The Perfume Pagoda by boat
Be rowed for an hour along a stream between limestone hills, then climb to a vast cave shrine that pilgrims call the most beautiful under the southern sky.
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- Area
- Ninh Binh & day trips
- Start from
- Hanoi
- Distance
- about 60–70 km south-west
- Time needed
- 1 day
- Best season
- Outside festival season for peace; spring for the festival
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Transport
- Car or tour to Ben Duc wharf, rowing boat, then climb or cable car
- Tickets & rules
- Entrance ticket, boat fee and optional cable car; modest dress
Why go
The Perfume Pagoda is not one building but a complex of temples and shrines scattered across the Huong Son mountains, and the journey there is the reason to go. You board a flat metal boat at Ben Duc wharf and a rower, often a local woman, takes you slowly along the Yen stream, between rice fields and green karst peaks, while egrets lift off the water ahead.
At the far end you visit Thien Tru pagoda, then climb a long path or take the cable car up the mountain to Huong Tich cave, the main sanctuary.
Outside the festival it is a peaceful, deeply atmospheric day, with water, mountains, incense and the clack of oars.
The story
Buddhist temples have stood in these mountains since at least the seventeenth century, and the site is closely linked to Quan Am, the bodhisattva of compassion. Legend says she meditated here for nine years before attaining enlightenment.
The great cavern of Huong Tich opens like the mouth of a dragon, and a stairway leads down into it. Inside, stalactites and stalagmites have been given names and meanings: some are said to resemble piles of rice or coins, and pilgrims touch them for prosperity or fertility. Above the entrance are characters carved in 1770 by Lord Trinh Sam, declaring this the most beautiful cave under the southern sky.
The pilgrimage festival opens on the sixth day of the first lunar month, shortly after Tet, and continues until about the third lunar month. Huge numbers of pilgrims come, especially at weekends, and the stream becomes a slow traffic jam of boats.
The word huong means fragrance or perfume, a reference to the incense, the flowering apricot trees that once covered the hills, and the sanctity of the place.
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Getting there
The site is in Huong Son, My Duc district. By car or Grab it takes around two hours each way. Many visitors join a day tour from Hanoi that includes transport, boat and lunch; it is also possible to hire a driver and buy tickets on arrival.
The boat ride is about an hour each way. The climb from Thien Tru to Huong Tich takes about an hour on a stepped path; the cable car is quicker.
A suggested plan
- 7:00Leave Hanoi early.
- 9:00Board a rowing boat at Ben Duc for the hour along the Yen stream.
- 10:00Thien Tru pagoda, then climb or ride the cable car.
- 11:30Huong Tich cave and its shrines.
- 13:00Lunch near the cable car, then descend and return by boat.
- 16:30Back in Hanoi.
Where to stay
Most people visit as a day trip from Hanoi. There is basic accommodation near the site if you want to start before the crowds, but it’s rarely necessary.
Good to know
- Wear comfortable shoes; the steps are steep and can be slick.
- Agree tips for the rower clearly; a modest tip at the end is usual.
- Bring a light raincoat; drizzle is common in spring.
- Avoid the first weekends after Tet if you dislike crowds.
- During the festival, crowds can be overwhelming and dangerous on the narrow paths; go on a weekday.
- Touts may try to sell you extra services or charge for parking; buy tickets at official counters.