It comes to Hanoi city – the capital of Vietnam, it reminds you of breathtaking scenes, historical sites, rich cuisine. Hanoi offers tourists many options to explore. If you love to visit cultural artifacts in Hanoi, Ngoc Son temple is the most tourist destination not to be missed. This is not only typical architecture, but also famous spiritual tourist sites.
History & architecture of Ngoc Son temple
Ngoc Son temple is located on an islet in Hoan Kiem lake. From Hanoi Old Quarter, you just need to go on foot to visit the temple. Ngoc Son temples is known as Temple of the Jade Mound, too. This temple was built in 1841. In 1865, the temple was repaired & built in Tam-shaped architecture. Through the ups & downs, when you visit & admire this architecture, you will see the religious harmony.
To reach to Ngoc Son temple, visitors have to across The Huc bridge – it is a beautiful construction which connects the bank of Hoan Kiem lake to the main gate of the temple. The Huc bridge is an ordinary wooden bridge in red.
Across The Huc bridge, you reach to Ngoc Son temple – one of the most beautiful & cultural artifacts
To visit the main temple, visitors need to across Three Passage Gates, too. At the first gate, you see parallel sentences in Chinese characters. These words means Happiness & Prosperity. Why do Vietnamese use these words there? Because a good life is a combination of three elements: Happiness, Properity, Long Life.
When being in front of the second gate, you will be impressed by symbols of Taoism such as the tiger & the dragon. According to the feng shui theory, these symbols represent the stability of a construction. The longevity is represented by the images of the carp gazing at the moon’s reflection.
At the third gate, you see a large stone which is known as an ink stone. On the lunar 5th of May, the shadow of Pen Tower falls on this ink stone.
The main temple has three roof with two-story and is supported by eight columns. These columns are made of stone & wood. At temple, visitors can see a well-preserved body of a giant turtle (250kg in weight, 1.2 in width & 2.1 in length. This turtle was estimated to be 500 years old.
What to see around the Ngoc Son temple?
After visiting the temple, you can visit many sightseeing around this destination. Enjoy the bustling streets or shopping at the stores in Old Quarter area is a good choice. Walking around Hoan Kiem lake under the shadow of trees is another options & you will better understand about local’s life.
Walking around Hoan Kiem lake & Hanoi old quarter to know more locals
Hanoi in particularly & Vietnam in general are well known for the awesome cuisine. So, a food tour & explore local cuisine by your own way is interesting choice for you. Why don’t you try from Cha Ca to Banh Tom and of course, Pho?
Visiting Ngoc Son temple & everything else in Hanoi makes visitors feel the calm, quite atmosphere. Have chance to tour Hanoi, don’t forget to visit the temple.
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