One Pillar Pagoda

Location: One Pillar Pagoda is on Chua Mot Cot Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.
Characteristic: The One Pillar Pagoda is a cultural and historic relic, unique for its architectural features.

The pagoda was first built in 1049 under the Ly Dynasty, on the west side of the ancient Thang Long Capital. Its original name was Dien Huu, expressing the wish for longevity for the second King Ly. The pagoda is built in the shape of a lotus blooming on its stem.

The pagoda was built after the description of a dream of King Ly Thai Tong who reigned between 1028 and 1054, in which Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the Goddess of Mercy, led him to a lotus flower. The One Pillar Pagoda, built of wood on a single stone pillar 1.25m in diameter, is designed to resemble a lotus blossom, symbol of purity, rising out of a sea of sorrow. One of the last acts of the French before quitting Hanoi in 1954 was to destroy the One Pillar Pagoda; the structure was rebuilt by the new government. The pagoda is on Pho Ong Ich Kiem near Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. The actual One Pillar Pagoda Hanoi is the miniature reconstruction of a large, ancient, royal Buddhist building.

The pagoda is open daily from 8am to 5pm.

Hanoi Attractions

Hanoi City is a sacred land of Vietnam. The year 1010 then became an historical date for Hanoi and for the whole country in general.For about a thousand years, the capital was called Thang Long (Soaring Dragon), then changing to Dong Do, Dong Kinh, and finally to Hanoi Vietnam, in 1831. This sacred piece of land thereafter continued to be the theatre of many fateful events. Throughout the thousand years of its eventful history, marked by destruction, wars and natural calamities, Hanoi still preserves many ancient architectural works including the Old Quarter and over 600 pagodas and temples. Famous sites include the One Pillar Pagoda (built in 1049), the Temple of Literature (built in 1070), Hanoi Cathedral, Hanoi Opera House, President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Hanoi Old Quarter... Hanoi also characteristically contains 18 beautiful lakes

More Hanoi Attractions

• History of Military Museum
• Hoan Kiem Lake
• Co Loa Historical Site
• Hanoi Flag Tower
• Ho Chi Minh Museum
• Tay Phuong Pagoda
• Hanoi Zoological Garden
• Air Force Museum

• Ngoc Son Temple
• Ho Tay Water Park
• Ly Quoc Su Pagoda
• President Ho Chi Minh's Residence
• Ancient houses in Hanoi
• One Pillar Pagoda
• Pavilion's constellation of Literature
• Hoa Lo Prison Museum

• Hanoi Opera House
• Hanoi Cathedral
• Vietnam History Museum
• West Lake Hanoi
• Temple of Literature (Van Mieu)
• Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
• Thay Pagoda - Hanoi
• Fine Arts Museum

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