Phu Tay Ho occupies a peninsula jutting into the northern section of West Lake, in the Nghi Tam village area of the Tay Ho district. The temple is dedicated to Princess Lieu Hanh, one of the Four Immortals of Vietnamese folk religion — a goddess of wealth, prosperity, and feminine power who is also venerated as one of the "Four Palaces" spirits central to the len dong spirit possession tradition. It is the most actively visited temple in Hanoi by ordinary Vietnamese worshippers, which tells you something important: this is not a tourist attraction first and a religious site second.
On the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, the temple's surroundings fill with devotees, flower sellers, incense vendors, and food stalls. The smell of offerings — sticky rice, flowers, paper money burned in braziers — hangs in the air. The temple architecture is layered, with several shrines and courtyards built over centuries; the setting on the water, with West Lake visible on both sides of the peninsula, is genuinely beautiful. Come on a regular weekday if you want calm; come on a festival day if you want to see Vietnamese religious life at its most vivid.