The list also includes landmarks from other Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.
An article titled “20 of the world’s most beautiful Buddhist temples,” published in the June issue of National Geographic included two Buddhist pagodas in Vietnam: Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi and Buu Long Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, among other famous monuments.
Built by Emperor Ly Nam De thanks to the Ly Dynasty’s devotion to Buddhism, Tran Quoc Pagoda near Hanoi’s West Lake has always been upheld as the symbol of Vietnam’s Buddhism in the past and the present. Buu Long Pagoda, located in the outskirts of Saigon's District 9, was built much later, in 1942, yet the pagoda’s architecture is no less breathtaking than its older counterpart.
Tran Quoc Pagoda in the middle of Hanoi's West Lake. Photo/pixabay.
A number of sites in Southeast Asia made the list, including Myanmar’s ancient city Bagan and Taung Kalat Temple on top of a volcanic plug; the marble temple Wat Benchamabophit and the all-white Wat Rong Khun in Thailand; Cambodia’s Angkor Wat; Laos’ ancient Wat Xieng Thong; the Borobudur Temple Complex in Indonesia and Thean Hou Temple in Malaysia.
Other monuments listed are Japan’s famous Tendai Buddhist temple Seiganto-Ji; Bhutan’s Paro Taktsang complex and Gangtey Monastery; Hong Kong’s Man Mo Temple; India’s fort-monastery Kye Gompa and over 2,000-year-old temple Mahabodhi; Hawaii’s Byodo-In Temple; South Korea’s Gyeongbokgung Palace, which dates back to Joseon dynasty; Russia’s Datsan Gunzechoine; and Kopan Monastery in Nepal.
