Read this blog: The one where Robert eventually gets the literary references Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd March 2024 We had identified several historical sights we wanted to visit, predominantly temples and pagodas. First we passed the Temple to the Hung Kings which is a small modern shrine in Công viên Tao Đàn or Tao Dan Park. Built in 1992, it already needed some renovation work in 2012, and is dedicated to the first Kings of Vietnam. It stands in one of the largest parks in the city quite close to the Independence Palace where mature and well-established trees provide some welcome shade. The Hung Kings are venerated for, among other things, teaching the Vietnamese how to grow wet rice. This small temple also has the dubious privilege of being the place where Matilda saw her first rat running past. It should not be confused with the much more imposing monument in the Hung Kings Memorial Park. Next we passed the Xá Lợi Pagoda [below left] which is the largest pagoda in the city. Built in 1956 it was the headquarters of Buddhism in South Vietnam and the centre of the Vietnamese Buddhists’ protests against religious persecution by the predominantly […]
Daily Archives: 01/04/2024
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