Jade Emperor Pagoda

Chua Ngoc Hoang was built in 1909 by the Cantonese community in Saigon and is dedicated to the Jade Emperor of Taoist belief, whose figure stands in the main hall surrounded by generals and attendants carved in wood and reinforced paper. The building is dense and dark: side rooms hold the Hall of Ten Hells with carved panels of the punishments, and a room where women come to pray for children, hung with offerings. The air is thick with incense smoke, which is part of the experience and difficult for some. A pond in the courtyard holds turtles released as merit, which the temple now discourages.

What you actually see

• A Cantonese temple of 1909 - dedicated to the Jade Emperor.
• Carved wood and paper figures - generals and attendants in the halls.
• The Hall of Ten Hells - carved panels of the punishments.
• A turtle pond - from releases the temple now discourages.

When to go

Year round; the lunar new year is the busiest. An hour.

Honest expectations

The incense smoke is heavy and can be genuinely hard on the eyes and chest. It is small and crowded. Photography inside is restricted in places. Releasing animals here is discouraged and the turtles are not well served by it.

Nearby

District 1's centre is south; the Saigon river is east.