One Pillar Pagoda
A small wooden shrine on a single column, built as a lotus in 1049 and rebuilt after the French destroyed it.
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Chua Mot Cot was built in 1049 under the emperor Ly Thai Tong, and the story given for it is that the childless emperor dreamed of Quan Am seated on a lotus handing him a son, and afterwards had a shrine built in the shape of a lotus rising on a stem from a pond. The result is a small wooden hall on a single stone pillar in a square pool, reached by a short stair. The original stood until 1954, when it was destroyed as French forces withdrew from Hanoi, and it was rebuilt the following year on the same design. It is small - the size surprises most visitors.
What you actually see
- A hall on a single pillar - built as a lotus on its stem.
- Founded in 1049 - after a dream recorded in the chronicles.
- Destroyed in 1954 - and rebuilt the year after to the same design.
- Very small - a few metres square, which catches people out.
When to go
Year round; it is next to the mausoleum, so timings interact. An hour.
Honest expectations
It is tiny and takes ten minutes. What stands is a 1955 reconstruction. The surrounding area is a controlled government precinct with dress rules and closures. Crowds arrive from the mausoleum queue.
Nearby
The Ho Chi Minh complex and the citadel are adjacent in Ba Dinh.
What to pack for One Pillar Pagoda
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.