Tam Chúc Pagoda, also known as the Tam Chúc tourist area, is a spiritual tourist destination in Vietnam, often compared to the Ha Long Bay on land. Tam Chúc Pagoda is considered to be the largest pagoda in the world in the future. Let’s explore what Tam Trúc Pagoda has to offer.
Where is Tam Chúc Pagoda located?
Tam Chúc Pagoda is located in Ba Sao Commune, Kim Bảng District, Hà Nam Province, about 70km from Hanoi city. Tam Chúc Pagoda is a spiritual tourist complex with a total area of over 500ha.
How to get to Tam Chúc Pagoda
To get to Tam Chúc Pagoda, you can use a motorbike or a private car.
How to get to Tam Chúc Pagoda from Hanoi by motorbike
If you are riding a motorbike, follow the direction of Giải Phóng Road – Pass the Underground Water Bus Station to Thường Tín – Phú Xuyên. When you reach the intersection with National Highway 1A, take the National Highway towards Phủ Lý. After about 10km on National Highway 21, you will reach Tam Chúc Pagoda.
How to get to Tam Chúc Pagoda from Hanoi by car
From Hanoi, there are 3 directions to get to Tam Chúc Pagoda:
- Direction 1: Follow the motorbike directions mentioned above
- Direction 2: Go to Giải Phóng – Reach the Pháp Vân Expressway from the Underground Water Bus Station – Turn at the bridge – At Cầu Giẽ, turn onto the old road 1 and then onto National Highway 21, after about 10km, you will arrive.
- Direction 3: Still go to Pháp Vân Cầu Rẽ, but take the Cầu Giẽ – Ninh Bình expressway to Liêm Tuyền intersection, then exit and turn towards Phủ Lý. After about 10km on National Highway 21. This is the optimal route as it is spacious and faster.
We rented a car for a more relaxed journey, as it’s quite fast to travel by motorbike in this weather.
How much does it cost to visit Tam Chúc Pagoda?
The cost varies depending on the means of transportation. But generally, driving yourself won’t cost much.
Motorbike parking: 15k/bike (large parking lot right at the entrance of the tourist area)
Tickets to Tam Chúc Pagoda 2 options
- Boat ride: 200k/person/round trip
- Electric car ride: 90k/person/round trip
Next to the parking lot, there are stalls selling light snacks (drinks, instant noodles, sausages, cakes… at reasonable prices, it’s best to buy food here instead of bringing it along, carrying it around is not cheaper, bottled water 10k/bottle, ice cream 15k/cup…). There are some restaurants on the national highway where you can stop for lunch.
What does Tam Chuc Pagoda have?
Tam Chuc Pagoda, also known as Tam Chuc Temple or Tam Truc Pagoda, has a quite unique location. The saying “Front is green, Back is purple” with three sides surrounded by the seven purple mountains shaped like a hand, in front is Tam Chuc Lake with six green Lục Sơn Thủy mountains rising up reflecting the vast water. It is said that the six mountains in the middle of the lake in front of the main pagoda are six heavenly bells brought down, and the seven mountains behind all have large bright spots resembling seven distant stars every night… All of this was explained to me by the tour guide.
Is Tam Chuc Pagoda worth visiting?
From the entrance to the tourist area (ticket selling point), there is a large open space, magnificent scenery with a large guest house built in ancient architecture. Standing here for a pose, there are already countless beautiful photos, next to it is the ticket selling point to enter the pagoda. Remember to stop by the boat dock for photos, the landscape of mountains and water is very charming. Then move on to the boat or electric car to reach the entrance to the pagoda.
If you take the boat, it will take about 15-20 minutes because the boat moves quite slowly (I took photos and enjoyed the scenery comfortably). If you take the electric car, it’s faster, less than 10 minutes and you’re there, the electric car runs straight to the temple entrance.
The structure of Tam Chuc Pagoda includes: Tam The Hall, Phap Chu Hall, Quan Am Hall, Ngoc Pagoda, and Kinh Column Garden. When you come here, try to visit all of them, some constructions are still in progress. I was most impressed by the special bas-relief walls carved from volcanic rock, looking like real wood in the Quan Am Hall, extremely meticulous and skillful by the talented hands of skilled craftsmen.
If you choose to take a boat, you will enter Tam Chuc Pagoda, which was built in the middle of the lake for visitors to explore. (There is a long bridge here for great photos, so remember to pay attention).In my opinion, this place promises to be an attractive destination when completed, as I have already seen its grandeur and magnificence.
Travel Diary to Tam Chuc Pagoda for 1 day from Hanoi
I left Hanoi for Tam Truc Pagoda around 10 a.m. Arrived at Tam Chuc around noon. We brought food from home and ate at the food area, took some souvenirs, gathered strength, and then started exploring.
From the entrance, walk straight through the parking lot (free parking) about 100m to the ticket booth for electric cars and boats.
- Electric car: 90k for round trip
- Boat ticket: 200k per trip (luxurious dragon boats, also small boats suitable for groups)
It’s recommended to experience both because if you only take the electric car, you won’t be able to visit the ancient Tam Chuc Pagoda, and there is a beautiful photo spot on the island. We chose to take the boat so we could also experience the electric car on the way back.
Starting from Tam Quan Hoi, passing through the column garden into the main area with a total of 6 Pagodas and the Jade Pagoda at the highest position (200m above sea level). Climbing to the top takes about 45 minutes, and around 4-4:30 p.m., you can witness a beautiful sunset like in the movies, and also enjoy the panoramic view of Tam Chuc, truly resembling a “Halong Bay on land.”
Around 6 pm, start driving back to Hanoi. By 8 pm, arrive home and go to sleep, then head to work the next morning.
Notes when visiting Tam Chuc Pagoda
- You can start your journey in the afternoon and stay until around 7 pm to enjoy the sunset. I started at 4 am, so by 11 am, I had seen everything and felt tired and hungry, so I went back, missing the sunset view.
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Prepare yourself well and avoid wearing high heels as there is a lot of walking and climbing involved. Also, bring a hat and a mask as the Pagoda is quite dusty due to ongoing construction. When I visited, there were kids under 10 and elderly people over 70, and no one was complaining, so if you are in good health, there’s no need to hesitate, just go up and climb.
- Avoid wearing high heels, or only wear them for taking photos, as it may ruin the fun. There is a lot of walking and climbing stairs, so it’s best to wear sneakers or low sandals.
- The Pagoda has a beautiful traditional setting, so it’s recommended to wear dark-colored clothes, traditional outfits, or long flowing dresses for better photos.
- Tam Chuc Pagoda is a magnificent spiritual work, combining the grandeur of nature with modern elegance, worth a visit and exploration.
- There are many vending machines and food areas in the Pagoda, with reasonable prices, so you don’t need to prepare in advance when carrying a heavy load while climbing. (Like the two of us, we carried water and snacks, shared the backpack, and cried while walking.
- In general, the trip is not boring at all. If the Pagoda is completed, there will be nothing to complain about. Overall, I rate it 7/10.
Review Chùa Tam Chúc
Just visited the peaceful temple, took some beautiful photos, why hesitate to go. There are some reviews Chùa Tam Chúc look different so I would like to write some personal feelings to share with those who want to visit the temple
- Parking lot: from the entrance, there will be someone guiding you to the parking lot where you will get a parking ticket, there are guards and a fee of 5k per vehicle only (I went today, the 6th day of Tet, it was like that, I don’t know if it’s the same on other days)
- Electric car rental is 90k round trip and Boat is 200k, currently there is a price list at the ticket counter, but I don’t like taking the electric car much because it’s too crowded, every time a car arrives, people rush to get on like a chaotic race, only lining up when waiting for the guards to tear the ticket. Oh, there’s no issue of paying when going and not paying when returning, it’s all paid at once. When buying the ticket, you pay immediately. When going, the guard tears the ticket at one corner, and when returning, they check the code and tear it again. This is for the electric car, I think it’s the same for the boat. If the electric car is overloaded, they will switch to buses
- Food: I think if there are many empty spaces, it’s better to buy food beforehand. From the parking lot, there are stalls selling souvenirs and food (fried rice, sausage, instant noodles 30k, mango shake 30k, etc.). And almost everywhere has restrooms. Continuing with the electric car taking us to the temple, there are 3 areas, when I went, some areas were not yet completed. In the first 2 areas, they only sell ice cream and drinks, until the 3rd area where they sell vegetarian food (vegetarian sandwich, cakes, sticky rice, sweet potatoes, etc., mostly priced at 20k) but it’s quite cold because of the crowd and the stalls don’t have anything to heat the food. I saw many families bringing square cakes and fruits to eat, so there’s nothing to worry about
- Entrance fee: I hardly had to pay any additional fees other than the 5k for parking and the fee for the electric car or boat (those who walk don’t pay, but walking is like not breathing). At the temple, you can donate some money to the temple depending on each family’s situation. As for the food sold in the temple, it’s not free, right, because people buy what they need
- The scenery is beautiful in general, however, some people litter almost everywhere, on the stairs and communal eating areas. You can enjoy the scenery wherever you like
I thank those who took the time to read my review of Chùa Tam Trúc
