Du Hang Pagoda

Du Hang Pagoda — Chùa Dư Hằng — is the city's most atmospheric Buddhist temple, hidden behind a high red wall in the Lê Chân district. The pagoda was founded in the seventeenth century and rebuilt several times since; the current structure is from the late nineteenth century, with multiple courtyards arranged around small ponds and elaborate carved screens between the prayer halls.

The collection inside includes a bronze bell from 1681 and several wooden statues, and the gardens of clipped bonsai trees in the front courtyards are themselves worth a visit. The pagoda is still actively used; on full-moon days robed monks lead chanting services that visitors can sit quietly at the back of.

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Du Hang has been rebuilt at least three times since its seventeenth-century founding, most recently after wartime damage. The bronze bell in the side hall was donated by King Le Hy Tong in 1681 and somehow survived both the colonial period and the American bombing campaign on the port.