Giác Lâm Temple

About

Giác Lâm is one of Hồ Chí Minh City’s oldest temples and is associated with the Lâm Tế Zen lineage in southern Vietnam. Its interior preserves many statues, inscribed plaques and paired inscriptions.

Visitor information

Founded

Founded in 1744

Visiting hours

Fixed opening hours have not been confirmed. Please ask the temple.

Fees

Check the notices at the destination; the current fee schedule has not been confirmed.

Address

565 Lạc Long Quân, TP. Hồ Chí Minh

Highlights

• ✓Traditional southern Vietnamese temple architecture
• ✓Wooden statues and carvings
• ✓The relic stupa and bodhi tree

History and origins

Lay practitioner Lý Thụy Long founded the temple in 1744. Zen master Viên Quang became abbot in 1774, and the temple developed into a centre for monastic training. In the 19th century, it was also associated with printing and transmitting Buddhist texts.

Architecture & surroundings

Successive buildings have timber frames and carved decoration. A seven-storey relic stupa stands in the front courtyard, with patriarchs’ stupas elsewhere in the grounds.

Beyond the worship halls are the main stupa and memorial stupas of patriarchs. Roofs, timber components, ritual furnishings and ceramic decoration represent different artistic layers, revealing the temple’s formation and restoration across generations.

Cultural value

Arhat statues, ritual objects and documents reflect the development of southern Vietnamese Buddhism. The site received national heritage recognition in 1988.

Giác Lâm is important for exploring the history of Buddhism in Sài Gòn. Statues and ritual objects should be understood in relation to the ancestral temple’s living practice; enter quietly and avoid flash photography.

Events & festivals

Services and activities follow the ancestral temple’s announcements. A current separate festival schedule has not been confirmed for a fixed listing. Visitors are warmly invited to enquire before travelling about suitable services and help maintain the dignity of the temple.