Khai Doan Sacred Four Pagoda - An Ancient Site in Buon Ma Thuot

Khai Doan Sacred Four Pagoda - An Ancient Site in Buon Ma Thuot

Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda is one of the famous landmarks in Buon Me Thuot city. The pagoda is named after King Khai Dinh and his wife Doan Huy Hoang Hau. This site is known for its historical significance and many sacred stories in the history of Vietnam.

Where is Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda located?

In addition to its picturesque landscapes, Buon Me Thuot is also famous for Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda located at 117 Phan Boi Chau Street, Thong Nhat Ward, Buon Me Thuot City. This large pagoda is situated right in the city center, making it quite convenient for visitors to stop by and explore.

Geographical location around Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda

Geographical location around Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda

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The perfect time to visit the pagoda

With its cool climate year-round, Buon Me Thuot always has favorable weather conditions for visitors to comfortably visit at any time. However, to fully experience a visit to Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda, tourists can come in the fourth lunar month to witness the Buddha's Birthday Festival.

Additionally, visitors can come to the pagoda in the seventh lunar month to see the Vu Lan Festival. This is when the pagoda organizes many solemn rituals that attract the attention of numerous Buddhists.

The best time to visit the pagoda is in the 4th lunar month

The best time to visit the pagoda is in the fourth lunar month

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Exploring the architecture around Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda

The architecture built around the pagoda is a unique combination of the Hue royal style and the stilt houses of the Central Highlands. With dominant colors of brown and dark brown, the pagoda appears with an ancient beauty, gently blending with the sky and earth. For the past half century, the pagoda has maintained its rustic, gentle beauty, helping visitors understand more about the architectural style of the feudal era.

Main hall area

The main hall of Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda is built with 5 main compartments used for worshiping Buddha and praying. The image of the pagoda emerges with unique Hue royal architecture, creating a solemn feeling when visiting. The building has a tiled roof designed in the yin-yang style with columns made of lim wood and intricately carved floral patterns.

The main hall area at the pagoda

The main hall area at the pagoda

Tam Quan Gate

The Tam Quan Gate surrounding Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda is designed like an ancient citadel with a curved tiled roof that is intricately carved. This structure features 2 floors, with 3 arches that are 7m high and 10.5m wide.

At this point, you can see 3 entrances located right below. Additionally, you can see 3 moon-viewing towers right above, creating an ancient and luxurious feel.

The gate area with ancient design

The Tam Quan Gate area with its ancient design

Avalokiteshvara Hall

This hall features the typical architecture of religious buildings in Central Vietnam. You will see the image of Mother Avalokiteshvara with many monks and Buddhists coming to pray for themselves and their families. When visiting the pagoda, tourists should not miss this area to wish for peace and tranquility.

The Avalokiteshvara Hall at the pagoda

Avalokiteshvara Hall at the pagoda

Bell Tower

The bell tower stands at a height of over 1.15m, with a circumference of 2.7m and a weight of about 380kg. This structure is considered to embody the sacred cultural image characteristic of the pagoda. This symbol represents the sacredness and the desire to send prayers to the deities.

The bell tower with distinctive cultural and spiritual value

The bell tower with its distinctive cultural and spiritual value

Monk's Quarters

This area is built and designed in the style of a stilt house typical of the Central Highlands. Visitors will see a house with many large wooden columns, serving as a gathering place for monks during their practice and daily activities. The architecture inside the Monk's Quarters not only impresses with the unique culture of the Central Highlands but also leaves a spiritual mark on many visitors.

The monk's house with the traditional stilt house architecture of the Central Highlands

The Monk's Quarters with the stilt house architectural style of the Central Highlands

Ancestral Hall Area

This is a solemn place for conducting ancestor worship or for high-ranking monks. You can express gratitude to the masters who have made significant contributions to the Buddhist teachings. Right behind the main hall, this place preserves many portraits of the abbot or high-ranking monks who have greatly contributed to Buddhism in the Central Highlands.

The tranquil ancestral area of the high monks

The serene ancestral hall area of the high-ranking monks

The surrounding courtyard of the pagoda

The courtyard of Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda is spacious, with many green trees and beautiful landscapes. This area is also designed with extremely intricate carvings and a quite long corridor. It provides a peaceful living environment close to nature for you to relax and find tranquility while wandering around the pagoda.

The peaceful and serene courtyard around the pagoda

The tranquil and peaceful courtyard around the pagoda

The corridor area

The corridor of the pagoda is designed with an extremely spacious area paved with dark-colored tiles. The pagoda also features a design style rich in the colors of the Central Highlands and the ancient citadels of Hue. The corridor area is not only a wide passage for many visitors but also a beautiful spot that many people choose to take the best photos.

The corridor of the pagoda with many beautiful landscapes

The pagoda corridor with many beautiful scenes

Simple directions to Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda

If you are traveling to this pagoda from other provinces, you can choose to stop in Buon Me Thuot city as your first destination. Then, move to the pagoda via Phan Chu Trinh Street and pass through Phan Boi Chau.

  • By plane: When departing from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, or Da Nang, you can choose to book a flight directly to Buon Me Thuot Airport. Visitors can choose to fly with major airlines such as Vietjet Air or Vietnam Airlines.
  • By bus: Major provinces have high-quality transportation options. You can choose to travel by these buses to save costs. However, if traveling from afar, the travel time will be quite long.
  • By tourist bus or all-inclusive tour: Visitors can choose NVK Travel's tour to have the most complete trip. Starting from 1,500,000 VND, you will have all expenses covered from meals, transportation to the itinerary throughout the trip. Especially in the tour, there is support from a guide to help you understand more about the stories surrounding Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda.
Getting to Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda by various means

Getting to Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda in various ways

Some accommodation options around Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda

For tourists planning to visit the pagoda, you should look for hotels in the city center for convenient travel. This area has many resting places from guesthouses to 3-star hotels with stable prices.

Thanh Thuy Hotel

This is one of the 3-star rated hotel locations situated at 66-68 Dien Bien Phu, Buon Ma Thuot city. This location is only a short distance from the temple, about 5-10 minutes. The hotel offers various amenities such as clean rooms, free wifi support, and a 24/7 front desk staff.

Thanh Thuy Hotel with 3-star standard service

Thanh Thuy Hotel with 3-star standard service

Buon Ma Thuot Hotel

This is a standard hotel located at 03 Hung Vuong, Tu An Ward, Buon Ma Thuot City. This hotel is very close to the center and near the Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda. When you stop by here, you will experience very spacious rooms, fully furnished, and have a comfortable working desk.

The notable amenities in this area include a sauna system and a cool parking area. The cost of staying at this hotel is quite affordable, making it suitable for those who wish to move around the central area.

Buon Ma Thuot Hotel with full amenities

Buon Ma Thuot Hotel with full amenities

Hoang Linh Hotel

This is one of the resorts with extremely good prices located at 297 Hoang Dieu, Thong Nhat Ward, Buon Ma Thuot City. The hotel offers a variety of amenities such as free wifi, clean resting rooms, and a front desk staff that works continuously 24/7. Notably, this hotel allows pets, making it quite suitable for family-friendly places or for those who want to save costs.

Hoang Linh Hotel with a prime location in the center

Hoang Linh Hotel with a prime location in the center

Important notes when visiting Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda

This is a quite solemn religious site and a familiar place of worship for many Buddhists. Therefore, when visiting the pagoda, tourists need to pay attention to the following important points:

  • You should dress comfortably in modest clothing, avoiding tight-fitting clothes, fabrics that are too thin, and not too short to show respect.
  • The pagoda has regulations such as leaving shoes outside before entering. This helps maintain cleanliness around the temple or to preserve the solemnity before the deities.
  • You should not speak loudly or joke around to maintain the tranquility of the pagoda.
  • Do not write or draw on the walls or columns in the pagoda as it will detract from the historical value or aesthetic beauty of the architectural works.
  • Visitors should not scatter small change around the pagoda or give money to the Buddha statues. This is an inappropriate action according to Buddhist traditions and may be seen as bribery.
First-time visitors to Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda need to read the regulations carefully

First-time visitors to Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda need to read the regulations carefully

The information shared above has helped tourists understand more about Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda. If you want to have interesting experiences when visiting Buon Ma Thuot city, tourists can choose the NVK Travel tour - a service of Eagle Asia Co., Ltd. You just need to contact NVK Travel through the website nvktravel.com to get advice on all services for your trip to save time planning and have a perfect vacation.