Tay An Pagoda is one of the most beautiful Buddhist pagodas in An Giang province, known for its architecture and historical significance. It is truly a peaceful haven for anyone looking to unwind after a long day at work.

By Thomas Vietnam at vemekong.com | Official Chau Doc Visitor Guide

1. Better to Know as a Tourist

Ticket:  Free

Spend-time: One and a half hour (approx)

Hours: Dawn – dusk

Food: No                                                                                                                                       

Shop: No

Parking lot: Yes

Blog: https://vemekong.com/tay-an-pagoda-chau-doc/

Address:  Vinh Tay cluster, Nui sam ward, Chau Doc city, An Giang province.

Added values: The natural scenery at Tay An pagoda is very extremely beautiful and charming, making tourists really excited and relaxed.  Tay An Pagoda, not only has the value of unique ancient architectural art, but also is a place to keep many cultural and religious values, associated with the work of reclamation and establishment of hamlets of local people.

Nearby attractions and hidden gems: Looking for places to stop on your way to and from Tay An Pagoda? Or maybe you found it too crowded here? We’ve got some ideas! Check out our list: Tra Su Cajuput Forest (24km), Sam Mountain (3Km), Cam Mountain – Forbidden Mountain (37 km), Chau Doc Floating Market (11 km), 30 Thang 4 Park in Chau Doc (9km)…

2. Travel Guide to Tay An Pagoda

There are different opinions to explain the name “Tay An”.  There is an opinion that Tay An is a temple in the west of An Giang citadel.  Others believe that Tay An represents the elements that make up the pagoda such as materials from Tran Tay, Tay Thanh and built on An Giang land.  Some people think that Tay An is to pray for peace for the southwestern part of the country, with the wish that the newly discovered land will now settle down and live in peace for a long time.

According to some information of local people, Tay An pagoda was built in 1820 by a Nguyen Dynasty official of the Minh Mang dynasty named Nguyen Nhat An. When he was sent by the court to Cambodia, he vowed that if the trip was successful, When he returns, he will build a temple to worship Buddha at the foot of Sam mountain.  After building the temple, he invited the first monk with the name Hai Tinh to be the abbot.  In 1847, the pagoda invited another monk named Phap Tang to be the abbot.  He was a patriotic philanthropist, although he died early, he did many things such as establishing many farm camps around the Bay Nui area to reclaim land, produce and become a base against the French.  He had many famous disciples such as Tran Van Thanh, Tang Chu, Dinh Tay, Dao Xuyen, etc., who were once French invaders who had to fear the Bay Mountains.  In addition to his practice, he also had the talent to make medicine to treat people’s diseases, so after his death, people here worshiped the Venerable Master with the title of “ Phat Thay Tay An”.

Tay An Pagoda since the time of Buddha, the abbot Phap Tang has undergone 7 generations of transmission and has undergone many renovations. Today’s architecture of the pagoda was embellished under the Venerable Buu Tho in 1958. He built 3 more ancient buildings, the temple’s facade and repaired the main hall, creating more oriental architecture combined with India’s architecture. From 1993 up to now, Abbot Thich Hue Kinh has organized the restoration and construction of many new works to serve tourists from all over the world to pilgrimage every year.

Traveling to An Giang, coming to Chau Doc, visitors will admire the Tay An pagoda built on a high and spacious foundation in an area of ​​15,000m2.  The overall architecture of Tay An pagoda was built in the ancient art architecture of Vietnam combined with the unique architecture of India in the Southern style.

3. What to Do –See – Eat at Tay An Pagoda

The entire pagoda was built with bricks and cement, undergoing changes over time, the pagoda still retains its beauty from the time it was restored.  Behind is Sam Mountain as a screen highlighting the temple with a dark green color.  The most impressive highlight of the pagoda is the 3 ancient buildings with round roofs in the shape of onions, colorful but harmonious.

Like most temples, the first structure is the three-door gate area.  The three-way gate is divided into three doors, the middle door of the three-way gate is the place to worship the statue of Quan Am Thi Kinh carrying the child of Thi Mau, the two sides are two signs with the name of the pagoda “Tay An ancient pagoda”.

The campus of the temple was built very spacious and airy with many trees.  Just entering the campus, visitors will see a very high flagpole – about 16m.  Along with that is the image of 2 elephants, a white elephant with 6 tusks and a black elephant with 2 tusks.  The white elephant is the harbinger of the birth of Prince Si Dat Ta (who is Buddha Shakyamuni), the black elephant is a sitting elephant called O Long – having merit to help the court fight off foreign invaders.

Right on the pagoda’s steps, there are white statues and black statues, the shoulders are embossed with two fairies sitting on the crescent moon, on both sides are two corridors, distinguishing for male and female followers.  Behind the temple grounds are many tomb towers with extremely unique architecture.  The most notable is the grave of Mr. Minh Huyen – he is the Buddha of Tay An.  Every year, on the 12th day of the 8th lunar month, thousands of people and Buddhist monks and nuns inside and outside the region come here to worship in large numbers.

The main hall area is a large house and was built in the middle of the temple’s land plot.  The main hall was built large with 2 floors of curved roofs.  Unlike the ancient temples in the North, the roof is covered with fish scale tiles, the tile roof of Tay An pagoda is covered with big pipe tiles.  All the pillars are made of large wooden columns, the floor is paved with marble tiles.  The two sides of the main hall are the gong floor and the empty floor designed in a quadrilateral architectural style.  On the top of the temple is decorated with images of four spirits: dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix.  From above, you can see the whole scene of the ruins of Tay An pagoda like a phoenix flapping its wings.

The temple follows the Mahayana sect, with 11,270 large and small statues placed everywhere in the temple.  Most of these statues are made of famous wood, elaborately carved and fine art, typical for Vietnamese sculpture art in the nineteenth century.  Besides, the pagoda also has many colorful flags and couplets.  From the main hall, you can visit Dai Hong Chung in the bell tower area, this Dai Hong Chung was carved in the 32nd year of King Tu Duc’s reign (1879).

If tourists do not want to visit Tay An Pagoda during the day because of the sun and crowded pilgrims, they can also visit and worship Buddha in the evening.  With a special architecture than other temples, the pagoda has yellow lights to illuminate, making the temple become majestic and majestic like a splendid castle at night.

4. Free Itineraries from VeMekong

As a local travel expert, we have some ideas for you to think about.

From Chau Doc city center:

Route 1:

Route 2:

Route 3:

If you do not have much time left, it is easy to check out spots in one full day by boat or with bike or with motorbike and car. But there are much more than tourist sites like these in An Giang. Make sure you have more time to feel and explore more about the hidden gems and the culture, food, night life, wildlife and forest as well. Top tip:Stay in a homestay nearby, so you have more chances to visit it and surroundings. If you are looking for the package An Giang day tour with local, you can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com

5. Google Maps of Tay An Pagoda 

Google Maps made a name for itself helping people travel from one place to another, avoid traffic (You probably know the route from your hotel to the gas station by heart, but what you can’t be sure about is gridlock), measure a distance, get back to the hotel on time, share the location…

6. Visit Tay An Pagoda by yourself

Solo traveller? Travelling on your own means you will get out of any difficult situations by yourself. This, in turn, leads to more satisfying travel experiences and helps you improve your problem-solving skills. These days we rarely get the chance to sit with ourselves and simply be. That’s why you should consider the time you spend alone on your trip as a gift.

It is possible for solo travellers to use google maps and do it alone. But sometimes they need to update local maintained roads and bridges which close and lead you a longer road than the road from Google maps. It is just about the time. It takes more time to find the correct garden to come. Adventure is always fun. Wifi is strong in An Giang village! The locals find it hard to speak English as well. Top tip: Sticking to one canal and keeping going along it which gives you more things to see and avoids getting lost. Contact vemekong.com to hire a car, scooter with English-speaking-guide or cycling tours in An Giang.

7. Responsible Travel and Advice Tay An Pagoda 

Don’t get us wrong. But we assure you that you totally agree with us. “Do not give candy and things to the children when you plan to visit any local villages”, the kids will leave the school and follow the sweets and later they find some things to give you or sell to you. The garden is a little forest, don’t pick and touch the flowers or fruits without the local’s smiles. We deal with traveling green and leaving green behind, not plastic. Top tip: Vemekong.com are some of the companies that care a lot about responsible travel and local respectation.

8. Amazing Video flycam/drone of Tay An Pagoda (4k)

If a picture says a thousand words, it stands to reason that the video says many times more.

9. Incredible Tips for Photography, Specialists, KOLs, Media and Influencers

To get the best of the best for your unique writing, featuring, photo, video and insider’s stories. We do recommend you to have a local travel expert, the one who always gets more ground information and makes sure every single element is solved perfectly. The Vemekong (very exclusive Mekong) team is your priority choice. Email and have a private talk with them to customize your journey smoothly, personal and the most ultimately amazing. You can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com

10. Pro Tips

Best time to visit Chau Doc floating market, Long Xuyen floating market is from 5:30am-6:30am. I hope you have an amazing sunrise on the Mekong Delta river.

You can stay in a homestay which is near the floating market, this will help you out the best option. Then you can hire a scooter, car or bike and explore it by yourself, but you still need to hire a boat for the floating market tour.

If you plan to extend your travel to Chau Doc homestay, do not forget to bring mosquito repellent cream.

Visit Chau Doc or do any customized tours, please choose reputable providers with boat trips equipped with lifebuoys, jackets, motorcycle and cycling tours with the helmets and. Safety is a priority! Choose Chau Doc responsible tours which help you give back while traveling. It’s a cliché, but it’s true.

Chau Doc food & drink guide ranges from street food, authentic, fancy to fusion foods. As a tropical land of many fresh vegetables and homegrown gardens, which always make Chau Doc cuisines fresh, close to nature and very traditional. If you are a food lover, don’t hesitate to put other bites onto your food lists such as Bun Ca Chau Doc (the soft noodle is cooked with fish), Banh bo cake of Chau Doc, Sugar palm fruit, Caramelized and Braised Catfish, Grilled Rice-field Rat with Salt and Chili, Long Xuyen Broken Rice, Nui Cam Pancake, O Thum’s Chicken Grilled with Lime Leaves, Sour Soup with Siamese Mud Carp Soup & Sesbania Flower, Stir-fried Shrimp with Sesbania Flower, Phu Huong Beef Noodle Soup, Basa Fish Hotpot, Mam (Fermented Fish)…

Bring your hat, sunglasses, and sunblock, scarf to wear when visiting temples, pagodas, and the cathedral.

Bring the raincoat if you’re planning a trip to Chau Doc in the rainy season, as Chau Doc always looks fantastic in the full rain and full sun.

Chau Doc tourist attractions are magnificent itself, but if you have enough time, don’t forget to put other places onto your bucket lists such as Tra Su Cajuput forest & Birdwatching, Chau Doc Floating Village, Fish Farm & Cham Minority Village, Chau Doc floating market & small canal, Sam mountain, Tuc Dup hill, Chau Doc river tour, Chau Doc cycling tour, Chau Doc photography tour, Ta Pa Rice Fields, Vinh Te Canal, Seven-Mountain Ox Racing Festival, Tay An Pagoda, Chau Doc Market, The Lady Temple – The Ba Chua Xu Temple, Phuoc Dien Pagoda – Hang Pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb,

Hopefully, the above tips will help you to come up with a great plan for your adventure in Chau Doc, An Giang province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Have a safe trip!

“Sleep less, travel more, respect more” – Thomas Vietnam – Local travel expert.

Thank you