TRUC LAM PAGODA

Location:

This is the largest pagoda in Dalat now, it is located on Phụng Hoàng ( Phoenix ) mountain, 4km.

Drum tower at Truclam monastery

History of the pagoda.

Established by Thích Thanh Từ Monk in The 90s and it was opened on February 8th, 1994.

Flower garden

General information.

The area is 24,5 hectares and it is divided into 3 zones: zone for monks, Zone for nuns, zone for visitorsThe first outline design had the attendance of a famous architecture, Mr. Ngo Viet Thu ( the architect of Doc lap Palace - Thong Nhat Palace no in HCM city). This is the large Institute of Meditation in Vietnam. The aim of it is to recover the meditation in Vietnam ( which existed in Tran period) Besides, Truc Lam is also an ideal place of interest with its order management, it's cleanliness vehicles here are kept free as well as toilet service.

King Bao Dai had an official wife that was Nam Phuong Queen (her maiden name was Nguyen Huu Thi Lan, daughter of a rich man named Nguyen Huu Hao) From 1949, when Nam Phuong took her children to France to study, Bao Dai had some relations with 3 concubines: Bui Mong Diep, Phi Anh and Jeny Woong (from Hong Kong ). These 3 concubines had their own villas in Dalat. when the king wanted one of them, he would send out a car to pick her up to have dinner and then spend a night with him.
After Bao Dai had gone into exile in France, these villas became the holiday home of Ngo Dinh Diem and then
Nguyen Van Thieu.


In 1988, people discovered some precious things including 122 things of pearl and tusk of the Nguyen kingdom taken from Hue’ by Lady Tu Cung (the king’s mother). These things belonged to Lady TU Cung and Bao Dai, and it was allowed to use freely by The Provisional Revolutionary Government in September 1945. There were a lot of noticeable things such as a gold wash basin with 16 pearls stuck in, many pearl bowls, pearl dishes and some other gold things. These precious things are now kept at the Monetary House of Lam Dong. This is perhaps the most precious collection of pearl things of all the feudal regimes that have been kept till now.