Duyen

Duyen's keen on travelling and exploring new places. By travelling, she get better at comfortable. It opens up the knowledge door for her as well.

Perfume Pagoda

Perfume Pagoda (Huong pagoda) is famous as one of the national scenic spots. It attracts many tourists to visit and worship. Not only does it have fresh nature and attractive landscapes, Perfume Pagoda is also a leading spiritual tourist destination in Vietnam.

When visiting Perfume Pagoda, you will enjoy a peaceful space, admire the unique architecture of temples, pagodas, and Buddha statues. In particular, Perfume Pagoda also has immense historical and cultural values. Let’s explore this special pagoda with Origin Vietnam.

1. Where is Perfume Pagoda?

Perfume Pagoda is located on the banks of the peaceful Day River. It is located in Huong Son commune, My Duc district, Hanoi, Vietnam. It is about 58 km from the center of Hanoi city and about 82 km south of Noi Bai International Airport.

2. How is Perfume Pagoda unique?

Perfume Pagoda is also known by another name, Huong Tich Pagoda. It is famous as the leading cultural and religious complex in Vietnam with many temples, pagodas, and places of worship.

In addition, Perfume Pagoda also includes a complex of temples and pagodas. Such as: Huong Tich Cave, Thien Tru Pagoda, Trinh Temple, Giai Oan Pagoda, … It will definitely bring a wonderful space that you will love. It’s one of the most famous place in the Northern Vietnam for trekking activities.

3. When is the best time to visit Perfume Pagoda?

You can visit Perfume Pagoda at any time of the year. In each period of time, Perfume Pagoda will have its own special beauty and attraction:

January to April: This is the pilgrimage season at the beginning of the year, so Perfume Pagoda will be quite crowded at this time. However, you will be immersed in the vibrant, joyful atmosphere of the festival here.
May to September: The time when the cotton flowers on both sides of Yen Stream begin to bloom. If you come to Perfume Pagoda at the above time, you will have the opportunity to admire the wonderful beauty of the colorful flora here.
October to December: When visiting Perfume Pagoda at this time, you will enjoy the romantic beauty of lotus flowers floating on the surface of Yen stream. And the poetic white reed fields not far away.

4. How to get to Perfume Pagoda?

According to the experience of traveling to Perfume Pagoda. There are many means of transport for you to travel to Perfume Pagoda from Hanoi city.

4.1 Personal means of transport

4.1.1 By motorbike:

You can use this means of transport to travel, or rent a motorbike to experience the trip yourself more easily. With the route from Nguyen Trai – Thanh Xuan – Ha Dong – Ba La intersection – Van Dinh, you can reach Perfume Pagoda after 1 hour and 50 minutes.

4.1.2 By private car:

Choose the Phap Van – Cau Re – Dong Van intersection – National Highway 38 – Dau Market – Perfume Pagoda route. Traveling by this means, it only takes you about 1 hour to reach Perfume Pagoda.

4.2 Public transport

4.2.1 By bus:

You can choose a bus to travel to Perfume Pagoda via bus routes 211, 78 and or 75. This is a convenient and economical form of transportation.

4.2.2 By taxi:

If you take a taxi, it will be quite convenient, they will come to pick you up and take you to the location you want. It is suitable for small groups, families with the elderly and children. Some famous taxi companies in Hanoi:

Thanh Nga Taxi: 024.38.215.215.
Thang Long Taxi: 024.39.71.71.71.
HaNoi Tourist Taxi: 024.38.56.56.56.

5. Opening hours and entrance tickets to Perfume Pagoda

5.1 Opening hours:

Perfume Pagoda opens from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. If you want to enjoy the fresh air in the morning, take a bus from Hanoi to the pier early.

5.2 Entrance tickets:

5.2.1 Entrance tickets

The entrance ticket to the scenic spots in the Perfume Pagoda area, including 21 attractions, is 80,000 VND/person.

5.2.2 Boat tickets

The boat trip from Trinh Temple – Thien Tru Pagoda – Huong Tich Cave is 50,000 VND/person/2 ways.
The boat trip from Tuyet Son – Long Van is 35,000 VND/person/2 ways.

5.2.3 Cable car tickets

Adults: 120,000 VND/one-way ticket; 180,000 VND/round-trip ticket.

6. Discovering the beauty of Perfume Pagoda

6.1 Ben Duc

The first starting point of the pilgrimage is Ben Duc. Normally, it takes more than 2 hours to travel from Hanoi to Ben Duc. For many visitors, taking a boat on Yen Vi Stream from Ben Duc brings a special experience. And it has become a source of inspiration for many famous poets to compose romantic poems that touch people’s hearts.

6.2 Suoi Yen

When visiting Suoi Yen, you will see with your own eyes the lush green rice fields, the rugged limestone mountains stretching to the foot of Huong Mountain. From the boat, you can easily observe on the left are Phuong Hoang Mountain and Doi Cheo Mountain, which are shaped like an Indian python. Ngu Nhac Mountain and Trinh Temple are located on the right, where visitors often stop to burn incense and pray to the Mountain God.

6.3 Trinh Temple

Thuong Quan Temple, also known as Trinh Temple, is located about 300m from Duc Wharf. And it is the first stop on the journey to Perfume Pagoda. The temple was built right at the foot of Ngu Nhac Mountain. However, during the war against French colonialism in the 20th century, the temple was severely damaged and was restored in 1992.

6.4 Long Van Cave

From Long Van Wharf, you need to climb to a height of about 150m to reach Long Van Pagoda. Then, you continue to go a little further through the mountain pass to reach Long Van Cave. Long Van Cave has a spacious, cool and airy space.

6.5 Tuyet Son Cave

Although the cave is located in the middle of the mountain, the way to get here is quite easy. Tuyet Son Cave impresses visitors with its many stalactites with unique and unusually attractive shapes.

6.6 Huong Tich Cave

Huong Tich Cave is the main destination for pilgrims when coming to Perfume Pagoda complex because it has “Chua Trong” or also known as Perfume Pagoda. From afar, the cave looks like a dragon with its mouth open. On the wall of the cave mouth is engraved an ancient Vietnamese inscription: “Nam Thien De Nhat Dong”, dating from 1770, which is translated as the most beautiful cave in Vietnam.

When entering the pagoda, you will see many statues of Buddha, Quan The Am and other Buddha gods made from green stone. Among them, the statue of Buddha Quan Am is the most impressive here.

Especially, Huong Tich Cave also has many natural stalactites and stalagmites. After many years, some stalactites have become smooth. Some people believe that if they are touched and rubbed, luck and miracles will come to their lives.

Besides, there are two ways for visitors to go to Huong Tich Cave: climbing the mountain or taking the cable car. The climb requires good health and physical strength because you have to overcome thousands of steep stone steps, lasting an hour.

6.7 Thien Tru Pagoda

After your boat docks, the first destination you will visit is Thien Tru Pagoda, also known as Ngoai Pagoda or Thien Kitchen. This is one of the important locations in the complex, as well as serving as the venue for the opening ceremony of the Perfume Pagoda festival.

In addition to its unique religious and architectural values, Thien Tru Pagoda also has Vien Cong Pagoda, the burial place of the founder of this pagoda – Zen master Vien Quang.

6.8 Bao Dai Pagoda

The pagoda is located right at the foot of the mountain, designed in the typical Nguyen Dynasty architectural style.

6.9 Giai Oan Pagoda

The pagoda was built on the road to Huong Tich Cave, only about 2.5km away on Long Tuyen Mountain. When looking at the pagoda, you will feel the ancient beauty, nostalgic and very peaceful.

6.10 Thanh Son Pagoda

Thanh Son Pagoda has entrances from both the river and the mountain, creating a beautiful and majestic natural picture. Moreover, this is one of the pagodas that represents the characteristics of Vietnamese beliefs.

6.11 Sung Sam Cave

Sung Sam Cave is located at an altitude of about 100m, an average width of 15m and the cave entrance faces the Southwest.

7. Activities and experiences at Perfume Pagoda

7.1 Immersing yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of the Perfume Pagoda festival at the beginning of the year

The Perfume Pagoda festival is considered one of the largest religious events in Northern Vietnam. After the Lunar New Year every year, it attracts millions of Buddhists and tourists from all over to visit and worship.

In particular, this is also the longest festival in Vietnam, taking place from January 6 (lunar calendar) to March 6 (lunar calendar), but the main festival is held from February 15 to 20 (lunar calendar).

The festival will perform rituals and spiritual events such as incense offering, procession and meditation. This festival is dedicated to the three main religions in Vietnam: Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.

During the festival, many people make pilgrimages to the pagoda to pray for a peaceful and prosperous new year. Everyone participating in the festival tries to overcome the difficult journey to reach Huong Tich Cave with a strong belief that the gods can see through their sincerity and their wishes will come true.

7.2 Participating in interesting entertainment activities and folk games

In addition to exploring Vietnamese traditions and culture during the festival, visitors to Perfume Pagoda also have the opportunity to participate in unique entertainment activities and traditional games. Such as rice cooking competition, tug of war, boating, folk singing, Cheo singing, etc.

7.3 Taking the cable car to Perfume Pagoda to enjoy the charming scenery from above

It only takes about 10 – 15 minutes to get to the entrance to Huong Tich Cave by cable car. Sitting inside the cabin, you can fully enjoy the romantic beauty of the landscape below, from the vast green mountains and forests to the beautiful temples and pagodas along the road.

If you want to avoid fatigue and have more experiences, you can buy a one-way ticket to go up the mountain by cable car and then walk down the mountain.

8. Specialties when visiting Perfume Pagoda

When visiting Perfume Pagoda, you can enjoy or buy them as gifts for relatives, friends, and colleagues:

Rau Sang (Sang vegetable): Rau sang is often used to cook soup with fish or meat. However, the price of this vegetable is quite expensive because it is difficult to grow.
Perfume Pagoda apricot: Perfume Pagoda apricot is grown a lot on mountain slopes or valleys. This type of apricot has small, yellow or sometimes pink-red fruits with a layer of fluff covering the outside of the shell. Perfume Pagoda apricot has a slightly sour taste and can be used as a cooling drink on hot summer days.
Che lam: Che lam is a very famous cake and is considered a specialty of Hanoi. The cake has a chewy, fragrant taste and the spiciness of ginger, creating a cake with an irresistible delicious flavor.
Yam cake: is a specialty that many tourists choose to buy as gifts, with the sweet and refreshing taste of Yam cake or Yam sweet soup, which has a typical flavor of old Hanoi.

9. Accommodation when visiting Perfume Pagoda

Perfume Pagoda is a tourist destination that you can visit during the day. After participating in all the sightseeing and spiritual activities, you can return to Hanoi city to stay overnight. Here are some hotels near Perfume Pagoda that you can refer to:

Omerta Hotel. Address: Alley 18, Te Tieu Street, Dai Nghia Commune, My Duc District, Hanoi.
Tam Chuc Complex. Address: Ba Sao Commune, Kim Bang District, Ha Nam Province, Kim Bang, Ha Nam Province.
Hoa Dong Hotel. Address: Ngo Gia Tu, Le Hong Phong, Le Hong Phong Ward, Phu Ly City, Ha Nam Province.
Muong Thanh Luxury Ha Nam Hotel. Address: Land area north of Hong Phu Bridge, Le Hoan, Quang Trung Ward, Phu Ly City, Ha Nam Province.
Wyndham Sky Lake Resort & Villas. Address: Van Son Lake Area, Hoang Van Thu, Chuong My, Hoang Van Thu, Chuong My District, Hanoi
Van Long Garden. Address: Van Long Reserve Natural, Gia Vien, Gia Hoa Commune, Gia Vien, Ninh Binh Province.

10. Some important notes when visiting Perfume Pagoda

To make your visit and pilgrimage as convenient and complete as possible. Here are some notes you need to know:

When visiting the pagoda, pay attention to dress politely and discreetly to respect the sacred place.
Wearing sneakers will help you move more easily.
When entering the temple’s shrines, you should enter from the side door instead of the main door. Avoid stepping on the threshold but should step over the threshold.
Limit the burning of incense and only burn 1 stick at the incense burner placed outside.
Avoid buying or using wild animals and meat as gifts, as they may be prohibited.
When visiting pagodas, avoid killing animals and do not eat salty foods to increase your sincerity.
Be careful when buying traditional medicines sold along the roadside. And check the expiry date of canned products such as yam cakes and Rau Sang cakes.
Planning your visit early to prepare everything thoroughly, for a smoother journey.
Always keep clean and do not litter in the Perfume Pagoda area.
Preparing raincoats, sunscreen, and jackets when visiting Perfume Pagoda.
Paying attention to protecting personal belongings to avoid theft and pickpocketing. Because crowded tourist areas often have theft problems.
Always bargain when buying gifts and specialties for relatives and friends.

With its mysterious, wild beauty and unique spiritual elements. Perfume Pagoda is a destination that you cannot miss to explore the diversity of culture and religion in Vietnam.

With updated and useful information about the experience of traveling to Perfume Pagoda that Origin Vietnam shares in the above article. Hopefully it will help you have a smooth and memorable trip on your journey to explore the Hanoi tour to Perfume Pagoda.