Things to See & Do in Thien Mu Pagoda

Phuoc Duyen Tower

In the front of Thien Mu Pagoda, close to the Perfume River, Phuoc Duyen Tower is a 21-meters-tall and 7-storey octagonal brick tower. It’s one of the unofficial symbols of Hue, the old capital city of Vietnam.

In 1844, Thieu Tri king designed and requested to build ‘Tu Nhan Tower’, ‘Huong Nguyen Pavillion’ and four pillars in its front, and two stele houses on the sides. In 1845, Tu Nhan Tower was renamed ‘Phuoc Duyen Tower’, on occasion of the great longevity celebration when his grandfather reached 80 years old. This tower has 7 storeys, each one has an altar to worship a different buddha, and in the highest storey, Sakyamuni Buddha (Phat Thich Ca Mau Ni) is worshipped. Today, its door is closed to protect precious statues and objects inside, from thieves.

During its life, Phuoc Duyen Tower was renovated many times, such as in 1867 (because buddha statues were damaged by termites), in 1899 (to celebrate the 90th birthday anniversary of an empress), in 1907 (because of being struck by lightning), in 1959.

To the left of Phuoc Duyen Tower, visitors can see a small pavilion, housing a stone stele on which a poem composed by Thieu Tri king to praise the scenery at Thien Mu Pagoda, was carved in 1846. Poem’s name is ‘Thien Mu chung thanh’ or ‘the bell sound at Thien Mu Pagoda’. He also listed it to be one of top 20 most beautiful sceneries in Hue city. Close to this pavilion, there is the pavilion of the Great Bell of Thien Mu Pagoda which was casted by request of Nguyen Phuc Chu lord in 1710. It weighs up to nearly 2,000 kilograms, and has a height of 2,5m.  

To the right hand side of Phuoc Duyen Tower, there is the pavilion accommodating a stone stele on which Thien Mu Pagoda legend and information about the tower were carved in 1846, by request of Thieu Tri king. Close to this pavilion, there is the pavilion of the Stele of the ‘Lord Builds Thien Mu Pagoda’ (Ngu Kien Thien Mu Tu). It’s carved in 1715, has a height of 3,98 meters, and stands on a giant stone tortoise. On its surface, visitors can see 1,250 Chinese words which inform about the great restoration that happened in that year at the pagoda. By that, we can know the importance of Buddhism in the reign of Nguyen Phuc Chu lord. Due to its rich information and high art values, this stele was recognized as Vietnam’s national treasure in 2020.

Right behind Phuoc Duyen Tower, there is a memorial stele dating from 1919, in the reign of Khai Dinh king (the 12nd Nguyen emperor). Huong Nguyen pavilion in the tower’s front, was collapsed after a terrible typhoon in 1904, and then its materials were used to build a worshipping house. Nowadays, only a foundation is seen. Many visitors stand here to take pictures with the tower behind.

Dai Hung Hall

Dai Hung Hall (literally the Hall of the ‘Great Hero’) is a major building in Thien Mu Pagoda. It’s built in 1601 by Nguyen Hoang lord, and then restored in 1957 by Thich Don Hau monk. At that time, its wood columns were replaced by cement ones, but in the restoration project from 2003 to 2007, conservationists used wood again. Its roofs are covered by local tiles, to adapt to high temperatures in the summer and heavy rains in the rainy season. On their ridges, people used flying dragons to decorate.

The main room of Dai Hung Hall is used to worship three buddhas, including Sakyamuni Buddha (Phat Thich Ca Mau Ni), Bahaisajyaguru (Phat Duoc Su or ‘Medicine Buddha’), and Amitabha Buddha (Phat A Di Da). Additionally, Maitreya Buddha (Phat Di Lac or ‘Laughing Buddha’) is also worshipped here.

Visitors need to take the shoes off if want to go to Dai Hung Hall. Those who do not pray, must stay outside the innermost room which is exclusive for worshipping, praying, and chanting.

In the front of Dai Hung Hall, there is a three-arched gate with two stories. Each door has two of the Defenders of the Justice. The Jade Emperor (Ngoc Hoang) is worshipped upstairs, and his statue looks inwards, to the buddha hall. To the left of this triple gate, there is the Drum Tower, and to the right, there is the Bell Tower. Because the Great Bell isn’t used anymore, for preservation reasons, the bell at the Bell Tower has been in use today.

Between the Gate and the Buddha Hall, that’s a garden, and two houses are built at both sides of it. These houses protect big statues portraying ‘Ten Kings of Hell’. The ones have a fierce face, different posings, hold different objects, and control different wide animals.

Behind Dai Hung Hall, there is a bonsai garden, monk’s library, monk’s living quarters, the Hall of Maitreya Buddha, the Hall of Lady Buddha, and gardens.

Car of Thich Quang Duc Monk

After visiting and praying at Dai Hung Hall, visitors will see the car that was linked with the event ‘Thich Quang Duc monk’s self-immolation’ on 11st June 1963. This blue car is ‘Austin A95 Wesminter’ with plate number DBA 599, and was produced by an English company. Thich Quang Duc monk was taken by it to the crossroad of Phan Dinh Phung St and Le Van Duyet St in Saigon (former name of Ho Chi Minh city), and left it there, before he sat down in lotus meditative position and was burned himself to death by gasoline. He wanted to protest against the regime of Ngo Dinh Diem, first president of the South Vietnam Republic, and his unfair policy to Buddhism, Buddhists and monks (maybe because he’s a Catholic). This was just one of many events in the Buddhist crisis that occurred across South Vietnam in the same year. Duc is known by many people worldwide as the ‘burning monk’.

The car was owned by a buddhist at Thien Mu Pagoda, named Tran Quang Thuan, who took Thich Quang Duc monk to the burning spot. After the event, it’s confisticated by South Vietnam police. In 1964, Thuan donated it to the pagoda, and monks here wrote a letter to get it back and use it as a reminder. After that, it’s transported from Saigon to Hue.

The moment of Thich Quang Duc self-immolation is depicted on the painting hung up on the wall behind the car. Interestingly, this painting reproduces the picture taken by Malcolm Browne (1931-2012), an American journalist and photographer. In 1964, it helped him to win the Pulitzer Award for International Reporting. According to him, he received a call from one monk the night before the event happened (the monk just said that something important might occur at 7 am on the next day). He told about six other journalists, but all of them ignored it. For that reason, he and one more journalist working for The New York Times, presented. Later, the photograph was published on the front page of the newspaper, and made reigning USA president John Kenny exclaim ‘Oh my God!’.

At another corner, visitors will see another picture, about the heart relic of Thich Quang Duc monk after the event. When his body was burnt, it still remained intact. After that, it’s put into a crematorium under a temperature of 4,000 Celsius degrees and becomes a hard block, instead of being ash. Since then, this heart has been preserved by Vietnamese monks, with a title ‘the Heart of Boddhisattva’, as a symbol of compassion. Thich Quang Duc monk was also referred to as a bodhisattva by them too. Due to some reasons, it’s moved to the National Bank and preserved in its underground level until 2017. In 2017, the National Pagoda of Vietnam (at 244 3 Thang 2 St, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City) was inaugurated, and became the new home to the heart relic. 

Thich Quang Duc self-immolation is a critical point in the collapse of Ngo Dinh Diem’s regime in South Vietnam, a turning point in the Vietnam war. He was assassinated in a joint military and political coup a few months after the event.

Thich Quang Duc (1897-1963) (birth name: Lam Van Tuc) was borned at Hoi Khanh village, Van Ninh district, Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam. At age of 7, he went to a Buddhist temple and learnt Buddha teachings (Mahayana) from his biological uncle. When he was 15, he became a monk, and then practiced at different pagodas and held leadership positions in local buddhist associations. In 1934, he moved to southern Vietnam, and then stayed in Cambodia for a couple of years, to learn about Theravada Buddhism. When returned to Vietnam, he came to lots of pagodas to preach, and built dozens of new pagodas. In 1963, he burnt himself in the heart of Saigon city, shocking people all over the world.

Stupa of Thich Don Hau Monk

The last building in Thien Mu Pagoda is the Stupa of Thich Don Hau monk (1902-1992, 88 years old), who had contributions to the pagoda, Hue city, and Vietnam. He was borned in Quang Tri province, in the family with a father as a doctor. His mother passed away when he reached the age of 9. His birth name is Diep Truong Thuan.

The Stupa of Thich Don Hau monk was built

Here are events in the life of Thich Don Hau monk:

– In 1945, he stayed in Thien Mu Pagoda and was appointed to be chief monk. Two years later, this pagoda was occupied by French people, and then he was captured and jailed. He was almost shot to death by them, but fortunately, was released thanks to the intervention of Tu Cung empress, mother of Bao Dai king.

– In 1963, he participated in leading a struggle movement by Buddhists, against the Ngo Dinh Diem regime and then was arrested on the night of 20 August.

– In 1975, he was elected to be a member of the 4th National Assembly of Vietnam. After that, he held important positions in national and regional buddhist associations.

Sunset at Thien Mu Pagoda

Thien Mu Pagoda is one of the best spots to see the sunset on the Perfume River. The only place in the pagoda providing the view to the river, is near Phuoc Duyen Tower. Here, visitors can take great pictures or make videos. Along the river bank below, it’s busier because there are vendors selling food (such as tofu pudding), with seats over there. In addition, many people can go stand up paddle boarding or even go swimming (because the river isn’t polluted).