Built in 1744, Giac Lam is the oldest Buddhist pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City. The interior is packed with over a hundred wooden statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, many gilded and centuries old, arranged in rows that fill the dim, incense-heavy main hall. Coiled incense spirals hang from the ceiling, burning slowly over days.
The pagoda's funerary garden holds portrait photographs and tablets commemorating deceased monks and laypeople — a quiet, slightly eerie space behind the main building. A large bodhi tree in the courtyard is said to have been grown from a cutting brought from Sri Lanka in 1953. The temple is an active place of worship, not a museum, so visit respectfully. It is in the Tan Binh district, away from the usual tourist circuit, which means fewer crowds. Free admission.