Giac Lam Pagoda

Giac Lam pagoda dates from 1744 and is believed to be the oldest pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City. Outside the building, in the front garden, there is a bodhi (bode) tree which was the gift of a monk from Sri lanka. Next to the tree is a gleaming white statue of Quan Am, the goddess of Mercy, standing on a lotus blossom. Inside there are funeral tablets, plentiful miniature statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas made of jack wood and a large bronze bell attached with lists of names of people seeking happiness and the names of sick people and the deads. It is believed that when the bell is rung, the sound will resonate to the heavens and carry with it the attached applications. This site is worth a visit and to learn the spiritual life of the ancient metropolitans.