As my family and I traveled through Vietnam, we started to notice a theme.
Buddhism is strong in Vietnam. Temples pepper the Vietnamese landscape with the same frequency as churches in Europe. These temples can reach the same vastness and elaborateness of churches in Europe, and they consequently draw in large numbers of tourists.
My family and I became part of these visiting tourists.
Elaborate dragon railing!
Massive bonsai!
The temples we visited were in all sorts of locations. Chùa Linh Ứng was on top of a mountain, overlooking the towns around it.
I highly doubt it’s convenient to build a temple on top of a mountain. Regardless, many of the temples we visited were on mountains. And these temples could get massive.
Not only were the temples on mountains, they were sometimes in the most remote mountains possible.
The temples were not only on mountains, but in mountains…
And were often impeccably well-kept.
Some temples were ancient. Literally, ancient.
We visited so many temples that they began to blend into one another…
…and eventually, my sister and I began assuming that everything was a temple until proven otherwise.
We were just overwhelmed by the sheer number of temples we visited, though. Don’t get me wrong– all those temples certainly did not look the same…
Chùa Một Cột, or the One Pillar Pagoda, in Hanoi.
At Chùa Bái Đính, aka the Bai Dinh Temple.
One of the many boats used to ferry visitors to Chùa Hương, the Perfume Pagoda.
At Chùa Linh Ứng, near Đà Nẵng city.
…and were in fact some of the most incredible structures I have ever seen.
So I might not be living in one of these grandiose temples anytime soon. Still, the temples of Vietnam are definitely worth a visit. Whether you’re Buddhist or not, the size, diversity, and beauty of these temples are really a sight to see!
