Another day, another pagoda. Just kidding. The One Pillar Pagoda was a little bit anticlimactic for me, I think, only because of its accessibility and approachability. It really is an impressive and beautiful structure, located inside Ba Đình Square, where Ho Chi Minh remains can be visited in the mausoleum. This happens to be about a 10 minute walk (only that long because I'm short) from my house, which did make me feel a little sheepish when I realized how easily I could have visited this pagoda at any time. Still, better late than never, right?
One Pillar Pagoda was originally constructed in 1049 after the emperor of that time, Lý Thái Tông, had a dream that a Bodhisattva handed him a son in a lotus flower. I doubt the dream proved to be prophetic in the literal sense but he did later have a son with a peasant girl and ordered the temple constructed out of gratitude.
Dan fighting against the crowds to escape.
It was destroyed by retreating French forces in the 1950's but was rebuilt later. The pillar is stone and the rest of the temple is wood.
Nearby altars.
Housemates Laura, Dan, and I participating in the sin of the tourist selfie. Oh well, at least we weren't using a selfie stick. That counts for something.... right?
Walking away from the pagoda, a lane of Vietnamese flags can be seen leading towards the mausoleum.
Living in Hanoi, you see a lot of soldiers everywhere all the time. But this was the first time I ever saw soldiers in white uniform. I don't know what that means, or if that makes them more or less important than the light green/dark green/khaki guys, but I was definitely impressed, if for nothing else then for their ability to maintain the pristine whiteness in the overwhelming smog/dirt/rain that is everyday Hanoi. Even here you can see my lens fogging up from the beginnings of an afternoon shower. How they do it, I'll never know. I headed off to get some jasmine tea with Laura before taking a long, summer rain-filled afternoon nap.
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