According to preliminary statistics, Hanoi has more than 100 large and small pagodas located alternately in busy streets; such as Tran Quoc, Kim Lien, One Pillar, and Lien Phai … And one of the most sacred temples that cannot be ignored is Quan Su Pagoda.

As the headquarters of the Central Vietnam Buddhist Association, Quan Su Pagoda is an indispensable part of Hanoi’s soul. The pagoda is located at 73, Quan Su street, Hoan Kiem district – Hanoi.

Every year on the fourth month of the lunar calendar, Quan Su pagoda usually holds Buddha’s Birthday Ceremony. This is also the biggest and most important Buddhist event of the year. At the Great Buddha’s Birthday celebration, monks and nuns and Buddhists will be able to participate in the procession of flower trucks, Buddha relics, pray for national peace, attend the Three Jewels Refuge ceremony, release and pray for peace, … many other meaningful activities.

Buddha’s Birthday Ceremony

History of this pagoda

The pagoda was built in the 15th century. In the reign of King Le The Tong, there was no pagoda in Co Vu ward in the past; So the king built a building called Quan Su to welcome the ambassadors to Thang Long. It is known that the ambassadors of these countries are devout Buddhists, so they built a pagoda in the Quan Su precinct so that they can celebrate.

By 1822, the pagoda was renovated to add corridors, statues, and bells to worship the soldiers at this post.

In 1934, the General Buddhist Association of Tonkin was established, and selected the pagoda as the headquarters. By 1942, the pagoda was rebuilt according to a blueprint by two architects Nguyen Ngoc Ngoan and Nguyen Xuan Tung; approved by To Vinh Nghiem.

It was here on May 13, 1951, that for the first time, the world Buddhist flag was brought back from Colombo in the sky of Hanoi by Venerable To Lien.

The architecture of the Quan Su pagoda

The temple’s three-story roof has three floors; In the middle is the bell floor. Passing the Tam Quan is a large, tiled courtyard, up 11 steps to the high, square-shaped main hall, surrounded by corridors.

The Buddha Temple consists of quite large statues and splendid gold spikes decorated solemnly. In the innermost, three Buddhas are worshiped on the highest level. The right side of the main hall is to worship Ly Quoc Su (ie, Thien Su Minh Khong) with two attendants; The left space is dedicated to Duc Ong and Chau Suong, and Quan Binh statues.

Deep inside the temple courtyard are rows of houses used as libraries, lecture halls, guest houses, and rooms. In particular, the name of the temple as well as many sentences in the temple are written in the national language; Is it possible that by the middle of the 20th century, the pagoda became the central headquarters of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam. The Institute for Buddhist Studies and the Asian Buddhist Foundation for Peace are also located here.

How to get to Quan Su Pagoda?

You can use private or public transport to move to Quan Su Pagoda, all of which are convenient and easy.

• If you go by car, or motorbike, from Hoan Kiem Lake, you follow Le Thai To street towards Ba Trieu street. When you come to the intersection with Tran Hung Dao, turn right and keep going until you meet the roundabout of Labor Square, then turn into Quan Su street, go about 150m more to the address of Quan Su Pagoda.
  You can park your car at a nearby parking lot and then walk into the temple.
• For those who go by bus, you can choose routes: 01, 32, and 40 with stops very close to this pagoda.

Another interesting sightseeing experience for you is experiencing the double-decker buses in Hanoi. The bus route will take you past famous temples and pagodas of Hanoi such as Quan Thanh Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda, One Pillar Pagoda, and of course indispensable Quan Su Pagoda.

Although you can completely drive yourself to Quan Su Pagoda, if this is your first time traveling to Hanoi, or traveling in a large group, it is best to save money and be safer.

After visiting Quan Su Pagoda, you can enjoy famous dishes in West Lake such as ice cream, and shrimp cakes, and then visit a series of famous tourist attractions of Hanoi such as Hanoi Old Quarter, Temple Quan Thanh, Tran Quoc Pagoda… and many more.