Jade Emperor Pagoda

Ornate Taoist-Buddhist pagoda packed with gilded deities and incense smoke — one of the most atmospheric in the city

The Jade Emperor Pagoda (Chua Ngoc Hoang or Phuoc Hai Tu) is one of the most atmospheric temples in Ho Chi Minh City. Built by the Cantonese community in 1909, the pagoda is dedicated to the Jade Emperor, the supreme deity in the Taoist pantheon. Inside, the air is thick with incense smoke and the rooms are packed with an elaborate collection of gilded wooden statues, papier-mache figures, and carved panels depicting Buddhist and Taoist divinities.

The Hall of Ten Hells near the entrance has vivid dioramas showing the torments awaiting the wicked in the afterlife — grimly entertaining and strangely popular with children. The tortoise pool in the shaded courtyard is considered good luck; visitors release turtles here as acts of religious merit. The pagoda is on Mai Thi Luu Street in District 3, a short taxi ride from the tourist centre of District 1.

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A story
The pagoda was built in 1909 by a Cantonese community leader and funded entirely by the Chinese community. When the communist government took control of Saigon in 1975, many religious sites were closed or repurposed. The Jade Emperor Pagoda was left largely intact — partly because of its deep roots in the community, partly because of its popularity with ordinary Vietnamese. President Obama visited during his 2016 trip to Vietnam, and the image of him releasing a tortoise into the pagoda's pond was beamed around the world.

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