Perfume Pagoda (Vietnamese call Chùa Hương) or Huong Pagoda is a complex of sacred temples interspersed among charming mountains. The journey to visit Perfume Pagoda is not only a journey to the land of Buddha, but visitors also enjoy the natural beauty of heaven on earth.
Let's Go Viet Trip give you more information about this sacred area.
Perfume Pagoda is a location in Huong Son Commune - My Duc District – Hanoi. It's about 60km from Hanoi city center.
This was completely built in the late 17th century. It was destroyed during the war with the French colony in 1947, then rebuilt in 1988 by monk Thich Vien Thanh.
Location: Huong Son, My Duc, Hanoi
Opening hours: 8:00 -17:00 everyday
Entrance fees + boat trip: 130.000 VND (6$USD)
Cable car: 120.000vnd/ way 180.000vnd/ 2 ways
Huong Pagoda
As we mentioned, it's about 60km far from Hanoi city center. You can go by motorbike, bus or private car or join tours.
By motorbike: From the old quarter, you can go to Hang Bong street – Dien Bien Phu – Chu Van An street, go directly to Nguyen Trai - Ha Dong, then Ba La intersection turn left follow Van Dinh. Continue going about 40 kilometers to reach Te Tieu, turn left to get there.
Note: When traveling by motorbike, you can use Google maps for directions or ask people living nearby. In addition, you need to bring all vehicle documents, wear a helmet to ensure safety during the trip.
By bus: You can go Perfume pagoda without a tour. But it is pretty complicated. From the old quarter, you need to get at least two buses to get there. You can catch bus No 2 to Yen Nghia bus station and find bus No 75 to Te Tieu. Then you need to go walk or go by motorbike for nearly 1km to get to Duc pier.
If you get bus No 78 from My Dinh bus station, you can go by taxi or motorbike around 10km to get to Duc pier.
By private car or tour:
This is expensive, but it is really comfortable, and you can have your own space (no need to worry about getting crammed on a bus). Furthermore, if you go in a large group, a private car will be cheaper and better.
Perfume pagoda map
There are four routes, and visitors often pick route one because they can see the most famous spots there.
Route 1: Hương Tích: Trình Temple –Thiên Trù pagoda –Tiên Sơn Grottos – Giải Oan pagoda –Trần Song temple –Hương Tích Grottos – Hinh Bồng Pagoda.
Route 2: Thanh Sơn: Thanh Sơn pagoda – Hương Đài Grottos
Route 3: Long Vân: Long Vân pagoda –Long Vân Grottos – Sũng Sàm cave
Route 4: Tuyết Sơn: Bảo Đài pagoda – Chùa Cá Grottos – Tuyết Sơn Grottos
Entrance fees + Boat trip is 130.000vnd/person
Free for children under 10 years old less than 1,1 meters high
Cable car price
For adult: 180.000 vnd/person (2 way) – 120.000vnd/person (1 way)
For children: 120.000 vnd/person (2 way) – 90.000vnd/person (1 way)
>>> Read more: Perfume pagoda full-day tour
After 2-hour visitors arrive at Duc Pier. At the festival, many boats in front of the pier pick up and drop off visitors.
Yen Stream is about 4km long, is the only road leading visitors to Huong Tich cave. According to the legend, the reason local people call Yen stream because it has a shape like the tail of a Yen bird (Vietnamese call Chim Yến)
If visitors are going in the autumn, they will enjoy the purely natural scenery, not crowded, people dragging people like when the festival season of Huong pagoda.
Rowing on the Yen stream, visitors can also see the mountains on both sides of the road, listen to the guide share stories about the legends of the mountains: Dragon Mountain, Lion Mountain, Turtle Mountain, Ba Dai Wine Mountain, Elephant Mountain, etc. are incredibly thrilling and fascinating legends.
Thien Tru means Heaven Kitchen, established in 1467 under the Le dynasty.
According to the legend, when King Le Thanh Tong visits in the south, he and the commander went through the Huong Son mountains. They took a rest in Lao Mountain valley. When soldiers were cooking, while he was enjoying the natural scenery, the king watched astronomy see this area in the position of the star Thien Tru.
Visitors would climb up hundreds of stone steps and then down 120 stone steps to Huong Tich Grotto, literally meaning "traces of the fragrance." Tourists will find the inscription "Nam Thiên Đệ Nhất Động" in Han scripts mean "the first ranking grotto under the Southern Sky." Go inside the cave; you will find a purely relaxed atmosphere in dim light before figuring out naturally architectural works such as Dun Gao (Rice) rock, gold and silver trees, girl and boy mountains (in the shapes of a girl and boy).
Many childless visitors seek fertility from Nui Co (the girl) and Nui Cau (the boy), while others visit stalactites and stalagmites thought to give prosperity (the Gold Tree, the Silver tree).
The Vietnamese believe that Huong Son Mountain is Buddha's heaven due to its sacredness and natural works of beauty. They would like to come back to this mysterious and sacred mountain annually for religious reasons as well as enchanting natural landscapes.
Perfume Pagoda is one of the famous landmarks that many tourists to the pilgrimage, the Buddha and the temple. It has charming nature, a harmonious combination of high mountains and blue water, making the weather cool all year round. Visitors can visit here any time of the year.
This place is usually more crowded in spring from January to March (following the Luna calendar) from January to March. In particular, from the middle of January to the middle of February is the peak period of the yearly pilgrimage season. Therefore, you should not choose this period.
Around the end of the March lunar month is the bright Red rice flower season on the banks of the Yen stream. You can choose this time for your trip. In addition, the last months of the year, such as September, October, November, and December, are also an ideal time for you to make a pilgrimage to the temple and feel the peaceful scenery of this place. To get the correct information, you should preview the Perfume Pagoda weather in the next 10 days to prepare. If you have a forecast of rain, remember to bring a raincoat or umbrella to use.
This is the longest festival in Vietnam. Every year it is starting from the 6th of January lunar calendar until the end of March. Many Buddhists in Vietnam return to the pilgrimage, the Buddha ceremony to pray for a good year for themselves and their families. Coming on this occasion of festivals, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy cultural shows such as singing, Cheo singing (or folk song singing) or rowing competitions, climbing mountains, forest.
Visit any spiritual place in Vietnam. You should wear long clothes. Besides that to conquer Perfume Pagoda need to climb quite a lot remember to wear comfortable shoes.
Visitors may get some food or drink. Always remember to throw garbage in the right place and keep the environment here is clean.
7:30 - 08.00: Pick up from your hotel in Hanoi, departure to Perfume pagoda is about 60 km away in the South West of Hanoi. The driver would take you to enjoy the countryside before you reach the pagoda.
10.00: Start the sampan ride to the main pagoda. As a religious center, there are 18 pagodas surrounding it. Today, our sampan will bring you to the Registration Hall – Den Trinh, to the Heavenly Kitchen – Thien Tru. Have lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch, take a round trip cable car to the most beautiful cave of Vietnam with the pagoda inside – Huong Tich. Here, Vietnamese people would love to pray at some strangely shaped rocks such as Silver, Gold, Boys or Girls, or simply at a rice pile made from rock.
15.00 Row back to the mainland and take a ride back to your hotel in Hanoi.
18.00: Finish the journey at your hotel in Hanoi.
Included:
Lunch
English speaking guide
Cable car 2 ways (Optional)
Transfers as mentioned
Entrance fees for the mentioned visits
Boat trips as mentioned in the itinerary
Not included:
Dinks, Tips, Travel insurance
Other services not mentioned
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>>> Ba Vi national park - Complete guide
>>> Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism
>>> Read more Hanoi tours with the best prices, services, and itinerary
Go Viet Trip hope this article will help you understand more about Hanoi if you need any more help. Please feel free to contact us: Email: Goviettrip@gmail.com or hotline +84968667589. We are guarantee about quality and prices. Get a full refund if you do not feel happy with our services.
Author Hoan Nguyen
He has over 10 years of experience working in the tourism sector and operator. He has traveled to many places in Vietnam and around the world.
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