10/23 Hanoi: 8 Hour Trip to See Perfume Pagoda for 5 Minutes!

A few months ago, I had arranged with the hotel for us to take a day trip to see Perfume Pagoda.

Waiting for the shuttle to pick us up!

As we did with another tour, we stopped at a store where artisans who had been affected by Agent Orange were embroidering lovely landscapes. Felt like a voyeur watching them work and wished we had been apprised about the forced pit stop.

Our guide, Jade, told us on the bus ride to to the Perfume Pagoda that Vietnam was part of China until the 12^th C. The Vietnamese alphabet has 29 letters and that there are 6 different tones and thus meanings in the language for just ‘ma.’ The Vietnamese follow 2 calendars; in ours, it’s 10/23 today but in the Chinese calendar, it's 9/12.

Perfume Pagoda, she said, is located 80 kms away inside a cliff in the Huong Tich Mountains and that it is especially popular after the Chinese New Year when there is a 3 month long festival lasting from January through March.

View, after we got off the bus, of the Huong Tich Mountains. Jade had joked on the 90 minute drive from Hanoi that traffic lights in Vietnam are for decorative purposes only! The only time there are no beeping horns is from 11pm to 2am; not sure if she meant that was the law or because it was nighttime.

Jade mentioned that Vietnam is spread over 2000 kms from the north to the south and said that there can be 4 seasons in just one day in north Vietnam – sounds like Colorado weather where if you don’t like the weather, just wait for 10 minutes and it will change.

It’s autumn here in Hanoi right now where the seasons are hot and hotter unlike in Sai Gon where the 2 seasons are wet and dry. Today’s temperature in Hanoi will range from 27-33 but in July and August it will vary between a blistering 35 and 40 degrees.

We arrived at the boat dock at 10:30 where everyone on our tour was taking a 3km one hour long boat ride to Perfume Pagoda. Jade mentioned that there are 50-100 boats now ferrying people up the Day River and that during the high season, there are 20,000 people a day here wanting rides up river. Then there can be as many as 12 people riding in a boat compared to normally only 6-8 now during the low season. We were lucky that there were only 5 in our boat not including the rower: us and a 23 year old couple from Queensland, Australia: Isaac, a pharmacist and his girlfriend, Krystal, a student teacher and a woman from Portugal.

Photos of our river trip:

Only 1 other tourist boat passed us; we were lucky that we were the first in our tour group so we had these stunning views all to ourselves. 

We were asked to buy items from women rowers in other boats near the dock but when none of us evinced any interest, they too lost interest in us.

Saw a number of shrines as we traveled up river.

We could have done without the Pepsi signs marring the spectacular scenery, thank you.

Our boat ride ended in the small community of Thien Tru. 

Our boat rower: She will also be the one to take the 5 of us back to the bus area later in the day; the thought is that way she's likelier to receive a tip! After getting off the boat, Jade led everyone on our tour to the nearby temple area.

Map of the Perfume Pagoda complex.

The gates of Thien Tru Pagoda aka Heavenly Kitchen Pagoda.

The first pagoda we saw was only 3 years old. 12 monks live in the area around the pagoda. 

 Jade explained that Buddhists feel better when they go to temple so they like to donate fish to the Natural Blue Pond. We found out that temples are smaller than pagodas.

Unfortunately Steven wasn't able to enter the temple because he was wearing shorts.

Jade, a Buddhist, said the high step into any Buddhist temple indicates it is a holy place so people entering the temple should remove their shoes and bow their heads. (Our Buddhist guide in Ninh Binh several days later said that people only need to remove their shoes when entering temples that have new floors so that shoes don’t mar the floors.)

Isaac drinking from his mammoth bottle of water he had brought on the day trip!

We had lunch in a cavernous restaurant at the bottom of the steps built for those visiting during the high season. Our huge selection of food, which was included in the day’s price of $27 per person, appeared in just minutes after we sat down. I’ve noticed that has been the case in all the restaurants that cater to large groups as customer turnover is critical.

We all thought the things in the container were nuts until one uncoiled itself and began moving!

There are two ways of getting to see Perfume Pagoda: climbing 1300 steps up the mountain which normally takes an almost one hour walk or a 10 minute cable car ride. I had badly sprained 2 toes on my left foot a couple of days beforehand tripping on the lip between the hotel tile bathroom and bedroom floors – what a klutz, I know! – so I opted for the cable car up the mountain. As you can see from the photo, Steven, Isaac and Krystal chose to climb. Steven definitely earned his bragging rights this time!

Views from the cable car ride:

The views were great even though we had another very hazy day.

Don't know what this shrine was halfway.

Steven and the others would soon be walking under these partially covered roofs which protect merchants selling their wares every inch of the 1300 steps up the mountain.During the high season, it takes 2 hours to walk and climb just 200m up the steps because of the throng of visitors and pilgrims visiting Perfume Pagoda!

Once off the cable car at the top of the mountain, those taking the cable car still had a fair hike to get to these steps before actually seeing the Perfume Pagoda at the bottom!

The quite heavy smoke visible once we neared Perfume Pagoda came from the incense burning deep inside it. Jade said that ‘In this pagoda we (i.e. Buddhists) worship the Lady Buddha.’  The pagoda, built in a natural cave in 1872, was called the most peaceful cave in Vietnam by the king.

Rice Mountain Rock

Mystical or magical looking up the steps.

Chinese characters carved into the wall by the entrance.

The mouth of the cave had the appearance of an open dragon's mouth. Once inside the bowels of the cave, the shrine itself was much smaller than I had envisioned.

Buddha is vegetarian and that’s why so many offerings include fruit and vegetables.

Noticed lots of sweet offerings – guess Buddha must have a sweet tooth! Monks share the offerings later with people in need or with other temple visitors but people who donate the offerings are also welcome to take them back, Jade told us. People, Jade said, feel happy and healthy when they donate offerings and that is why most Buddhists make offerings when going to a temple.

Jade fruit, which are special fruits for Buddhists, have 3 layers: black, red and gold, and can safely be left for a long time as offerings.

Our guide, Jade, praying at the pagoda.

Mother’s milk stone that couples touch when they hope for children.Parts of it were touched so much that it was worn smooth. Lots of Vietnamese people return later to give thanks.

Steven, Isaac and Krystal had walked up the mountain so didn’t have much time to actually visit the pagoda. The three appeared like gods walking down the steps each attired in what looked like monks’ robes because all were wearing shorts.

Steven looked like a monk with his robe and bald head as he tiredly climbed the steps! 

I chose to walk down the mountain rather than taking the cable car.

Can you imagine being here during the festival when there are literally wall to wall people ascending or descending these steps and there are vendors on both sides of the path the entire way?

Isaac needed some stronger liquid refreshment than just water on the way down!

Photos of return boat ride:

Back in the boat for our peaceful ride back to the bus parking lot.

My 'crocodile' shot!

Steven joked it had been an 8 hour day trip and, for him, all for a 5 minute peak of the pagoda! I sure understood what he meant but it was interesting hearing more about Vietnam from our tour guide during the bus ride, the boat ride along the Day River was fantastic and I really enjoyed the hike down the mountain although it wasn't the smartest decision I probably made because of my foot. Figured though, there's always another time to rest up.

Posted on 10/30 from Hanoi, Vietnam.