Bao Quoc Pagoda in Hue Vietnam: Things You Need to Know

Bao Quoc Pagoda is located on Ham Long Hill, Bao Quoc Street, Ward Duc, Hue City. The pagoda is one of Hue tourist attractions not to be missed by many tourists. This is a Hue temple belonging to the Northern sect built in the style of Khau script. The temple grounds are spacious, with enough tomb towers of the Patriarchs. This place still keeps many precious memorabilia of cultural value.

• Location: 17 Bảo Quốc, Đúc ward, Hue city
• Opening Hours: 5:30 - 19:00 every day
• Entry Ticket Price: Free of Charge
• Dress Code: Decent Cloths Recommended

History of Bao Quoc Pagoda in Hue Vietnam:

Bao Quoc Pagoda was built in the 17th century of the reign of Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan, founded by Zen Master Giac Phong. In 1747, Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat gave Bao Quoc Pagoda a signboard: Sac Tu Bao Quoc Tu and inscribed the words King Tu Te Dao Nhan Ngu De.

In the Tay Son Dynasty, Bao Quoc Pagoda was occupied as a warehouse for storing salt and pepper. It was not until 1808 that Queen Hieu Huong directed the reconstruction of the temple, cast a great red general, built a three-way gate, renamed the pagoda to Ham Long Thien Tho, and Zen master Pho Tinh was invited to be the abbot.

During the Nguyen Dynasty, King Minh Mang visited the temple in 1824 and named it Bao Quoc Tu. In 1858, on the occasion of the Fourth of July, the King held a grand ordination here.

Experiencing many ups and downs of time, now Bao Quoc Pagoda has become a sacred and noble spiritual place. This is also the place to nurture the souls of many Buddhist monks and nuns not only in the ancient capital but also in many regions of the country. Currently, Most Venerable Thich Duc Thanh is the Abbot of Bao Quoc Pagoda.

Architecture of Bao Quoc Pagoda in Hue:

Bao Quoc Pagoda was built on a spacious campus of up to 2 hectares. The outermost is the ancient and massive three-door gate. Going inside, visitors will encounter a garden with many trees, creating a fresh and quiet landscape for the temple.

The architecture of Bao Quoc Pagoda has many unique and distinctive features. The main hall of the pagoda is built into 3 compartments and 2 wings with ornate and unique decorations. Walls and pillars have patterns made from pieces of crockery or majestic dragons. Inside the main hall is a dignified and pure place of worship.

On the premises of Bao Quoc Pagoda, there is a statue of Quan The Am Bodhisattva, on the left side is the Tho tower area and the 3.3m high Mr. Giac Phong tower built in 1714.

Go to Bao Quoc Pagoda to hear the story of Ham Long well:

Visiting Bao Quoc Hue Pagoda, visitors will hear the story of Ham Long well with many interesting details. Ham Long well is about 5 to 6m deep, with extremely pure and fresh water. The well is located to the north of the temple, right at the foot of Ham Long hill, appearing since the beginning of the mountain around 1674.

At the well, there was a geyser that spewed out like a tornado. Later, water from Ham Long well was used to make offerings to the gods, and no one was allowed to use it. Therefore, Ham Long well became a forbidden well, a sacred well in the legend.

According to many stories, Ham Long well was born in association with the formation and development of the Nguyen Dynasty. At that time, when Lord Nguyen entered Thuan Hoa to reclaim the land, this land had many mysterious things, wild and few people passed by. One day, when Lord Nguyen entered Phu Xuan to settle down, he couldn't sleep because there was a big dragon calling for rain to call the wind and wind and waves. He realized that this was not good for the fate of the country and the lives of the people, so he sent someone to find out.

One day, a feng shui master came to see the king and said: in front of the city, there are sacred mountains and many dragon veins. The dragon veins there are much more mysterious than in other places, with all shapes and sizes, constantly changing, sometimes good and bad, sometimes big, sometimes small, sometimes hidden. There converges a source of prosperity that cannot be found anywhere else. It is necessary to invite high-ranking people to worship to strengthen the dragon veins and tame the evil dragon.

Receiving high opinion, Lord Nguyen invited him to take care of him at many points and indeed, the dragon was no longer disturbed, people's life became peaceful again. Therefore, the mountain where the dragon hid was named Binh An Son and still exists to this day. Currently, around the well wall, there are many winding dragon patterns reminiscent of the evil dragon story in the past.

Another opinion surrounding Ham Long well is different from the above story. Accordingly, Ham Long well associated with Bao Quoc pagoda was built in the 17th century. When Zen Master Giac Phong was thirsty, he dug a well at the foot of the mountain. When he started to dig three slices of earth, there was a spring of clear water gushing up like a dragon's mouth. The water is juicy and cool, after washing your face, you will feel refreshed and energized. From then on, the well was named Ham Long well.

Bao Quoc Pagoda today is not only a sacred place of worship in Hue but also associated with many thrilling stories, attracting many tourists to visit and explore. If you are planning to come to Hue, don't forget to visit Bao Quoc Pagoda. In particular, you should pay attention to booking a hotel in Hue near this tourist destination to facilitate travel.

Adventure Journey

See Also:

• Best Street Food in Hue You Should Not Miss
• Best Things to Do and to See in Hue Vietnam
• Top 5 Most Famous & Sacred Pagodas in Hue