-ranking officials of the state arose on its basis. Here the tourist will see millennia-old historical monuments: statues, cult hall, Gue Wang Pavilion.
Better known as the famous mud bath in Central Vietnam. Here they take baths from healing mud, swim in pools filled with hot mineral water, doing health procedures. You can also buy high-quality inexpensive cosmetics here. There are package offers for visitors, which include a set of spa treatments, fruit snacks and various additional options.
It is considered the longest road of this type over the sea. It leads to the island where the Winpearl amusement park, popular among tourists, is located. The supporting structures are made in the form of French " eiffel towers", which are beautifully illuminated at night.
It is located 20 kilometers from Nha Trang and is a popular tourist attraction. These funny and unceremonious animals live everywhere, since at one time they uncontrollably multiplied and populated a small territory. On the island you can not only see monkeys, but also swim, sunbathe, walk along quiet parks and gardens.
A bizarre joint creation of man and nature. Inside the natural rocks of unusual coloring there are huge halls with temples and altars. Outside, houses of worship and pagodas are scattered among the greenery. The Marble Mountains are not just a tourist attraction, but a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists.
In the center of old Hanoi is located perhaps one of the most interesting attractions of the city – the Lake of the Returned Sword. Legend has it that a giant turtle inhabitant of the lake during the wars with China gave a sword to the hero Le Liu, who defeated the enemy with its help. Then the turtle took the sword back, hence the name.
A picturesque series of small freshwater lakes collectively called Lotus Lake is located in the vicinity of the resort of Mui Ne. They are notable for the fact that they are almost completely overgrown with lotus. It is especially beautiful on the lakes in the summer during the flowering period - during a walk, the visitor seems to plunge into the “kingdom of the lotus”.
In the vicinity of Phan Thiet and Mui Ne there are a lot of colorful sand dunes. The most impressive are the white and red dunes - huge formations of sand, interspersed with rare pine groves and lakes. When tourists get here, they feel like they are in an endless desert. Quad biking is the most popular activity for visitors to the dunes.
The Ke Ga Lighthouse is located about 50 kilometers from the tourist area of Phan Thiet. It was built during French rule in 1899. Later it was recognized as one of the most beautiful in Southeast Asia. The lighthouse stands on a 25-meter cliff, the structure itself is 41 meters in height. The light from the generator is noticeable already 40 km from the coast.
Dalat is home to one of the most unusual attractions in the region - the Hang Nga madhouse or crazy house. It was designed by the daughter of Vietnamese politician Dang Viet Nga, who was an avid Gaudí fan. Now it is a hotel in the shape of a giant tree with branches, passages, rooms “cut” in the trunk, hanging gardens and statues of fabulous animals.
According to local guides, this park is upscale resort"without Asian exoticism." In addition to attractions, a water park, dolphin and seal shows, an aquarium, there is a 5* hotel, excellent white sand beaches, and bright evening shows are constantly organized.
It is located near the city of Kobang and is considered the most beautiful in all of Southeast Asia. Around Detian there are rice fields, mangrove and palm groves and plantings of cotton trees. The landscape is complemented by pointed rock peaks, which against the blue sky are reminiscent of the scenery from Avatar.
Congratulations to us! Traveling around Vietnam has begun. Today we had a test drive and everything went like clockwork. Almost.
Those who had been to Vietnam advised us before leaving Australia that if the site is on English language and with the functionality working flawlessly, you can buy Vietnamese tours in the direction you are interested in online without fear.
After a couple of days of diligent searching, I chose one of these, read reviews about the tour and the area, watched videos from those who were there, consulted with Tyoma, corresponded with this travel agency, talked with them on the phone... (the tour is very inexpensive , but I wanted to make sure that they wouldn’t cheat us out of money...), at the same time we also invited our new friends with us and... just the day before on Saturday afternoon we bought this day tour. Done. About $85USD for the three of us.
They didn’t pick us up from our residential area and didn’t bring us back. I had to take Grab (local Uber) to the meeting point. The hornbeam delivered us to the specified address, but there was no smell of Hanoi Opera House there... We called the agency. Suddenly, out of nowhere, as if by magic, a lively girl appeared, chatting quickly, after about five minutes we all found out and realized that “No, we are not in Halong Bay. We are in Hoa Lu.” Ahhh... ok.
We were immediately shoved into a taxi that appeared out of nowhere and taken somewhere... The girl was chatting on the phone without a break, apparently, deciding on a bunch of organizational issues, the phone was almost smoking. And we sat and wondered - where are we going... where are they taking us... who are these people... In Vietnam, if the Vietnamese nod back at you with a knowing look, “Ok, ok, ok...” - this is not a reason for you to relax, deciding that they are all understood what you explained to them. Keep in mind.
After about 5 minutes, the opera building loomed on the horizon of the streets (opera is usually difficult to confuse with something else). There was a mini-bus standing there and a young Vietnamese woman was running towards us. With open arms and a smile all over your face. Our hearts lightened a little.
To our surprise, the bus was full. We got seats in the gallery - the very back and jumping ones. We were the last tourists waiting for the bus. The door was closed behind us and we set off on our first Vietnamese trip.
Vietnam has 4 thin things.
1) Look at the map of Vietnam - the country is narrow and slender.
2) Traditional Vietnamese houses are narrow and slender. Do you know why? Because buy land plot It’s much cheaper when it’s narrow along the street, but wide and upward in depth – “at least as much.”
3) The streets in Vietnam are also narrow and slender.
4) And the people themselves are also, for the most part, slender.
This is especially striking after Australia. The country of kangaroos is on the list of leaders in the number of people suffering from obesity. Surprisingly, it’s a fact - the green continent was created specifically so that there could tirelessly engage in all kinds of sports day and night. But no... fast food culture spoils the whole ideal picture.
In Australia, by the way, upon arrival it’s easy to relax and thus gain twenty extra pounds. At the same time, if you become “chubby”, you will still look slender compared to the local Australian ladies. The situation is fabulously convenient and clearly cunning! It seems that you go to the fitness center, and supposedly watch your nutrition, but at the same time, without remorse, you eat deliciously sweet things, looking at the growing kilograms, comparing yourself with local fast food fans and realizing that “I’m sooooo far from them!” After a couple of years, this becomes the norm and the song “I like myself the way I am” begins...
When, living in Australia, you say to yourself, “I like myself the way I am,” looking at your curvaceous forms, that’s it – you’ve become an Australian. Then there is hopelessness in terms of losing weight. They will still eat tons of cakes, ice creams, and pizzas, and it will still be “I like myself the way I am.” And all this phytony fun is all for Instagram. Our St. Petersburg friend (Julia I., thank you! 3 kg minus!) significantly cleared my brain in this regard.
We didn’t really get a chance to listen to the stories of our young guide. We traveled today to charming company two kids. Very noisy and restless. We were unable to persuade them to take a nap during the entire 2 hours that we were driving from Hanoi to our first destination.
Looking ahead, I must say that we must pay tribute - our children (almost 4 and almost 5 years old) coped well with the trip, when the program was not adjusted to them, but on the contrary - they were adjusted to the plan of the day. For Tyoma and me, this was the first experience when the child and I were not masters of the situation and were completely dependent on the group.
If we were to go on this trip today, arriving in short vacation to Vietnam from Australia, I would go crazy with the shit in terms of “praises” a la how crowded, dirty, crowded it is, there’s no way to be alone with nature, and why did we come here to travel anyway? I had this relatively and. And it is precisely for this reason that we were not drawn to Southeast Asia for educational and tourist trips.
Yes, that's a fact. Vietnam is very littered, it’s just awful! Along the roads there are only continuous garbage dumps - large or small. Even if they are not there, the garbage is still evenly scattered. You’re simply amazed how you can not only persistently shut up your country every day, but also live in your own garbage...
And yes, it’s just crazy how many people there are here. And tourists. I don’t even know who is more – the first or the second.
BUT! Now we live in Vietnam. We live in Hanoi. In a residential area made of concrete and glass. On the 33rd floor. Before wildlife We are like China in our plastun style. Vacations and weekends are a breeze for us. Nowadays we cannot afford to squirm. We are in such a situation now that bleach is like cottage cheese without fish. Therefore, we don’t show off and try to filter with our eyes what comes across our very eyes, tirelessly muttering under our breath the mantra “We’re not here for long. We're not here for long..."
First of all, we were brought to the capital of the first Vietnamese emperors - Hoa Lu. Not to the city itself, but to see 2 imperial temples.
I won’t rewrite Wikipedia, but if you’re interested, google it: Hoa Lu - the former capital of Vietnam, was a political, economic and cultural center Daikovieta (10th century). Hoa Lu is the birthplace of three Vietnamese dynasties: Dinh, Early Le and Ly. Old city has an area of about 300 hectares, including outer and inner fortresses, and is surrounded by mountains.
Again, we were unable to listen to the guide’s broadcasts. The task was to prevent the children from tearing historical and cultural values to smithereens, to walk around the small territory of the temples and take a couple of pictures of their favorite ones as a keepsake. We did a great job with this.
It’s a real mystery – do Vietnamese children even rest on weekends? If they are not at school, then somewhere on an excursion. And even on Sunday.
At the entrance to the historical complex, a bunch of small school (or student... go figure) groups were hanging out. Everyone huddled together in their own area, hamstered the food prepared for them and enjoyed the “boomsa-boomsa” from the speakers loudly screaming right there.
Another group was apparently celebrating the completion of their studies. They joked around and threw their hats into the air. The topic could not be taken away.
He, being at the graduation ceremony in Pittsburgh, was looking forward to the moment when they would all throw their hats in the same way. Aha, now... This seems to be inspired by movie scenes and in reality in the states they still don’t throw hats ( correct me, who really cheated - and in the states).
I won’t say that we immediately became experts in Vietnamese imperial history- of course not. And yes, we respect Asian temples, we don’t understand anything about them and we don’t try to. To each his own.
After the excursion, we were put back on the bus and after a short journey we found ourselves in a new place, buzzing with tourists and locals like a densely populated beehive, where first of all we were well fed. Buffet. With meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. It was delicious!
For Nikita, I deliberately took a thermos with me (I brought it from Australia, sold at KMart for about $8AUD) with pasta and a cutlet. Our baby doesn’t eat in cafes and restaurants (which is “convenient” in terms of “budget”), but he can’t eat sunbeams... Therefore, the carefully prepared lunch was swept right off the plate. The baby was full, the mother was happy. For an afternoon snack he had drinking yogurt, cookies from Comrade Nadya, an apple and daddy’s soy “nuts” for hamstering in between.
After a hearty lunch, we were smoothly redirected across the road to the boats. Ahead of us was a 2-hour catalovo along the river among beautiful nature with stops in 3 caves. It was great! But that's another story with a bunch of photos and videos. Stay tuned!
Here in Vietnam there are potato rice fields all around and everywhere. Rice is the most important attribute. Even if the table is bursting with overseas caviar and other gourmet foods, BUT there will be no rice, Fsyo! Consider there is famine in the country.
After the boat ride, in which the baby seemed to sleep sweetly for an hour with dad on his wheels, a bike tour along the river and rice fields awaited us. And there were even bikes with child seats! But only Tyoma was able to control them, so he, in company with a mouse, went to spin the pedals, and we girls drowned the hamster in delicacies - pancakes with mango. Mmmm….
Time flew by unnoticed amid the heartfelt chatter and now we were loading onto the bus, having immediately bought a Vietnamese traditional straw hat from the souvenir shop. No, not for myself. After the tour we were straight from the ship to the ball. Returning to our residential area, we immediately went, dirty-and-unwashed, laden with a heavy-backpack, to an Italian restaurant where one of our pilots was celebrating his birthday. We gave him a straw hat so that he could now wear it instead of a pilot’s cap.
The gatherings were emotional, fun, and very tasty! There’s just one BUT – we have to give it our due, we got tired on the road. Out of habit. And from large quantity the people around us are simply overwhelmingly large! And from the long journey back.
If we drove “there” for about 2 hours, stopping halfway to take a break. Then back everything is 3.5. We got stuck in a Hanoi traffic jam. We made our way along it stop-and-go, because here in Vietnam, whoever slipped into the gap between the cars first got the slippers. And I don't care what ambulance she’s trying to get through with a flashing light, that’s her problem...
Then the driver took us along some roundabout routes. There was no intermediate Pinkel pause. The children could not stand it and started a riot, saying, either stop, or right here on the floor. The whole bus rushed out onto the street under this children's pee bench. And I don’t care what’s right here on the side of the road. When you can’t bear it, it’s not for you to make a joke! Luckily it was already dark.
Then they took us to the outskirts of our residential area. There were 5 minutes of driving left, but they were “assed” to give us a ride home. They politely dropped us off, at our request, right somewhere on the side of the street (ever closer to home, otherwise we would have had to get out of the center of Hanoi through traffic jams again), offering to order a taxi for us. We saved ourselves and started looking for Grab, which didn’t want to be found. They started hailing a taxi. They waved all their limbs.
Luckily for us, a taxi driver pulled us out of the traffic and drove us to our home for 40K VND. Or rather, to an Italian restaurant.
In general, in the restaurant, our baby saved up his last strength to sit in an upright position for an hour, watching cartoons on his dad’s phone. We mothers and children went home earlier, leaving our dads to continue communicating in a cheerful male company. Nikita, having eaten a generous portion of oatmeal, fell asleep right there, one-two-three times.
I repeat, if I had attended this tour, having come here on a short vacation from Australia, there would have been very few praises. BUT we live in Vietnam and already really miss nature and beautiful landscapes.
Tam Coc and Ninh Binh– sooooo beautiful Vietnamese places. They are also called Halong Bay but on earth. We are truly glad that we visited there!
The travel agency we chose fully met our expectations and we will definitely go with them to other places again. Despite the return journey (and the agency had nothing to do with it - the problem was a traffic jam), everything was organized perfectly!
We tried it on ourselves the new kind travel – organized day trips when you are not your own boss, and in principle you can live and travel with this.
This travel agency makes it possible for “private tours”, when they deal only with you and your group, the whole plan is adjusted specifically to your schedule. But we didn't have enough required quantity, but doing it alone would be a bit expensive.
There is no escape from visiting numerous temples and Buddha statues in Vietnam, so we still visited a couple of temples there.
I really can’t say that what caught my attention there was something that should have attracted a normal tourist :)
On the other hand, it’s quite a Buddhist approach! :)
As always, ignoring the theoretical part of the excursion (yes, yes, I really regret it and I don’t promise to improve at all!), I wondered if Mr. Shenderovich posed for the author of this sculpture of a monk returning from Tibet with one shoe, which looks very suspiciously like: )
Vietnamese temples gladly accept monetary donations.
And if not a donation was made, but donation, then the name of the donor can be immortalized with an inscription on a bench standing in the alleys near the temple.
This is exactly how certain Lyagusha Vladimir and Myakov (or Mayakov? :)) became famous in this simple way Alexey from Moscow :)
The Vietnamese love dragons more than Buddha. With huge heads, eyes and teeth :)
Fairy-tale characters, into whose image the Vietnamese at the same time stuffed deer antlers, a bushy mustache and a sword-shaped tail :) well, that’s right, but there is always someone to scare children with :)
Most Vietnamese Buddhas smile very affectionately and benevolently.
All of them are moderately well-fed men in the prime of life, depicted as plump and with big ears.
Although the right leg of Buddha sticking out from under his belly confused me greatly at the first moment...:)
Local stamens and pistils. Ah, if only I knew then that I would return not to spring, but to the mockingly provided opportunity by the heavenly office to build snowmen for the fifth month in a row, I would sit in the pool all the time, surfacing only for food and cocktails!
A powerful propeller was discovered on the rear façade of the Buddha.
I thought it was an ancient Vietnamese invention for teleportation, but it turned out to be just a backlight, designed to inspire awe of the greatness of the Buddha.
Cheerful striped flags are a symbol of Buddhist faith and peace.
The six colors of the flag symbolize the six colors of the aura emitted by the Buddha when he "caught" enlightenment.
The swastika twisted counterclockwise on Buddha's chest is a symbol of perfection.
According to legend, the swastika was imprinted on the heart of Buddha. Her image is placed on the heart of initiates after their death.
But, as always, I see something of my own everywhere - IMHO, this is the spitting image of Lenin, broadcasting from an armored car :)
And with very elegant makeup :)
Vietnamese dragons are the personification of goodness, prosperity, everything positive... and the dream of any dentist.
Feishuy kindergarten. All Vietnamese sculptures are extremely symbolic and mythological, so tourists who do not want to pollute their brains are better off walking around such places without delving into the symbolism and meaning, otherwise visiting each place will take at least 3-5 hours :)
Buddha in front. A lotus in the hands of Buddha is an indispensable attribute of peaceful Buddhist deities.
Legends say that at the moment of Buddha's birth, a heavy rain of lotuses fell from the sky, and wherever his foot stepped, a huge lotus grew.
The Buddha Flower serves as a reminder of the impermanence of all things, blooming for only two or three days.
Our next goal was Truc Lam Pagoda, located in a very beautiful nature reserve.
We were met there by green guard dogs...
And delightfully well-kept gardens and lawns :)
It’s true that even if a romantic mood suddenly washes over you, you can pick such a flower from the flowerbed without the risk of leaving in a cast :)
The monastery was built in just a year in 1994. Monks and nuns, local Buddhists and followers of this religious movement from other countries were involved in its construction.
I caught an intimate moment in the frame.
As I understand, if you climb into the bell and make a wish, it will certainly come true.
Such fun doesn’t work with me, so I passed it by, not our method! :)
The territory of the temple is huge - more than 11 hectares. On it there is the temple itself, a school of Buddhism, men's and women's cells, a house for pilgrims, a huge garden and cable car on observation deck with a trip to the city, which is how we actually got here.
Lost penguin mimicking a trash can :)
Inside Buddhist temples, it is customary to cover your shoulders and knees, and remove your shoes when entering the temple. We were warned about the rules in advance, so there was no need to blush or politely stomp at the entrance, craning our necks :)
Out of curiosity, we went into the temple, observed the mystery of the “business process” of the temple servant, and did not torment him with requests for posing, although we heard that the monks here do not refuse such requests.
I took advantage of a good moment when there were no crowds around and took a photo of the pagoda.
It is immediately noticeable that the architecture is modern - everything is done extremely simply and concisely.
The monks living here themselves monitor the cleanliness and improvement of the territory.
In addition to gorgeous views, a general atmosphere of peace and harmony, gently ringing wind music, there are ponds, intricately trimmed bushes and bonsais, and sometimes you can even see walking monks and nuns in bright orange or blue robes.
Locals love to come here for picnics and romantic dates.
And this is one of the houses where monks and pilgrims live. The entrance to this territory is fenced and tourists are prohibited, so we had to be content with the view from afar :)
It must be admitted that the place chosen for the temple was surprisingly beautiful - in a pine forest at an altitude of 1.5 thousand meters above sea level. From the park near the temple there is a crazy view of the lake lying as if under your feet.
If you are in those parts, don’t forget to take a pleasant companion with you, have something tasty to eat and a cool drink, make yourself comfortable in one of the gazebos overlooking the lake, and take a sunbath, let the whole world wait! (c)
