Long Son Pagoda

Long Son was founded in the late nineteenth century and moved to its present site at the foot of Trai Thuy hill after a storm; the halls carry ceramic mosaic dragons on the roofs and a tiled interior. Above it, up a stair of about a hundred and fifty steps, sits the Kim Than Phat To - a white seated Buddha of some fourteen metres on a lotus base, built in 1963 and visible from much of Nha Trang, with a reclining Buddha partway up the same climb. From the platform the whole city and the bay lay out. The pagoda is a working monastery and touts operating outside it are a known nuisance.

What you actually see

• A white seated Buddha of 1963 - about fourteen metres, visible across the city.
• A hundred and fifty steps up - past a reclining Buddha partway.
• Ceramic dragons on the roofs - the halls below.
• Nha Trang and the bay - from the platform.

When to go

Year round; early morning for the light and the heat. An hour.

Honest expectations

There are persistent touts at the entrance selling incense and claiming fees that are not required - entry is free. The climb is hot. It is a working monastery. The view is over a built-up city.

Nearby

Po Nagar towers are north across the river; Nha Trang beach is east.