Jade Emperor Pagoda
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JADE EMPEROR PAGODA – a must-visit pilgrimage site in Việt Nam’s southern metropolis.

Nestling in the small, nondescript Mai Thị Lựu Street in District 1 is Phước Hải Tự, known as the Jade Emperor Pagoda. Built between 1892 and 1900 in honor of the supreme Tao God in Chinese style with colorful decorative motifs, the pagoda has brick walls, yin-yang roof tiles and mosaic ceramic idols on its roof and gables.

Many popular travel magazines around the world have been talking it up since then U.S. President Barack Obama visited it in 2016 while on a visit to the country. 

U.K. travel magazine Lonely Planet recommended the Jade Emperor Pagoda as a must-visit pilgrimage site in Vietnam’s southern metropolis.

The pagoda is filled with idols of deities and heroes, some beatific and others less so, from both Buddhist and Taoist legends. An interesting feature is that the idols are made from reinforced papier mâché and wood.

The focal point inside is the Jade Emperor, who is surrounded by reverential minor deities and heroes. He is the King of Heaven, the one who decides who is allowed entry into heaven and who is not.

There is an altar for Kim Hoa Thánh Mẫu, the Goddess of Childbirth in Taoism and believed to be responsible for pregnancy, delivery and protection of mothers and infants on earth.

The goddess holds a book and a paintbrush indicative of the Chinese practice of recording the birth of a child in the family records.

For long the goddess has been revered by thousands of married couples and childless women across the country in the belief. She is said to have the power to bless infertile couples with children and pregnant women with safe pregnancy and easy delivery.

The pagoda briefly became the center of global attention when then U.S. President Barack Obama visited it in 2016 while on a visit to the country. Since Obama’s visit, many popular travel magazines around the world have been talking it up, spreading its reputation internationally.

It was recognized as National Cultural Heritage in 1994. Its alternative name is Phước Hải Pagoda. Its roof is encrusted with elaborate tile work.
In the main hall, the Emperor Jade reigns supreme.
Visitors would pour a little oil into the candle to pray for health and happiness.
It is said that these little turtles have been living here for centuries, so long that no one remembers exactly when it first started. 
The Jade Emperor Pagoda offers a calming sanctuary from the bustle of the busy streets.
Visitors usually come here to pray or make votive offerings of flowers, light candles and joss sticks.

JADE EMPEROR PAGODA
Vietnamese Name: Chùa Ngọc Hoàng / Phước Hải Tự
Address: 73 Mai Thị Lựu Street, District 1, HCMC, Việt Nam.
Opening Hours: 08:00a.m. – 05:00p.m. (Daily)
Tel: (028) 3820 3102
Entrance Fee: Free of charge