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All 249 Hanoi Attractions »

Perfume Pagoda

Hanoi, Vietnam
As featured in Hanoi off the beaten path
Ranked #41 of 78 attractions in Hanoi
3.0 of 5 stars 59 Reviews
Type: Religious Sites
Fee: No
Owner description: Two hours outside of Hanoi and down a stream is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Vietnam. Boats take tourists down the Yen River,...... more » Owner description: Two hours outside of Hanoi and down a stream is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Vietnam. Boats take tourists down the Yen River, through the limestone cliffs to the base of the Perfume Mountain, where there is a 4 kilometer up-hill hike to reach the main Pagoda. « less
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59 reviews from our community

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    12
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Date Rating
Cadro, Switzerland
Top Contributor
85 reviews 85 reviews
Reviews in 38 cities Reviews in 38 cities
21 helpful votes 21 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed May 24, 2012 NEW

Don't go. It's a reminiscence of spirituality that has now been completely taken over by te uniquely commercial approach. Outside temples that are grouped around the pagoda you get pushed into leaving money in exchange of all kind of objects you can then bring to the "alter" and leave there as a donation. Just wait for a while and see... More

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See 6 more reviews by inch1957 for Hanoi
Geneva, Switzerland
Senior Contributor
29 reviews 29 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 20, 2012

Beautiful place, really lovely Pagoda at the Mountain top... The row boat ride through the river is a bit boring, totally unlike Tam Coc, which was beautiful. However the cable car ride up, and then taking in the beatufil pagoda cave and a lovely walk back down was well worth it... :-) More

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See 12 more reviews by kgbGeneva for Hanoi
Senior Contributor
37 reviews 37 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 18, 2012

We booked this day trip through our hotel. Long van journey to/from Hanoi provided a chance to glimpse rural living. Boat trip was an hour each way and gave us a chance to relax and take in the scenery. Lunch upon arrival was so/so -- average Vietnamese spread. We had a small group - just 6 of us plus our... More

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See 9 more reviews by MeganLD for Hanoi
malaysia
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 13, 2012

My wife and I took this tour on 23 April 2012, which was booked online with Mr. Hai of adventureindochina.com at US$26/ per person. Payment was made by cash at his office when we arrived in Hanoi on 22 April 2012. The price included a lunch and one-way cable car up the hill. At 8.15am, we were picked up by... More

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jjgoesfar
2 reviews
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed April 16, 2012
2
people found this review helpful

This is a beautiful pagoda in the hills south of Hanoi. However, if you are a tourist with limited time on your calendar, I would give it a miss. It is a two hour bus ride (one way) from Hanoi plus a one hour boat trip (one way) to the pagoda. Once there you have limited time to see the... More

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Singapore
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed April 12, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

My wife and I just spent the Easter weekend in Hanoi and visited the perfume pagoda while we where there. We decided to pay the extra and book this trip through our hotel in the hope that we wouldnt have to bother with the tipping issue only to be informed by our guide that we will still be expected to... More

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London
Contributor
19 reviews 19 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed April 5, 2012
2
people found this review helpful

Do not go on a festival or weekend! the boat trip there was amazing, great scenery, tip the women who ride you. The animals hung up along the port is distressing. We decided to walk and not get the cable car.. Big mistake we got stuck half way up as far too many people trying to use the narrow staircase,... More

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See 5 more reviews by hyperactivekaren for Hanoi
Kamloops
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
23 helpful votes 23 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed April 1, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

I'm usually not a big fan of group tours. It seems every time they cram you on a bus drive for hours then walk around ridiculously slow while they attempt to keep the group together. Coupled with the fact that I read many bad reviews for this trip I didn't have very high expectations before I left. Yes like all... More

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Garden Grove, California
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 31, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

This is definitely a must see! The views that you see before reaching the actual pagoda are absolutely breathtaking! More

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See 3 more reviews by Laraina W for Hanoi
Brisbane, Australia
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
1 of 5 stars Reviewed March 4, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

This is just the most terrible trip I have ever done. It was so dirty. The food was also terrible. The highlight of our trip was the bus ride back to Hanoi. There was nothing to see except the dead animals (rats, squirrels, etc) the locals were eating. The Pogoda its self was nothing more then a dirty case. Stay... More

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