Travels in Da Nang: Temples and Cathedrals

There are many Buddhist Temples across Da Nang; they range from massive, like the Lady Buddha to much smaller. In our exploration of the city we saw a fair amount. Here are some of our favorites. Note that Pagodas are the tall towers, but also refer to the complex that will have shrines and temples as well, so it can be a bit confusing.

Down the street from our hotel was the huge Buu Dai Son Pagoda, and we happened upon it while walking on the beach.

As it was quite hot (a recurring theme of our summer in Vietnam) we had the place to ourselves, which always makes a peaceful and serene place that much more so. Inside the main temple, the altar was especially colorful and bright.

Behind the altar was another impressive scene, and just outside the doors, before another temple, was this wood carving that was pretty amazing. After we were done exploring, we sat in the shade for a while, enjoying the atmosphere.

There were multiple temple buildings on the site, as well as more pagoda towers, bonsai trees, and many statues.

Another temple was even closer to us that I visited while on the way back from a haircut. I’ve tried to get a haircut in every country so far (the one I received in Dali, China was especially memorable) as they are all a bit different. This time, the barber trimmed the hair behind my ears with a straight razor; while I was a little nervous, he did a great job. The Tan Thai Pagoda was not as big as the Buu Dai Son Pagoda, and the shrine was closed, but it was a nice place to explore and rest after my haircut.

Another day we started at the Da Nang Cathedral, which is the biggest Catholic Church in Da Nang, and is pink. We arrived at the back entrance to the complex, and could take in how big it was before we even saw the front.

The front:

We peaked inside, but they were actually about to close it for a mass. They do many masses throughout the day at the churches in Vietnam we have noticed and this was the only church we actually were able to see inside.

We noticed that each church we visited had a grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

A different day, we decided to walk to the river from our hotel, and that took us down narrow streets, through a whole market for locals with tons of fresh fish and squid, fruits, and other goods; we had to navigate past motorbikes when there was barely any room for even two people to pass. It was intense, in a good way.

We had planned to visit a church along the way, but it was closed and not very impressive from the outside. As we stood outside the church, we noticed a brick temple across the street and went to check it out. The Hai Hoi Pagoda was located at the corner of two busy streets, but once we stepped inside the gates, the whole vibe changed from chaotic to peaceful.

As we had walked a while, we rested on one of the stone benches and really enjoyed the serenity. There was a small lotus pond, many bonsai trees (even a couple, below, that I would call Bonsai scenes), and art on the brick walls.

On the way to the riverfront we passed what appeared to be a temple complex, but it was closed. We could view the Man Quang Village Communal House only from the outside. It was used for worship, was a community gathering post, and previously a local army garrison. While it has been updated over time, it has been a community meeting point for over 500 years.

Another small pagoda that was close to our hotel was dedicated to whales and fishermen, and it has a large stone whale in front. It was also used as a community meeting site as we often saw children playing in the courtyard in front of the shrine, and old men sitting on folding chairs in front, just shooting the breeze.

The most impressive, and new, pagoda complex we saw while in Da Nang was the Nam Som Pagoda. It is located at the south end of the city, so we had to take a taxi to reach it. We had dressed modestly, covering knees and shoulders (Jessica brings a long sleeve shirt with her for these occasions); though they do provide sarongs to wear if one is wearing shorts or a tank top, or both, as many visitors do. The complex has bridges, ponds with turtles and Koi, stone walking paths amongst green grass, trees and flowers, and lots of sitting areas. As it is not in a touristy area, there are not many visitors, yet it is perfect for photoshoots.

There were some very well maintained Bonsai too.

A smiling woman sweeping led us into one of the temples and even gave us some incense to light and present as an offering, directing us with hand motions to take off our shoes before entering. Oddly, the only people we saw were temple workers: a landscaper, tending to the bonsai; another woman sweeping, and two very unfriendly security guards. We didn’t see or hear any monks here, which struck us as weird. The vibe from the security guards really was off putting and unwelcoming, and, combined with lack of monks, gave the complex a weird vibe.

We eventually left and stopped for coffee on the way to another temple in the area, the Trung Luong Pagoda. When we arrived a young monk was setting up mats in the temple courtyard, and welcomed us with a smile to visit the shrine at the top of the temple steps.

The Four Guardians were also posted up to protect the Dharma of the Pagoda and bonsai trees.

As we watched the monk set up the mats, a group of kids ran up to us, asking our names, as they like to do, and where we were from. They were very cute, and we learned they were setting up for a karate class. It was a much more friendly and welcoming atmosphere than the Nam Som Pagoda we had just come from. Experiences are interesting like that sometimes. We left and had one final stop on our religious tour, at the An Hai Parish Church. It is in an up-and-coming part of the city, literally, as huge cranes and new buildings are coming up right behind the church.

We sat on the marble benches outside of the Virgin Mary’s grotto under a tree as the church itself was closed to visitors. It was not super peaceful with all the construction, but a nice place to rest and hide from the hot sun.

We had a lot of fun exploring all the Pagodas and Churches around Da Nang, and they often provided a peaceful place to rest from jaunting around the city during the hot summer. Come back for the next post on our visit to the famous My Son Temple complex and learn more and ancient Cham culture in the next post!