Phu Tay Ho

The basics

Phu Tay Ho features a complex of traditional buildings. Visitors enter through a three-door, two-story-tall gate that leads to the main temple and two smaller shrines. The temple features an extensive collection of relics, artifacts, and artwork, including statues of three Mother Goddesses: Thuong Ngan Mother, Ngan Mother, and Thuy Mother. A well-kept courtyard also houses an ancient banyan tree. You can see the temple independently, or combine your visit with a motorbike tour of other area highlights such as the Tran Quoc Pagoda.

Things to know before you go

• This is an active place of worship, so visitors should be respectful of worshippers.

• Visitors must wear modest clothing that covers the shoulders and knees.

• It’s free to enter the temple, but donations are accepted.

• Vendors in the nearby alley sell snacks and offerings for the temple.

How to get there

Phu Tay Ho is located at the very tip of a peninsula in the middle of West Lake, around 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from the center of Hanoi. It’s easiest to take a taxi to the temple. By public transportation, take bus numbers 31, 33, and 55. From Ba Dinh Square, head north along Hung Vuong Road to West Lake.

When to get there

Phu Tay Ho is open daily from 5am to 6pm, with extended hours on the first and 15th of every lunar month. The temple is also a popular destination during Tet, the Lunar New Year. The Phu Tay Ho festival is held in the lunar month of March and features parades, traditional music, dancing, and poetry.

The legend of Princess Lieu Hanh

Vietnamese legend has it that Princess Lieu Hanh, daughter of the Jade Emperor in heaven, was banished to Earth after she broke her father’s cup. She traveled around the world and settled around West Lake, where she met the 16th-century scholar and poet Phung Khac Khoan. They wrote the poem Tay Ho Ngu Quan (West Lake Senses) together before she disappeared. To honor her memory, he founded the temple on the site where they first met.