Vinh Nghiem Temple

VIETNAM, Ho Chi Minh City

Construction of this temple began in 1964 and was completed in 1971. The main buildings in the temple include the main hall, Avalokitesvara pagoda, bell tower, and a funerary pagoda.
The main hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof and is 22 m wide, 35 m deep, and 15 m high. It contains statues of a seated Sakyamuni Buddha, flanked by standing Manjusri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas. The reliefs on the altars, sculpted by Nguyen Van Phuc, Nguyen Van Du, Ba Nham, and others, depict famous pagodas within Vietnam and in the Asian region. There are also painted wood carvings of the four sacred animals, the nine dragons, as well as statues of the Eighteen Arhats.
The square Avalokitesvara pagoda is seven stories high. There are statues of Sakyamuni Buddha enshrined on each level and 25 relief sculptures of the Seven Buddhas of the Past and of the Patriarchs on the seventh level. The 25 m high funerary pagoda is a unique four-tier structure. The bell tower stands on a high base and contains a bell donated by Japanese people.
The temple not only houses a Buddhist school but it also plays an important role in Dharma propagation and Buddhist training in the city.