Quan Su Temple: The Ambassador's Pagoda

Quán Sứ Pagoda, a 15th century Buddhist temple and headquarters to the Sangha of Vietnam, is an island of calm in the sea of chaos that is Hanoi's Old Quarter.

We set out from Hoan Kiem Lake on a hot and sunny Hanoi morning. The narrow streets of the Old Quarter don't offer any space for parking, so the city's millions of motorbikes are forced to park on the sidewalk, leaving pedestrians to fend for themselves dodging traffic along the road. By the time we arrived at Quan Su Temple, Pinky and I were already hot and tired. Stepping through the tall yellow gates, though, we entered an oasis of tranquility.

Ancient trees cast a cooling shadow over the small courtyard, and the air was thick with incense, curling upwards in twisting fragrant plumes. A small stone statue of Guanyin stood at the entrance to the temple hall, flanked by two small orange trees bearing perfectly ripe fruit. Overhead, bright red lanterns hung from the temple's walls. All of the honking and noise from outside disappeared behind the thick stone walls, and everything was calm.

Quan Su means "The Ambassador's Pagoda". It was originally constructed in the 15th century to serve ambassadors and visiting diplomats from nearby Buddhist countries including China and Siam. Nowadays, the temple is the headquarters of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha.

A "Sangha" is a Buddhist community and governing body, somewhat analogous to "church" (the institution, not the building). In Thailand, for example, the Sangha is led by the Supreme Patriarch and is based out of Nakhon Pathom. Here in Vietnam, the country's Buddhist leadership meets here at Quan Su Temple.

Vietnamese Buddhism follows the Mahayana School, which has greater Chinese and Taoist influence rather than the more Hindu-influenced Theravada Buddhism of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. The temples are different as well - darker, quieter, with more red and gold and much more veneration of Bodhisattvas.

The temple was interesting to visit, mostly because of its history. It's also one of the few Buddhist temples we've visited so far in Vietnam, and by far the most active. I've read that central Vietnam, where we will be heading in a few weeks, is the most Buddhist part of the country, whereas the north is more Chinese-influenced. In any case, though I'm not Buddhist myself, I enjoy visiting temples for the peaceful atmosphere, and the colorful and beautiful sights.