Huong Pagoda – a destination must visit in Hanoi

If you are a person who loves spiritual travel and likes to explore the culture and history of tourist destinations, then when you visit Hanoi, Vietnam, Smile Travel advises you to try visiting Huong Pagoda. Huong Pagoda is one of the most famous spiritual landscapes in Vietnam, attracting millions of tourists each year. Located about 70km southwest of Hanoi, Huong Pagoda is considered the “First Place” of the North. So in this article, let’s learn about Huong Pagoda as well as gain experience traveling to Huong Pagoda.

Read more some attractive destinations in Hanoi:

>> Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

>> Bat Trang Ceramic Village Hanoi

>> Exploring Long Bien Bridge Hanoi

1. General introduction about Huong Pagoda

1.1. History of Huong Pagoda

Located about 70km from the center of Hanoi city, Huong Pagoda, also known as Huong Son Pagoda, located in Huong Son commune, My Duc district, Hanoi, is known as one of the relic complexes, the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam. This is one of the largest Buddhist centers in the North, a sacred place for tourists to visit whenever they need to find peace or pray for health and peace.

Huong Pagoda is not only famous for its spirituality but also for its majestic natural beauty. The pagoda complex is located deep in the heart of the mountain, surrounded by rolling limestone mountains, creating a charming and poetic scene.

Huong Pagoda was built in the last years of the 17th century, however, due to the effects of wars, the pagoda was heavily damaged. Then, in 1988, the pagoda was restored by two late monks and to this day, the pagoda is still preserved and developed, becoming an extremely famous spiritual destination. Each temple and pagoda in this complex will have different worship beliefs. And to know specifically, please continue to follow our article.

1.2. How to get to Huong Pagoda

To get to Huong Pagoda, there are many ways of transportation for visitors to choose from such as:

• Motorbike, car: you can freely travel by motorbike or personal car to get to the temple. On the way, you can combine it with sightseeing along the way.
• Bus: At My Dinh bus station, there is bus 103 to Huong Son bus station near Huong Pagoda, with a ticket price of 20,000 VND. You can find a way to get to My Dinh bus station, then take bus 103A or 103B to Huong Son, then catch a motorbike taxi to Huong Pagoda, about 2km from the bus station.
• If you travel in a group, we provide shuttle bus/limousine service to take you from the Old Quarter area to Huong Pagoda at an affordable price but with reputable quality. Contact us via hotline/ WhatsApp: (+84) 941776786 for support.

Refer to some North Vietnam Tours with Smile Travel below:

>> 4D3N Hanoi-Halong Bay Tour with Smile Travel

>> Hanoi Jeep Tours

>> GROUP-7D6N Hanoi-Halong Bay-Sapa Tour

1.3. Latest ticket prices to visit Huong Pagoda

Visitors cannot directly drive to Huong Pagoda, but instead, you will need to buy a boat ticket at the entrance area, then board the boat at Duc wharf along Yen stream to reach the main attractions of the pagoda. It will take you about 1 hour by boat to get there. Along the way you can admire the scenery on both sides of the stream, and the ticket price for this boat trip is 90,000 VND/person.

When setting foot to visit Huong Pagoda, below are some ticket prices that visitors can refer to:

– Sightseeing fee (with insurance): 120,000 VND/person/turn

– Boat service price:

• Huong Tich route: 85,000 VND/person (in + out)
• Long Van route: 65,000 VND/person (in + out)
• Tuyet Son route: 65,000 VND (in + out)

– Round-trip cable car ticket price: 220,000 VND/adult and 150,000 VND/child.

– One-way cable car ticket: 150,000 VND/adult and 100,000 VND/child.

– Passenger transportation ticket by electric car: 20,000 VND/trip.

The temple is open to welcome visitors from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., so visitors can arrange a reasonable time to visit the temple.

3. Interesting experiential activities at Perfume Pagoda

3.1. Admire the beautiful destinations at Huong Pagoda

Duc wharf, Yen stream

The first starting point for the journey to visit Huong Pagoda is Duc wharf. Guests start boarding the boat from Duc wharf, going along Yen stream to reach Huong Pagoda. During the trip, you will see the distant mountains and the long green fields, extremely peaceful and relaxing.

Trinh Temple

This small temple is located right on the right edge of Suoi Yen stream, about 500m from the ferry wharf. Trinh Temple was built at the foot of Ngu Nhac Mountain, a majestic mountain range consisting of 5 adjacent mountains. This temple is considered the gateway to the spiritual world of Huong Pagoda. According to legend, before visiting other temples, visitors must perform a ceremony at Trinh Temple to report to the gods.

Thien Tru Pagoda

After the boat docks, you will visit Thien Tru Pagoda first, Thien Tru Pagoda is also known as Tro Pagoda or Ngoai Pagoda. The pagoda is an important place in organizing the opening ceremonies of the Huong Pagoda festival. The architecture of Thien Tru Pagoda bears bold characteristics of Vietnamese communal house and pagoda architecture. The buildings are built of wood, tiled roofs, and decorated with sophisticated patterns. In particular, Thien Tru Pagoda also possesses a system of large wooden columns, creating a majestic and majestic appearance.

Long Van Cave

From Long Van wharf, visitors need to climb another 150m to reach Long Van pagoda. Continue from the pagoda through the mountain strait to reach Long Van cave. Long Van Cave has a deep cave called Am Cave. Under this cave there are many very strange shapes, creating a mysterious and attractive space. In the cave, you will admire stalactites with many strange shapes, created by nature over millions of years. The air in the cave is very fresh and cool, giving visitors a feeling of relaxation and peace.

Tuyet Son Cave

Although located in the middle of the mountain, the road to Tuyet Son cave is quite easy. With a system of magical stalactites and rocks of various shapes, Tuyet Son cave gives visitors the feeling of being lost in a magical world.

Huong Tich Cave

As the main destination of most tourists when visiting Perfume Pagoda, Huong Tich Cave looks from afar like a giant dragon opening its mouth. Inside the temple, you will see many impressive Buddha statues carved from green stone. 

Huong Tich Cave is not only a natural cave but also an artistic masterpiece of nature. With a system of multi-shaped stalactites and sparkling light reflecting on water drops, Huong Tich cave creates a magical and shimmering space.

To get to Huong Tich cave, visitors can choose to climb a mountain or take a cable car. If you are passionate about trekking and have good health, you can choose mountain climbing, but to ensure your health, you should take the cable car, which only takes about 10-15 minutes to travel.

Bao Dai Pagoda

When the boat docks at Tuyet Son, tourists go ashore and walk about 200 meters to reach Bao Dai pagoda located at the foot of a low mountain, with its back leaning against the mountain, facing the Tuyet stream. The decorative motifs on the pagoda are mainly dragons, phoenixes, flowers and leaves, with bold traditional features.

Giai Oan Pagoda

On the way to Huong Tich cave, you will see Giai Oan pagoda with soft and delicate lines. The pagoda is nestled at the foot of the mountain, its back leaning against the cliff, creating a feeling of peace and quiet.

Thanh Son Pagoda

Thanh Son Pagoda is more than 200 years old and was built on a beautiful feng shui land. The pagoda’s architecture is bold in Vietnamese tradition with sophisticated patterned lines and a solid wooden column system. There are two paths to the pagoda: river path and mountain path, with charming scenery and pristine nature.

Sung Sam Cave

Sung Sam Cave was formed over millions of years due to the erosion of rainwater and natural factors. The cave is about 15m wide, has a diverse structure with many stalactites and stalagmites with strange shapes, creating a magical and shimmering space.

3.2. Immerse yourself in the vibrant festivals at Huong Pagoda

Huong Pagoda Festival takes place in the spring, specifically from the 6th day of the first lunar month every year and lasts about 2-3 months because around this time the weather is warm, pleasant and is the best time to visit. Participate in spring trips as well as festivals at the temple.

Not only is it an opportunity for tourists from all over to come and worship Buddha to pray for peace, the Huong Pagoda Festival is also a large cultural festival with many unique activities such as: mountain opening procession, palanquin procession, peace praying ceremony, and sacrifice ceremony. or folk games: tug of war, swinging, cockfighting,… along with cultural and artistic activities: lion dancing, cheo singing, xam singing, photo exhibitions,…

If you have the opportunity, you should definitely visit Huong Pagoda at this time. However, it will be quite crowded with people visiting, so you need to consider that.

3.3. Participate in interesting activities at Huong Pagoda

Coming to Huong Pagoda, visitors will participate in many interesting activities besides festivals, such as: climbing mountains to enjoy the fresh air as well as exercise and explore every corner of Huong Pagoda; rice blowing competition; rowing a boat to explore the caves in the pagoda;… Besides, taking the cable car to Huong Tich cave is also quite interesting as you can admire the extremely beautiful scenery below, from the lush green mountains to The temples are extremely sacred.

4. Suggested experiences for visiting Huong Pagoda

First of all, we tell you the ideal time to visit Huong Pagoda as follows:

• January to April: this is the time when festivals take place at Huong Pagoda, so the pagoda is very crowded with tourists. You will be immersed in the fun atmosphere of the festival together.
• From May to September is the season of rice flowers blooming on both sides of Yen stream. You will sit on a boat along Yen stream and admire the beauty of nature on both banks of the stream.
• From October to December is the season of water lilies blooming. The space at this time is extremely romantic and poetic, the cool weather makes you feel very comfortable.

The pagoda is a sacred place, so to have a meaningful and complete visit to Huong Pagoda, visitors should pocket some of the following Huong Pagoda travel experiences:

• You need to choose discreet, polite, comfortable clothes, and avoid wearing revealing clothes when entering the temple.
• The temple is large so you should wear sports shoes for ease of movement.
• You also need to maintain the general hygiene of the temple, avoid picking flowers, breaking branches or throwing trash indiscriminately.
• When going to worship Buddha, you need to pay attention: walk lightly – speak softly – smile gracefully to keep the atmosphere pure for the temple.
• It is necessary to preserve your belongings carefully during the tour.
• Do not arbitrarily touch the statue or any belongings under the management of the temple without the consent of the temple.

…..

5. What specialties do you enjoy at Huong Pagoda?

• Che Cu Mai: This dish has a sweet, cool taste, very suitable for cooling off on hot summer days.
• Cu Mai cake: The cake has the sweet taste of tapioca root and the scent of banana leaves.
• Che Lam: has a fragrant, slightly spicy taste of ginger and cinnamon.
• Huong pagoda apricots: the fruit has a mild sour taste, thick pulp, small seeds, each fruit is plump and fragrant.
• “Sắng” vegetables: Malabar vegetables have a sweet, slightly bitter taste.

Above, Smile Travel has just introduced to tourists about Huong Pagoda Hanoi – a spiritual destination worth visiting when you arrive in Hanoi. Please save now to gain more experience when visiting Huong Pagoda.

In addition, Smile Travel also provides tourists with Vietnam package tours, cruise tours on Ha Long Bay as well as car booking services, hotel and restaurant reservations, air tickets, and event organization services. team building events, MICE events. Please contact us via email: info@smiletravel.com.vn or hotline above for 24/7 support.

Smile Travel is one of the fast growing Tour Companies in Vietnam. We are as Inbound and Outbound Tour Operator Licence No 01-1051/TCDL-GPLHQT. We specialize in tailor-making and customizing individual, Couple, family and group tours throughout Indochina destinations.

Our Tour:

Halong Cruises Tours, Vietnam Classic Tours, Hanoi Daily Tours, Danang Daily Tours, Ho Chi Minh Daily Tours, Biking and Motorbike Tours,Vietnam Beach/ Relaxing Tours,Vietnam Muslim tour in Hanoi,Vietnam Muslim tour in Danang ,Vietnam Muslim tour in Ho Chi Minh,Vietnam Eco Tours,Vietnam- Laos Tours,Vietnam- Cambodia Tours,Vietnam- Myanmar Tours,

Our Travel Services:

Tour Guide, Car/Motorbike For Rent, Visa to Vietnam, Bus Tickets, Bus Tickets, Flight Tickets, Train Tickets

--------------------------------------------------

Head Office: