Friday, 5 January 2007 - Hanoi & the Perfume Pagoda

Up nice and early to have breakfast with "Speedy Girl", Thom - scrambled eggs, bread, mango, banana, and tea before setting out on the tour to Perfume Pagoda.  The breakfast, by the way, was in a room the size of an average kitchen, and there were about six others there, too. 

A  minibus picked us up for the drive of about one and a half hours to Duc Wharf on the Yến River.  There were 14 of us in the tour group. One family was from Sydney - four boys, 7,9,11 &13.  On arrival at the river, we were approached by lots of people wanting to sell us postcards, lucky beads, etc.  After being mobbed, we hopped into metal boats, and a 'slip of a girl' rowed us up the river for about an hour. Our boat was carrying just the four of us.  This is a very much a tourist destination, with boats and tourists everywhere - and not just foreign tourists.   There is much construction taking place along the river - roads, pathways, steps, landscaping, etc.  It's going to look very different in a few years. 

The reason we're here?  The Perfume Pagoda (Chùa Hương) is one of Vietnam’s most important Buddhist pilgrimage destinations, drawing millions of devotees each spring to pray for health, luck, prosperity, and peace. This centuries‑old tradition is deeply woven into northern Vietnam’s cultural and spiritual life.  The "Pegoda" is not one building - it's actually a vast network of temples, shrines, and cave sanctuaries spread across the limestone mountains of Hương Sơn.   

The most important site is Hương Tích Cave, dedicated to Quan Âm (Avalokiteshvara), the Buddhist goddess of mercy.  It is praised in an 18th‑century inscription as “the most beautiful cave under the sky” and the site dates back to at least the 15th century, with legends suggesting it was discovered over 2,000 years ago by a meditating monk. 

The cave is our first destination.  The 60-minute walk up the mountain was a bit of a challenge - mostly steps, a lot of steps! Every little while, there was a shop selling cold drinks, etc., and at the top, they sold lucky beads, and lots of other souvenirs, as well as red candles and incense for burning in the cave. The cave was very special and open enough that even Jill could go in it without it being claustrophobic. 

We came back down by cable car. Very scary, but probably easier on the knees than all those stairs.  No doubt there would have been some controversy when it was built, but we appreciated it all the same.

 At the bottom, we had lunch - rice, tofu, egg, and pork, then checked out the pagoda there, the Kitchen in the Sky Pagoda (the Thien Tru Pagoda). This pagoda is actually considered the gateway to the Perfume Pagoda Complex (I guess we did things in reverse).  To enter Thien Tru, you walk up a series of stairs and through a typical Buddhist arch entry with three openings. The openings represent past, present, and future, with the centre opening being the present. The main courtyard features two large, gold lions guarding the main temple. It is still an active temple despite being over 500 years old.  Just spectacular! 

From the Thien Tru Pagoda, it was back to the boat for the return trip on the Yến River to Duc Wharf.  In addition to the tourist traffic, there was quite a bit of commercial traffic up and down the river.  And some fisher people as well.  On arrival back at the wharf, we tipped the girl who rowed us up and back the 20,000VND suggested by the guide.  She did an excellent job, even though there wasn't a lot of communication.  The English language may have been a bit of a challenge for her, and Vietnamese certainly was for us!    One of the other groups had an unfortunate experience when an agreed amount couldn't be reached.  Apparently, the rower wanted more money because there were more people than usual in the boat.  Left a bit of a bad taste.  And just to add to our day, on the way home in the minibus, the back seat collapsed while we were sitting on it. Anything for a bit more excitement!  Apart from those distractions, it had been a great day, absolutely beautiful scenery, but very cold.

Dinner tonight at the Brothers Restaurant, mentioned in Lonely Planet. Very pleasant, a smorgasbord, but a bit of a step up from Sizzler's. As well as the 'normal' smorgasbord, there were also two Vietnamese women on very low tables, preparing various Vietnamese dishes, including pho, cha ca and pancakes. And the desserts were amazing - Sweet green bean soup, coconut jelly, pancakes, and lots of fruit. It was all fabulous, as were the string quartet playing throughout dinner.  It was a great place to go for a special dinner.