The Perfume Pagoda

On one of the days I was in Hanoi, I took a day trip to the Perfume Pagoda, a sacred religious site for many Vietnamese people. Being that Tet, the Vietnamese New Year celebration was only a few weeks before, the route to the Pagoda and the Pagoda itself were crammed with people, as it's seen as auspicious to visit the pagoda in the first three months of the New Year. This made the trip particularly interesting. Enjoy the pics!

A Vietnamese grave in a rice paddie near the river. I find it rather interesting that most Vietnamese people are buried in their rice fields - with rice growing all around them. This is much different than most places in Asia, where prime agricultural land is almost never used for burial.

Garbage near the path to the perfume pagoda. Because of this, the walk to the pagoda was unfavorably aromatic in places.

The entrance to one of the other pagodas near the Perfume Pagoda.

Another view near one of the pagodas.

These women were taking pictures of people visiting the pagoda.

A view near the top of the trail to the Perfume Pagoda. I wish I had a polarizing lens, because this could have been a spectacular picture.

The way lazy people make the normally two-hour climb to the Perfume Pagoda.

Ornaments for sale along the trail to the Pagoda for pilgrims to leave and pay their respects to the pagoda.

The climb to the pagoda was an hour and a half to two hours. It was quite difficult, not because it was terribly steep, but because it was difficult to keep one's footing on this uneven rocky path. Interestingly, I saw some women making the climb in high heels!

Another view of the uneven, rocky path to the Pagoda.

Some of the pilgrims, making their way up to the Pagoda.

The Perfume Pagoda was actually inside of a cave. These are some pilgrims paying their respects.

More pilgrims paying their respect to the pagoda in the cave.

More pilgrims paying their respects. Note the Dong (Vietnamese money) in their hands, to use as offering.

This is the Perfume Pagoda itself - it's a natural formation in a cave, seen as sacred by the Vietnamese for this reason.

Yep, that's cat. I ate at this restaurant, but did not have any cat. Wasn't quite ready for that.

The back of my guide's head, on the boat back from the Pagoda.

One of the hundreds of boats on the river to the Pagoda. The trip to the Pagoda required an hour and a half on a boat up the river. It's a beautiful, karst landscape similar to that in Southern Thailand or Northern Lao, so it was a rather pleasant and scenic trip.

Another boat full of local pilgrims.

The woman rowing our boat. Interestingly, most of those rowing, as many as 80% I would estimate, were women.

Some of the hundreds of boats near the Pagoda, ready to make the trip.

The river to the Pagoda. Beautiful area.