Ba Thien Hau Pagoda is a famous religious work of the Chinese people in Soc Trang, well known to many tourists, besides the beautiful Khmer temples in this land such as Chen Kieu Pagoda, Bat Pagoda, Som Rong, etc.
When traveling to Soc Trang and checking in the My Xuyen town area, one can easily find a lot of temples, shrines, and typical Chinese assembly halls. These works all preserve the culture and customs of the Chinese people in Soc Trang, the best known of which is Ba Thien Hau Pagoda. Let’s learn about it this temple!
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General introduction about Ba Thien Hau pagoda
Ba Thien Hau Pagoda is in My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province. This province is a famous land from ancient times throughout the Six Nam Ky province. There was a time when this place had another folk name, Bai Xau, associated with the famous rice variety and the largest trading port in the West in the past.
My Xuyen district with the name Bai Xau is also mentioned in the research papers of famous Southern scholars and researchers such as Son Nam, Truong Vinh Ky, Vuong Hong Sen, etc. Many Chinese temples, shrines, and assembly halls, such as Thien Hau pagoda in Guangzhou My Xuyen, Thien Hau temple in Trieu Chau, Ong Bon pagoda, Ba Thac Co Mieu, Ong Xen Con pagoda, etc. The religious work Ba Thien Hau pagoda in My Xuyen is quite prominent and has a unique architecture.
This temple has characteristic architecture and a long history and worship according to folk beliefs in this southwest land. People for generations have turned to Mrs. Thien Hau to pray for protection and blessings to everyone, every home. Ba Thien Hau Pagoda is both a sacred place of prayer and a tourist destination to serve the needs of tourists to visit, travel, and learn about religion.
How to get to Ba Thien Hau Pagoda?
Address: 20 Phan Dinh Phung, My Xuyen town, My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province.
Opening hours: 6:00am – 8:00pm.
Ticket price: free.
If starting from the center of Soc Trang city, visitors move along Tran Hung Dao street to the south and then turn to Le Hong Phong, Le Loi, and Phan Dinh Phung streets. Come here. If you pay attention to the right, you will see the famous temple of Soc Trang.
History of the Pagoda
Ba Thien Hau Pagoda in My Xuyen district is an ancient temple with more than 100 years of history. According to old books, the temple was built in 1893 (Quy Ty), corresponding to Quang Tu 19 of the Qing Dynasty in China. Today’s ancient temple called Thien Hau temple was created by a collective of Cantonese merchants who raised money to worship Thien Hau Nuong Nuong – the Cantonese’s god often called with another reverential name “A.” Pho – Ma To.”
The pagoda site was once the area of the Trang Kinh market. Now it is My Xuyen market. Legend has it that local people once found a bronze Buddha statue in the right place of the market the past, so they chose it to build a temple to worship. Since its construction, over a century of existence, the ancient temple has been restored many times, most notably in 1974. Currently, the temple has become more spacious and majestic, with many main and auxiliary buildings around.
Initially, a place is to worship Thien Hau in the My Xuyen district of the Chinese community. Today, Ba Thien Hau temple has become a famous religious destination, and tourist attraction in Soc Trang attracts many visitors to visit and admire.
Typical architecture
Like other famous Chinese temples in Soc Trang, such as Ong Bon pagoda, Ong Xen Con pagoda, Ba Thien Hau pagoda are distributed in a triangle consisting of three compartments with three yin and yang tiled roofs parallel to each other traditional style.
As soon as you step foot through the temple gate, you will immediately see the image of a pair of dragon-shaped columns bending around the body just above the vertical beam connecting the top of the column. In addition, another unique feature is the image of animals and seafood through the talented hands of Chinese craftsmen, which are skillfully and vividly carved in wood. Equally impressive is the embodiment of two dragons winding around each other’s gardens to compete for a fairy gourd on the roof of the pagoda.
In addition, on both sides of the wall, there are two relatively large reliefs of Thanh Long, and Bach Ho embossed to create a highlight, creating an impression for visitors near and far.
Remarkably, the main hall area is built and decorated in a typical architectural style, especially the inner part with Chinese architecture’s dignified and sacred space. The center of the main hall worships the gods revered by the community. It is the statue of Lady Thien Hau in the middle, Quan Thanh De Quan on the right, and Tien Thanh Hien Triet on the left. When entering the main hall to burn incense, visitors can also see the golden painted murals bearing the message of wishing the nation peace and prosperity, helping the compatriots, doing good deeds for the country, etc. All are arranged above. The crossbars under the tile roof and bring splendor and ancient beauty. On the edge of each main hall, a ring-shaped door is installed with a flower pattern of different shapes and is gilded with splendid gold. The three shrines are separated by two sets of bronze bowls by artisans. This arrangement helps to create a separate path for visitors when entering the ceremony.
With a long history of formation, an easy-to-find location, and architecture bearing the style of building temples and shrines of the Chinese, Ba Thien Hau Pagoda is a destination not to miss when checking in Soc Trang. Ba Thien Mu Pagoda has contributed to the list of attractive and impressive destinations of this western land. Because whether it’s a weekday or a holiday, the temple is always crowded with locals and tourists who visit the temple ceremony, pray for peace, admire the pagoda in a peaceful, nostalgic space as well as learn about the impressive architecture.
If you have the opportunity to visit the peaceful land of Soc Trang on the right day of the 3rd lunar month, you must attend the Ba festival held on the 23rd. This time is when people make offerings to mingle in the stream of incense smoke to commemorate the merits of Lady Thien Hau and organize many exciting and exciting festival activities. In addition, on the occasion of Tet to spring, Ba Pagoda is also a suitable stop for you to make a spring trip, praying for peace and luck for yourself and your loved ones. Don’t forget to choose beautiful corners to make beautiful check-in photos to welcome the new year in this ancient space. Wish you have an unforgettable trip to the SouthWest and visit Ba Thien Hau Pagoda.
