The Quan Su Pagoda (or the Ambassadors’ Pagoda) is at 73 Quan Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. The Quan Su Pagoda was built on the land of An Tap Village, Tho Xuong District, on the southern gate of Thang Long Capital (Quan Su Street, Hanoi nowadays).
Formerly, it was a small Buddhist Pagoda, which had been constructed during the Le Dynasty in the 15th century to receive foreign envoys and ambassadors.
In 1934 it became the headquarters of the Tonkin Buddhist Association and today it is headquarters for the Vietnam Central Buddhist Congregation. It’s an active pagoda and usually thronged with worshippers; the interior is dim and smoky with incense. To the rear is a school of Buddhist doctrine. For good luck (or for fun), visitors of any stripe are welcome to buy sticks of incense and make offerings at the various altars and sand urns. It’s easy to just follow suit, and folks will be glad to show you what to do.
The pagoda opens daily from 7.30 to 11.30am and 1.30 to 5.30pm.