Vietnam - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 281

(Chua Quan Am; 12 Ð Lao Tu) One of Cholon's most active and colourful temples, this
shrine was founded in the early 19th century. It's named after the Goddess of Compassion,
whose full name is Quan The Am Bo Tat, literally 'the Bodhisattva who listens to the
cries of the world' ( 觀世音菩萨 in Chinese characters).

Greater Ho Chi Minh City

Giac Lam Pagoda
(Chua Giac Lam; 118 Ð Lac Long Quan, Tan Binh District; 6am-noon & 2-8.30pm) Believed to be
the oldest temple in HCMC, Giac Lam (1744) is a fantastically atmospheric place set in
peaceful, garden-like grounds. The Chinese characters that constitute the temple's name
( 覚林寺 ) mean 'Feel the Woods Temple' and the looming Bodhi tree (a native fig tree,
sacred to Buddhists) in the front garden was the gift of a Sri Lankan monk in 1953.
Prayers are held daily from 4am to 5am, 11am to noon, 4pm to 5pm and 7pm to 9pm.
About 3km from Cholon, Giac Lam Pagoda is best reached by taxi or xe om .

BUDDHIST TEMPLE

DON'T MISS
SKY-HIGH SAIGON

Opened in late 2010, the magnificent Carlos Zapata-designed Bitexco Financial Tower MAP
GOOGLE MAP ( www.saigonskydeck.com ; 2 Ɖ Hai Trieu; adult/child 200,000/130,000d;
9.30am-9.30pm) peaks at 262m and dwarfs all around it. It's meant to be shaped like a lotus bulb, but
we can't help thinking it looks a little like a CD rack with a tambourine shoved into it. That tambour-
ine is actually the Saigon Skydeck , on the 48th floor. The views are, of course, extraordinary (on a
clear day).

Activities

Massage
HCMC offers some truly fantastic settings for pampering - the perfect antidote to a frenet-
ic day dodging motorbikes. While many midrange and upmarket hotels offer massage ser-
vice, some are more legitimate than others.

L'Apothiquaire

SPA