Buu Lam Pagoda – Thing to See My Tho Hidden Gem

Buu Lam Pagoda is one of the most typical ancient temples of the nineteenth century in Tien Giang in particular and in the Mekong Delta in general. Around the temple are rows of green coconut trees and fruit orchards in four seasons. In front of the gate, tall olive trees straightened with wide foliage cooling the sanctuary. Coming to My Tho City, without going to Buu Lam Pagoda, must be a shortcoming for tourists.

By Thomas Vietnam at vemekong.com | Official My Tho Visitor Guide

1. Better to Know as a Tourist

Ticket: Free

Spend-time: One hour (approx)

Hours: Dawn - Dusk

Food: Yes

Shop: Yes

Parking lot: Yes

Blog: /buu-lam-pagoda-my-tho/

Address: Located at Nguyen Van Giac Street, Ward 3, My Tho City.

Added values: Traveling to Tien Giang, everyone seems to want to make a pilgrimage to the temple over 200 years old to admire the ancient architecture as well as the precious statues... and pray for peace and happiness for themselves and their loved ones.

Nearby attractions and hidden gems: Looking for places to stop on your way to and from Buu Lam Pagoda? Or maybe you found it too long a drive here? We’ve got some ideas! Check out our list: Phoenix Islet (13 km), Dong Tam snake farm (10 km), Dieu Hoa Temple (2 km), My Tho Cathedral (4 km), My Tho Market (3 minutes), Vinh Trang Pagoda (2 minutes)…

2. Travel Guide to Buu Lam Pagoda

The pagoda is located in the center of My Tho city, so the road is very convenient. From Trung Luong junction, visitors go to the city. My Tho goes straight on Ap Bac street about 4km, 30m across Nguyen Trai bridge, look left.

Legend has it that around the beginning of the 18th century, Lord Nguyen migrated from the central provinces to the South to reclaim wasteland to establish a village to settle down and live in. Among those people, there are devout nuns and talented doctors who have come to Dau hamlet to set up a small temple to meditate and plant medicinal plants for people around the area. With the spirit of compassion, to save suffering, the reputation of nuns was rumored far and wide, and more and more people came to make offerings. Thanks to that, the nun built a rather spacious temple around 1742 (the reign of Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat). After the nun passed away, the temple became deserted. In the second Gia Long year (1803), Mrs. Pham Thi Dat, one of the richest and most devout Buddhists in the region, went to Ben Tre to visit Hoi Ton Pagoda to pay respects. The Most Venerable Tri-Khanh Hung sent his disciple, Mr. Tien Thien, dharma name Tu Lam, to be the abbot of the temple. Thanks to the donation of Mrs. Pham Thi Dat, the Venerable Tien Thien built a new large pagoda made of rosewood and named the pagoda "Buu Lam" with the desire to preserve and develop the Lam Te Chanh Tong lineage. From 1803 up to now, the pagoda has undergone many restorations, but still retains its ancient beauty.

3. What to Do – See – Eat at Buu Lam Pagoda

The three-way gate of Buu Lam pagoda was built in the shape of an ancient castle. The upper floor is decorated with many dragons and phoenix patterns and deep meaningful couplets. The lower floor has 3 doors, implying the 3 doors of the Void Gate, the Signless Gate, and the Liberation Gate.

Going inside, the spacious temple yard, the towering ancient hopea trees, surpassing hundreds of colorful ornamental flowers make the space extremely airy.

Interspersed with that, is the Lumbini garden, which reappears where the Buddha was born; the images reappear when Prince Siddhartha left the palace when the Buddha attained enlightenment; all very dignified. There is a statue of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, a tall statue of Avalokitesvara, exuding a very compassionate light. The most remarkable is the statue of the Buddha when he passed away.

Currently, Buu Lam Pagoda worships the Northern Buddhist style of the Lam Te Chanh Tong lineage in the South. Built-in the style of the interior and exterior, including 3 parts: the front hall, the main hall, and the rear, all located on a 1m high platform, with an area of 987m2.

The fish-scale tile roof consists of 2 layers of spaced roofs. The facade is decorated with beautiful patterns. The spaces are spacious, elaborately designed, meticulously and firmly with the system of trusses, and carved figures on the wall, on the frame, on the column, ...

Inside the main hall, there is always a wonderful light in the Buddha-land, feeling the sorrows of many Buddhists when coming here. On the altar of the main hall is a sitting statue of Amitabha Buddha, with a kind face, surrounded by large and small statues of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats made of various materials with different looks.

The main hall is decorated with 9 sets of blue covers with delicate motifs and lines. The set of lamellas in front of the main altar is elaborately carved with the set of "Cuu Long Phung Thuy" and a pair of dragon pillars "Fish turns into a dragon" painted in iridescent gold. The rest of the sets of envelopes are carved with a bird, a phoenix, a letter, a peony, a pheasant, and motifs of the four spirits, the four precious stones, the lotus, etc. Besides, the art of wood carving is also shown on the background plate is a 20cm thick wooden board, carved in 2 to 3 layers with elaborately and vividly illustrated patterns, carved around four spirits, two dragons and paintings, etc. These are very unique Braille engravings made by talented and skillful hands of carvers over 100 years ago.

Like many other temples, the ancient Buu Lam pagoda is decorated with couplets on the columns or the altar. The content of the couplets exudes Buddhist philosophy and praises the merits of the monks. All painted gold gilded or inlaid with conches make the place of worship majestic and brilliant. In addition, the pagoda also has ancient Buddha statues dating from the 18th - to 19th centuries and hundreds of other rare and precious relics.

Buu Lam Pagoda was also a solid revolutionary base of the My Tho Town Party Committee during the two national defense wars. From 1926 to 1945, Buu Lam Pagoda was the gathering place of patriots, including the great grandparent Nguyen Sinh Sac (father of President Ho Chi Minh), Phan Chu Trinh, Mai Bach Ngoc, and Nguyen Van Nguyen. The temple is also the place where Xom Dau branch was established, one of the first Party cells of Tien Giang province, in the 1930s. In 1945, the communal bell in the pagoda was donated by the monk to the revolution to produce weapons, contributing to the nation's resistance war against the French colonialists. On September 13, 1999, Buu Lam Pagoda was recognized as a national monument by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).

4. Free Itineraries from VeMekong

As a local travel expert, we have some ideas for you to think about.

From My Tho city center:

Route 1:

Route 2:

Route 3:

If you do not have much time left, it is easy to check out spots in one full day by boat or with bike or with motorbike and car. But there are much more than tourist sites like these in My Tho. Make sure you have more time to feel and explore more about the hidden gems and the culture, food, night life, wildlife and forest as well. Top tip: Stay in a homestay nearby, so you have more chances to visit it and surroundings. If you are looking for the package My
Tho daily tour with local, you can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com

5. Google Maps of Buu Lam Pagoda

Google Maps made a name for itself helping people travel from one place to another, avoid traffic (You probably know the route from your hotel to the gas station by heart, but what you can’t be sure about is gridlock), measure a distance, get back to the hotel on time, share the location…

6. Visit Buu Lam Pagoda by yourself

Solo traveller? Travelling on your own means you will get out of any difficult situations by yourself. This, in turn, leads to more satisfying travel experiences and helps you improve your problem-solving skills. These days we rarely get the chance to sit with ourselves and simply be. That’s why you should consider the time you spend alone on your trip as a gift.

It is possible for solo travellers to use google maps and do it alone. But sometimes they need to update local maintained roads and bridges which close and lead you a longer road than the road from google maps. It is just about the time. It takes more time to find the correct garden to come. Adventure is always fun. Wifi is strong in My Tho village! The locals find it hard to speak English as well. Top tip: Sticking to one canal and keeping going along it which gives you more things to see and avoids getting lost. Contact vemekong.com to hire a car, scooter with English-speaking-guide or cycling tours in My Tho.

7. Responsible Travel and Advice to Visit Buu Lam Pagoda

Don’t get us wrong. But we assure you that you totally agree with us. “Do not give candy and things to the children when you plan to visit any local villages”, the kids will leave the school and follow the sweets and later they find some things to give you or sell to you. The garden is a little forest, don’t pick and touch the flowers or fruits without the local’s smiles. We deal with traveling green and leaving green behind, not plastic. Top tip: Vemekong.com are some of the companies that care a lot about responsible travel and local respectation.

8. Amazing Video flycam/drone of  Buu Lam  Pagoda  (4k)

If a picture says a thousand words, it stands to reason that the video says many times more.

9. Incredible Tips for Photography, Specialists, KOLs, Media and Influencers

To get the best of the best for your unique writing, featuring, photo, video and insider’s stories. We do recommend you to have a local travel expert, the one who always gets more ground information and makes sure every single element is solved perfectly. Vemekong (very exclusive Mekong) team is your priority choice. Email and have a private talk with them to customize your journey smoothly, personal and the most ultimately amazing. You can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com

10. Pro Tips

You can stay in a homestay which is near the Mekong riverside, this will help you out. Then you can hire a scooter, car or bike and explore it by yourself.

If you plan to extend your travel to My Tho homestay, do not forget to bring mosquito repellent cream.

Visit My Tho or do any customized tours, please choose reputable providers with boat trips equipped with lifebuoys, jackets, motorcycle and cycling tours with the helmets and. Safety is a priority! Choose My Tho responsible tours which help you give back while traveling. It’s a cliché, but it’s true.

My Tho food & drink guide ranges from street food, authentic, fancy to fusion foods. As a tropical land of many fresh vegetables and homegrown gardens, which always make My Tho cuisines fresh, close to nature and very traditional. If you are a food lover, don’t hesitate to put other bites onto your food lists such as Hu Tieu My Tho (a kind of noodle soup but it is really yummy), elephant ear fish, Snakehead Fish Rice Porridge, snake wine, coconut candy, Fried Sticky Rice…

Bring your hat, sunglasses, and sunblock, scarf to wear when visiting temples, pagodas, and the cathedral.

Bring the raincoat if you’re planning a trip to My Tho in the rainy season, as My Tho always looks fantastic in the full rain and full sun.

My Tho tourist attractions are magnificent itself, but if you have enough time, don’t forget to put other places onto your bucket lists such as Coconut Candy Traditional Village & Small Canals, mighty Mekong river cruise, educational tour and community tour in My Tho, My Tho homestay 2D1N, My Tho Cycling Tours, Dong Tam Snake Farm, Vinh Trang Pagoda, 4 Stunning islets (Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle and Phoenix), My Tho Market, My Tho Cathedral, Buu Lam Pagoda, Dieu Hoa Temple.

Hopefully, the above tips will help you to come up with a great plan for your adventure in My Tho, Tien Giang province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Have a safe trip!

“Sleep less, travel more, respect more” – Thomas Vietnam – Local travel expert.

Thank you