Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [284]
There are currently six land crossings into Laos ((See "From neighbouring countries") for information), and visas are in theory available at all of them except Na Meo – check locally for the latest situation – though to be on the safe side, it’s advisable to get them in advance at the Lao consulate in Hanoi (See "Listings"). Several companies offer direct overnight bus services from Hanoi to Vientiane (18–24hr). For those flying into Laos, fifteen-day visas are also available on arrival at Vientiane airport.
Hanoi and around | Around Hanoi | The Perfume Pagoda | Moving on from Hanoi |
Organized tours
Tour agencies in Hanoi (See "Tour agents") can put together individual programmes including vehicle rental, guide and accommodation, or whatever combination you want. Most also run a selection of day-trips, of which the most popular are to Ha Long Bay and the Ninh Binh area, as well as the sights around the capital itself.
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Hanoi and around | Around Hanoi |
Thay Pagoda (the Master’s Pagoda)
Thay Pagoda (Chua Thay; 25,000đ), or the Master’s Pagoda – also known as Thien Phuc Tu (“Pagoda of the Heavenly Blessing”) – was founded in the reign of King Ly Nhan Tong (1072–1127) and is an unusually large complex fronting onto a picturesque lake in the lee of a limestone crag. The pagoda lies 30km from Hanoi in Sai Son Village, between Ha Dong and Son Tay. As this isn’t a popular tour destination, you’ll probably need to hire a car and driver for the excursion, or rent a motorbike. The easiest route is via Highway 6, taking a right turn in front of Ha Dong post office (buu dien) onto the TL72/TL80 to Quoc Oai, where the pagoda is signed 4km off to the right. Note that this is a popular weekend jaunt out of Hanoi, at its busiest on Sundays.
The Master was the ascetic monk and healer Tu Dao Hanh (sometimes also known as Minh Khong) who “burned his finger to bring about rain and cured diseases with holy water”, in addition to countless other miracles. He was head monk of the pagoda and an accomplished water-puppeteer – hence the lake’s dainty theatre-pavilion – and, according to legend, was reincarnated first as a Buddha and then as the future King Ly Than Tong in answer to King Ly Nhan Tong’s prayers for an heir. To complicate matters further, Ly Than Tong’s life was then saved by the monk Tu Dao Hanh. Anyway, the Thay Pagoda is dedicated to the cult of Tu Dao Hanh in his three incarnations as monk (the Master), Buddha and king.
Despite many restorations over the centuries, the pagoda’s dark, subdued interior retains a powerful atmosphere. Nearly a hundred statues fill the prayer halls: the oldest dates back to the pagoda’s foundation, but the most eye-catching are two seventeenth-century giant guardians made of clay and papier-mâché, which weigh a thousand kilos apiece and are said to be the biggest in Vietnam. Beyond, the highest altar holds a Buddha trinity, dating from the 1500s, and a thirteenth-century wooden statue of the Master as a bodhisattva, dressed in yellow garb and perched on a lotus throne. On a separate altar to the left he appears again as King Ly Than Tong, also in yellow, accompanied by two dark-skinned, kneeling figures which are said to be Cambodian slaves, while to the right sits a mysterious, lavishly decorated wooden chamber. The monk’s mortal remains and a statue with articulated legs repose in this final, securely locked sanctuary – though a photo on the altar shows the statue’s beady eyes staring out of a gaunt, unhappy face – to be revealed only once a year: at 1pm on the fifth day of the third lunar month the village’s oldest male bathes Tu Dao Hanh with fragrant water and helps him to his feet. Traditionally, this event was for the monks’ eyes only, but nowadays anyone can see, as long as they’re prepared to put up with the scrum. The celebrations, attended by thousands, continue for three days and include daily processions as well as a famous water-puppet festival held on the lake (fifth to seventh days of the third lunar month).
In front of the pagoda are two attractive