Ong Bon Pagoda

264 Hai Thuong Lai Ong Ward 14, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam

Now Closed

Description

Ho Chi Minh City’s Ong Bon Pagoda (Nhi Phu Temple) is the city’s oldest Chinese pagoda (temple). It is also the city’s lone temple where Ong Bon is primarily venerated. The exquisite Chinese-style architecture and delicate external and interior designs are features of this religious place. For hundreds of years, the temple has played an essential role in the life of Saigon’s Chinese population.

Not only is Ong Bon Pagoda a sacred site for worshiping Ong Bon and other gods, but it also plays an important part in the daily lives of the local Chinese people. The pagoda has chambers for assembly meetings and other local citizens’ functions. The pagoda assists the Chinese in maintaining and preserving their original customs and traditions, which are an unavoidable part of Ho Chi Minh City’s cultural variety.

Furthermore, numerous valuable relics are conserved as a part of Ong Bon Pagoda, such as antique bells from the 18th century, horizontal lacquered boards, pairs of wooden panels, animal statues, and so on.

Ong Bon Pagoda is around 7.5 kilometers from the center of Ho Chi Minh City. To get to Ong Bon Pagoda, you can take a bus or a motorcycle.

The public transportation system in Ho Chi Minh City makes it easy for travelers to get to attractions around the city center. Buses number 08, 139, 56, and 68 can take you to Ong Bon Pagoda. The bus ride to the pagoda takes about 45 minutes.

If you are traveling by motorcycle, simply follow Vo Van Kiet Boulevard and then turn right onto Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street. Continue for around 500 meters to reach Ong Bon Pagoda. Traveling by motorcycle is much faster than traveling by bus. By motorcycle, you can arrive there in about 20 minutes.

When entering a place of worship, such as a pagoda, temple, or church, dress formally.

Architecture Of Ong Bon Pagoda

The pagoda grounds are approximately 2,500 square meters in size. The yard took up about half of Ong Bon Pagoda’s overall area. The rest of the area is made up of shrines, guild headquarters, and a courtyard. The general style of Ong Bon Pagoda is square, with four rows of buildings forming a heavenly courtyard in the center.

The shrine is built in the shape of a house, with wooden frames, a tiled roof, and brick walls. The hardwood frame is painted red and adorned with lotus flower carvings. The roof is made of pipe tiles and resembles a dragon boat. The roof is also adorned with vivid ceramic representations of fish, apricots, orchids, bamboo, dragons, and phoenixes.

Ong Bon Pagoda’s interior design is straightforward but melancholy. The altar of Ong Bon, the god of land protection, is located in the center of the main shrine. The two sides of the main shrine are dedicated to the worship of Quang Trach and Thai Tue gods. There are two chambers for worshiping Quan Thanh De Quan and the Lady of Birth on the courtyard’s sides. The back shrine honors the Jade Emperor, the Buddha, and the Bodhisattva. The gods and goddesses are depicted gravely in the pagoda by wooden or plaster figurines.

History Of Ong Bon Pagoda

Many Chinese people who spoke Fujian language left China for Vietnam around the end of the 17th century and settled in De Ngan (Saigon Cholon now).

Chinese people from two cities Xuanzhou (府, Quanzhou) and Zhangzhou (漳州市, Zhangzhou) donated and built an assembly hall (会馆, Hoi Quan) in about 1730. The assembly hall was named 二府 (Eifu, Nhi Phu) , two cities). The full name is 二府会馆（ Nhi Phu Assembly Hall, Nhi Phu Assembly Hall). It is also called 又称二府庙（Mieu Nhi Phu, Nhi Phu Temple).

In the pagoda, Ong Bon (越南道教, Phuc Duc Chinh Than, Ong Bon, Ong Bon) is worshiped. So that they also call this assembly hall Ong Bon Pagoda or Ong Bon Pagoda. This is the only Chinese pagoda (temple) in which God of the Soil is worshiped.

The goal of constructing this pagoda is to bring people together and assist them meet their spiritual, religious, and cultural requirements.

Tuyen Chau City residents built On Lang Assembly Hall in 1740. In 1809, residents of Chuong Chau City constructed Ha Chuong Assembly Hall. The two halls are close to Nhi Phu Assembly Hall.

The pagoda was restored three times: in 1875, 1901, and 1990. It retains elements of old Chinese architecture, as well as exterior and interior styles in the Fujian style.

Nhi Phu Temple was designated a National Cultural-Historic Site on August 30, 1998.