Thien Mu Pagoda — the Oldest Temple in Hue
Four hundred years on the bank of the Perfume River. In its courtyard stands the car that carried Thích Quảng Đức to Saigon in 1963.
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Photo: Dominik Tefert · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (cropped to 16:9 and resized)
Thien Mu Pagoda stands on Hà Khê hill on the north bank of the Perfume River, about 5km west of central Hue. It is the oldest temple in Hue, and locally known as the first among ancient temples.
The old woman in red, and how the temple got its name
In 1601, Lord Nguyễn Hoàng was surveying land in Thuận Hoá with a long view in mind. At Hà Khê hill he was told of an old woman in a red robe who appeared there, saying that a true ruler would come and build a temple on this spot to gather the sacred energy of the place.
Nguyễn Hoàng had a temple raised there and named it Thiên Mụ — the celestial lady.
In 1862, Emperor Tự Đức renamed it Linh Mụ. The reason was very much of its time: the emperor had long been without an heir and feared that the character Thiên — heaven — was an offence against heaven itself. The older name later came back into use, so both names are correct today and people in Hue use them interchangeably.
The tower is far younger than the temple
The temple dates from 1601, but the tower everybody photographs is two and a half centuries younger.
Phước Duyên tower was built by Emperor Thiệu Trị in 1844. It stands 21m tall, seven octagonal tiers narrowing towards the top, and each tier holds a Buddha.
The tower is not open to climb. But it is the thing visible from furthest away, and it has become an emblem of Hue rather than just of the temple — on stamps, on book covers, on tourism logos.
A bronze bell from 1710 and a stele on a stone turtle
Two objects deserve more than the few seconds it takes to photograph them.
The great bell was cast in 1710 under Lord Nguyễn Phúc Chu and weighs over two tonnes. Its body carries an inscription composed by the lord himself.
Beside it stands a stone stele mounted on the back of a large stone turtle — a familiar Nguyễn-era form — recording the temple’s construction and restorations.
Both sit in the stele houses flanking the tower, and both are easy to walk past while your eyes are still on the tower.
The halls behind
Most visitors photograph the tower and turn back. In fact the main temple lies behind the tower, through another gate.
There you find Đại Hùng hall — the main Buddha hall — along with the monks’ quarters, a pine garden and the stupa tombs of former abbots. It is far quieter than the front and the most pleasant part of the visit.
Thien Mu is a working temple with resident monks and a daily practice, not a closed monument. Keep quiet inside.
The Austin car in the temple grounds
In a pavilion beside the main hall stands an old pale blue car with peeling paint and the registration DBA 599. Many visitors walk past it without understanding why a temple would display a car.
It is the Austin A95 Westminster that carried the Venerable Thích Quảng Đức from Ấn Quang Pagoda to the junction of Phan Đình Phùng and Lê Văn Duyệt streets in Saigon on 11 June 1963, where he burned himself in protest against the Ngô Đình Diệm government’s suppression of Buddhism.
The photograph of that event travelled the world and became one of the best-known images of the Vietnam War.
The car was brought from Saigon to Hue around 1965 and has been at Thien Mu ever since — more than sixty years. The temple keeps a pavilion for it and still cleans and maintains it every year.
A plaque in front reads Di vật – A relic. This is a place to stop and read, not to pose for photographs.
By boat or by road
A dragon boat up the Perfume River is the finest approach. Boats leave from the pier near Trường Tiền bridge and take about half an hour upstream, and you watch the temple rise on its hill exactly as travellers did centuries ago. Many trips combine Thien Mu, Hòn Chén temple and the tomb of Minh Mạng in one outing.
By motorbike or taxi it is quicker, about 15 minutes from the centre along Kim Long street. That gives you control over the timing, which suits an early arrival while it is still quiet.
The temple charges no entrance fee. It is one of the few major sights in Hue that is completely free.
Before you go in
- Cover shoulders and knees. This is an active monastery, not a park.
- Take your hat off and keep your voice down inside the halls. Do not film while the monks are conducting a service.
- Come early or late in the day. At midday the sun is hard and the courtyards have little shade.
- It fits neatly into one day with the Imperial City.
Eating nearby
Kim Long street, the road to the temple, is known for bánh ướt thịt nướng — grilled pork rolled in steamed rice sheets — along with simple cơm hến and bún hến places.
Back in the centre it is the right time for bún bò Huế.
If you are visiting from Da Nang rather than staying in Hue, the Hue day tour includes Thien Mu along with the Imperial City and the tomb of Khải Định.
Places
- Truong Tien Bridge — Six Steel Arches and a Misunderstanding About EiffelEveryone says Eiffel built Truong Tien Bridge. The records name a different contractor — Eiffel came later, to repair it.
- The Imperial City of Hue — How to See It ProperlyPlenty of visitors walk the Imperial City for forty minutes and leave thinking they have seen it. In fact they have covered less than a third.
- The Tomb of Khai Dinh — the Smallest and the Most ExpensiveEleven years to build, paid for by a 30% rise in land tax across the country. The most divisive of the Nguyen royal tombs — and the most sumptuous.