The Quan Am Pagoda is one of Cholon's most decorated temples, founded by Fujianese immigrants and dedicated to Quan Am, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. It sits a short walk from the Thien Hau Temple and is often combined with it on a temple circuit of the Chinese quarter.
The pagoda is densely ornamented: gilded woodwork, lacquered panels, ceramic figurines along the roof, and a forecourt perpetually hazy with incense. Worshippers light the hanging coils, leave offerings of fruit and flowers, and consult the fortune sticks. It is smaller and quieter than Thien Hau but no less atmospheric, and together the two temples give the clearest sense of why Cholon feels like a separate, older city within Saigon.