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Located in Huong Son (Perfume Mountain) 75 km SW of Hanoi, Perfume Pagoda is not one temple but a complex of temples and shrines in the general vicinity of Huong Son Commune, My Duc District, Ha Tay Province. The primary Huong Tich Temple was built into the limestone cliffs of Huong Tich Mountain during the reign of Le Chinh Hoa (1680-1705), by a monk who happened on the site on his way to search for enlightenment. Other shrines and temples were later built in this area to take advantage of the beautiful scenery in this area. Perfume Pagoda has a long history in Vietnamese literature. This temple, its name, has been a theme of many songs, topic of poetry, used in literary works as well as backdrops for paintings. The uniqueness of Huong Son is that the mountains, river and forest appear like an oasis for Buddhists in the middle of the great plains of northern Vietnam. This location truly incorporates all the elements of beauty that is often used in Eastern philosophy and arts.

Every year, from 1st full-moon till 3rd full-moon (between February and April), Huong Pagoda Festival draws hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country. We arrived during the first few days of the festival — a very popular place and event for young couples to meet and it is also a place where many budding romances are formed. During this time of the year, Ben Duc is packed with thousands of row boats used for shuttling visitors coming for the annual pilgrimage of Buddhists. Due to late departure from Hanoi, we arrived here by afternoon, shooting along Yen Vy river where big boats and little boats fully packed with passengers built up a traffic jam under poor organization and control of local Village Authorities. Although there is a road from the pier to the base of Perfume mountain, most people choose to use row boats on the little river, which is by far the more romantic and scenic route to Perfume Pagoda.


Photo taken of the pilgrims on their one-hour boat ride over the Yen Vy River to the pagoda — the highlight of the trip. It is also the source of inspiration of many poets or photographers.


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