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Hanoi has emerged as a fascinating and unconventional tourist destination over the years. People, weary of visiting the clichéd and over crowded places, now prefer Hanoi as a charming city unique in its own beauty and culture. Hanoi with its distinctive French influence, has a lot to offer to its visitors. Visit the Ngoc Son Temple, Water Puppet Theater, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, One Pillar Pagoda and the Fine Arts Museum. Ngoc Son Temple in Hanoi dates back to the times of 18th c. The ancient temple is located beautifully on an idyllic island of the lovely lake Hoan Kiem. The religious site is at the north end corner of the lake which is actually the middle of the lake. Surrounded by a public park, Hoan Kiem is one of the many beautiful lakes in Hanoi. A wooden bridge connects the island to the main land.
Features of Ngoc Son Temple in Hanoi
- Ngoc Son Temple in Hanoi is a shrine situated amidst soulful placidity.
- The name of the temple literally means 'Jade Mountain'.
- One of Hanoi's most picturesque temples, the temple honors some scholars and military heroes.
- This shrine is dedicated to the 13th c military hero Tran Hung Dao, the scholar Van Xuong and to Nguyen Van Sieu, a Confucian artist who offered his duty for restoring the temple and the surrounding areas in 1864.
- Nguyen Van Sieu helped to build both the Thap But and the Dai Nghien.
- Thap But is a 30-ft stone structure whose tip resembles a brush. It is also known as the Pen Tower.
- Dai Nghien is a nearby rock hollowed in the shape of a peach, commonly known as the Writing Pad.
- You have to walk through the Three-Passage Gate or Tam Quan and across the Flood of Morning Sunlight Bridge or The Huc to reach the temple.
- The island temple opens onto a small courtyard where old men are engaged in the game of danh co tuong or Chinese chess.
- There is a 6-ft-long stuffed tortoise in the pagoda's anteroom.
- This turtle was found from the Hoan Kiem Lake in 1968 by the local people.
- The belief is that the creature is old enough to be the legendary turtle of the lake's mythology.
- These days, souvenir and art shops do brisk business alongside the historic and religious displays.
- The island has an air of tranquility which helps to escape the noisy streets surrounding the lake. Fast Facts about Ngoc Son Temple in Hanoi
Address Dinh Tien Hoang St.
Hanoi, Vietnam
Hours 8a.m. to 5p.m. on Monday to Sunday
Later on festivals and on the 1st and the 15th
days of every lunar month
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