15 Most Beautiful Temples & Pagodas to Visit in Northern Vietnam During Lunar New Year

In northern Vietnam, visiting temples and pagodas in the first weeks of the Lunar New Year is a beloved tradition. Locals combine prayer for luck and health with relaxed spring outings, and many of the most beautiful places are just a short journey from Hanoi.

1. Ung Thien Temple, Hanoi

Address: Dong Am hamlet, Dong Xuan commune, Quoc Oai district, Hanoi.
Opening hours: 7:00 to 22:00 daily. 

Around 35 kilometers from central Hanoi, Ung Thien Temple sits in the middle of wide green rice fields, making it a peaceful place to begin the year and send wishes for health and happiness. After you leave your vehicle at the parking area, an electric buggy takes you another 200 meters, then you walk to the ornate temple gate decorated with intricate carvings and colorful flowers on all sides. Passing through the main gate, you follow a lantern-lined pathway that leads to the main sanctuary, where visitors prepare offerings and quietly pray for the year ahead. The temple grounds are spacious, and the second floor offers a sweeping view over the surrounding countryside that feels both dramatic and serene.

2. Ba Vang Pagoda, Quang Ninh

Address: Quang Trung ward, Uong Bi city, Quang Ninh province.
Opening hours: 6:00 to 21:00.

Ba Vang Pagoda lies in a calm setting and is known for its beautiful traditional architecture, making it a favorite New Year’s visit for people from Hanoi and northern Vietnam. The complex is famous for having the largest main hall on a mountain in Indochina, covering 4,767 square meters and rising 28.42 meters high. The structures carry a solemn, ancient feel, with stone statues of Arhats carved from single blocks of green stone and gilded with 99.98 percent gold. Ba Vang also offers three free vegetarian meals a day around the main hall, free milk tea in the central courtyard, and a hall for paying respects to Buddha relics, which makes the visit feel generous and welcoming for everyone.

3. Loi Am Pagoda, Quang Ninh

Address: Dai Yen ward, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province.
Opening hours: 12:00 to 23:30.

Loi Am Pagoda is an old mountain temple that dates back to the reign of King Le Thanh Tong in the fifteenth century. The tiled roofs and walkways are decorated with finely carved dragons and phoenixes that have been carefully preserved through time. To reach the base of the mountain, visitors first cross the clear waters of Yen Lap Lake by boat, with tickets around 60,000 VND per ride. From there, it is a 40 to 45 minute trek uphill through green pine trees to the pagoda, making it a perfect combination of gentle hiking and spiritual sightseeing for families during the spring.

4. Perfume Pagoda, Hanoi

Address: Huong Son commune, My Duc district, Hanoi.
Opening hours: Open all day.

Perfume Pagoda is a famous complex of scenic and spiritual sites that deeply reflects Vietnam’s history and Buddhist culture. The area includes many notable temples and caves such as Huong Tich Cave, Trinh Temple and Giai Oan Pagoda. A visit here usually starts with a small wooden boat gliding along a calm river lined by dramatic limestone mountains and lush greenery on both banks. During the festival season, you can join the Perfume Pagoda pilgrimage, soak in the quiet, spiritual atmosphere and pray for good luck and prosperity in the new year.

5. Mau Temple, Hung Yen

Address: 141 Bai Say, Quang Trung ward, Hung Yen city, Hung Yen province.

Mau Temple in Hung Yen is one of the most respected temples in northern Vietnam and part of the special national Phố Hiến heritage complex. The temple is dedicated to Lady Duong Quý Phi, the wife of a Song Dynasty emperor from China, and is believed to be very spiritually powerful. Facing Half-Moon Lake, the temple reflects distinctive Tran Dynasty architecture, with a three-gate entrance, a main sanctuary and a guest house. Inside stands a huge ancient tree formed from three intertwined trunks of banyan, ficus and fig, casting a deep, peaceful shade over the courtyard. At the beginning of the year and on full-moon days, crowds come here to draw lots, pray for peace and ask for blessings for their families.

6. Non Nuoc Pagoda, Hanoi

Address: Phu Linh commune, Soc Son district, Hanoi.

Non Nuoc Pagoda, also known as Soc Thien Vuong Zen Temple, is a sacred temple within the Soc Temple complex. Built on a circular range of hills about 100 meters above the foot of the mountain, the pagoda looks like a figure seated on a throne, facing a clear lake and fertile villages below. Early in the year, many visitors come to see the massive bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha here, reputedly the largest solid bronze Buddha statue in Vietnam at around 30 tons. The surrounding area also includes several shrines and temples, where people stop to pray for a peaceful, prosperous year.

7. Ngau Pagoda, Hanoi

Address: Yen Nguu hamlet, Tam Hiep commune, Thanh Tri district, Hanoi.

Ngau Pagoda stands firmly and calmly in the middle of the quiet Ngau village and has become one of Hanoi’s important spiritual landmarks. Although the temple has gone through many turbulent periods of history, it still preserves its solemn character and cultural value. When you visit in the first days of spring, the air is filled with the unmistakable scent of incense. Passing through the three-arched gate made from green stone, you walk under the shade of towering ancient trees that feel dignified and protective. Do not miss the bronze bell cast in the seventh year of the Canh Thinh era, in 1799, which has been carefully preserved as a precious historical relic.

8. Quan Thanh Temple, Hanoi

Address: Thanh Nien Street, Quan Thanh ward, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi.

Quan Thanh Temple is more than a thousand years old and is one of the four ancient guardian temples of Thang Long, the old capital that is now Hanoi. It guards the old citadel’s northern gate and is dedicated to Huyen Thien Tran Vu, a powerful Taoist deity honored by King Ly Thai To, which is why the temple is also known as Tran Vu Temple. Over the centuries, Quan Thanh has been restored many times and is now listed as a national historical relic. Even though it stands on a busy city street, the temple itself feels quiet and introspective, giving locals a place to pray and reflect in the heart of the capital.

9. Temple of Literature, Hanoi

Address: 58 Quoc Tu Giam Street, Van Mieu ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi.

The Temple of Literature – Imperial Academy has long been a symbol of Vietnam’s culture and education. Built in 1070 to honor Confucius, it later became the country’s first national university, training generations of scholars and mandarins. Today, it is a popular destination in the early days of the year for people who want to pray for academic success, career advancement and good fortune. Many families bring their children here to take photos, touch the stone turtle steles for luck and set the tone for a productive year of study and work.

10. Tay Ho Temple, Hanoi

Address: 52 Dang Thai Mai Street, Quang An ward, Tay Ho district, Hanoi.

Tay Ho Temple is dedicated to the Mother Goddess Lieu Hanh, one of the most important figures in Vietnam’s folk belief system. According to legend, the temple was built around the seventeenth century on a small peninsula that stretches into West Lake. Its buildings follow traditional architectural rules tied closely to spiritual practice, with courtyards, shrines and altars arranged in a harmonious flow. In the first days of the year, crowds flock here to ask for blessings in business, relationships and health, hoping that everything in the new year will unfold smoothly and as they wish.

11. Tam Chuc Pagoda, Ha Nam

Address: Ba Sao town, Kim Bang district, Ha Nam province.

Opening hours: 7:00 to 19:00 daily.

About 60 kilometers from central Hanoi, Tam Chuc Pagoda lies among flooded limestone mountains that create a truly spectacular landscape. The complex is currently promoted as the largest Buddhist pagoda in the world, and it showcases Buddhist culture and architecture on an international scale. The atmosphere is quiet and meditative, with the main halls looking directly over Tam Chuc Lake dotted with six small rocky islets. Besides making offerings and praying for good fortune, visitors can also enjoy activities like kayaking and water sports on the lake while exploring the broader Tam Chuc tourist area.

12. Hung Temple, Phu Tho

Address: Lac Hong, Hy Cuong commune, Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province.

Opening hours: 7:00 to 18:00 daily.

Hung Temple in Phu Tho is around 90 kilometers from Hanoi and is a classic destination for those who want a New Year trip that reconnects them with Vietnam’s roots. Within the Hung Temple Historical Site, visitors typically stop at four key spots: the temple of the national ancestor Lac Long Quan on Sim Mountain, the temple of Mother Au Co on Van Mountain, the Hung Kings Museum and the main Hung Kings temple on Nghia Linh Mountain. Surrounded by layers of mountains and forests, this complex offers both natural beauty and a powerful sense of history, giving you a chance to look back at the country’s origins while praying for peace and blessings.

13. Opening Ceremony of the Tran Temple Festival in Nam Dinh

Address: Tran Temple, Loc Vuong ward, Nam Dinh city, Nam Dinh province.

The seal-opening festival at Tran Temple takes place in the early spring in Nam Dinh to honor the contributions of the Tran Dynasty kings. During the festival, visitors can witness solemn processions, offering rituals and the symbolic opening of the royal seal. Taking part in the celebrations, you will see age-old ceremonies, learn more about the military and cultural achievements of the Tran Dynasty and join locals in wishing for a prosperous new year. For many Vietnamese people, this trip is both a spring outing and a way to express gratitude to their ancestors and reconnect with traditional values.

14. Bai Dinh Pagoda, Ninh Binh

Address: Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province.

Opening hours: 7:00 to 21:00 daily.

Bai Dinh Pagoda is the largest pagoda complex in Vietnam and sits at the western gateway to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu. Located amid vast valleys, lakes and limestone peaks, the complex stands out with its immense temples, courtyards and the iconic Jade Well. Bai Dinh is also known for holding several records in Vietnam, including the longest corridor of Arhat statues in Asia and the largest bronze Maitreya Buddha statue in Southeast Asia. A spring visit here combines impressive religious architecture with the dramatic landscapes that have made Ninh Binh famous.

15. Yen Tu Pagoda Festival, Quang Ninh

Address: Yen Tu Mountain area, Quang Ninh province.

Held from the 10th day of the first lunar month until the end of the third lunar month every year, the Yen Tu Pagoda Festival is one of Vietnam’s most important spiritual events. The festival honors King Tran Nhan Tong, who abandoned the throne to become a monk and later founded the Truc Lam Zen Buddhist school.
Pilgrims come not only to pray for safety and peace but also to hike the mountain paths, breathe the cool forest air and admire the sweeping views from the peaks. Joining the festival, you step into a respectful, focused atmosphere where thousands of people quietly make their way up the sacred mountain to wish for a smooth, meaningful year.