Beautiful Yen river with boatwoman rowing boatI visited Perfume Pagoda, 69km south of Hanoi. In the brochure, it says it is the largest Buddhist temple in Vietnam. I understand that there are 85% of Buddhist population within Vietnam (approximately 74 million people). The Perfume Pagoda consists of a group of caves and is an impressive architectural ensemble of both human and natural endeavor.
The beauty of this temple is that you will need to hire a boatwoman to row you there to view the magnificent temple erected within a limestone cave. When it is the peak season of the buddhist celebration, your will see crowds of devotees there praying to Buddha for well-being and happiness.
The Yen river is clean, it is really hardwork for boatwoman to row non-stop one hour to the destination. During an hour boat ride, you will be able to witness the scenic of beautiful trees covered with red-coloured flowers and beautiful landscapes filled with wild birds and also people catching prawns and small fishes with their unique bamboos baskets.
Once you stepped out, you will need to climb a small slopes up to the temple located on top of the Huong Son Mountain in beautiful and mystical surroundings. You could opt to go there on short cut via cable car or you choose an hour walk up to the temple. According to the legend, Lord Trinh Sam, impressed by the great beauty of the Pagoda, had the stone entrance to the cave engraved with a large inscription: The Most Beautiful Cave under the Viet Nam Sky. The Perfume Pagoda's legend is about its miracle and good luck.
Once you are at the ticket counter, you will be able to witness the street peddlers and mini stalls similar to what you would find in Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang. With that, more business opportunity seems to mushroom in every nook and corner you will find with inflated price.
Frankly, I felt the same way when I was there in either Perfume Pagoda or Kek Lok Si. I wonder why tourists would want to go visit there, if it's not for the simple beauty of the mysterious yet scenic view of the journey of pilgrimage of Perfume Pagoda.