Overview
The pagoda was founded in 1601 by the lord Nguyễn Hoàng. According to legend, he built it after hearing of a celestial lady — Thiên Mụ means heavenly lady — who had prophesied that a lord would raise a pagoda on the hill for the country’s fortune.
Description
The temple stands on a hill above the Perfume River outside Huế in central Vietnam. Its emblem is Phuoc Duyen, a seven-storey octagonal brick tower about 21 metres tall.
History and legacy
The Phuoc Duyen tower was added in 1844 by Emperor Thiệu Trị and has become the unofficial symbol of Huế. The pagoda also preserves the Austin car in which the monk Thích Quảng Đức drove to Saigon in 1963, where he burned himself to death in protest against the Diem government’s treatment of Buddhists.