Vinh Ngheim Pagoda
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda (or Chua Vinh, meaning Ever Solemn) is the largest pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City and was constructed between 1964 and 1971. The pagoda has numerous statues of the Buddha, as well as the Bodhisattvas Manjushri and Samantabhdra. The ground floor consists of the library, the auditorium, and offices. The seven-story, 40-meter-high pagoda or the Avalokitesvara Stupa, standing at the left of the upper courtyard, is the largest of all the Buddhist structures in Vietnam. Next to the tower hangs a large bell given to the temple by the Japanese Buddhist community.
Martin Gray is a cultural anthropologist, writer and photographer specializing in the study of pilgrimage traditions and sacred sites around the world. During a 40 year period he has visited more than 2000 pilgrimage places in 165 countries. The World Pilgrimage Guide at sacredsites.com is the most comprehensive source of information on this subject.