One of North Vietnam’s most beautiful places
The Perfume Pagoda is one of the most beautiful places in North Vietnam. It's a Buddhist shrine on the mountain of Huong Tich, at which we arrived after canoeing down the Day River.
The temple is located 70km. south of Hanoi and is not actually a pagoda, but rather a magical complex of temples that seems to emerge from the surrounding jungle. This temple complex is a Mecca of sorts for Vietnamese Buddhists, so much so that they've even added a cable car to help pilgrims avoid the 14-kilometer walk through the thick tropical brush surrounding the temple.
To get to the Day River, I'd suggest taking a bus from Hanoi (about 2 hours) and then chartering a boat to take you to the foot of the mountain. You can then opt for the hike and enjoy the hidden nooks and temples in the jungle or take the cable car and enjoy the wonderful views. The best bet is making the walk up and then going back down on the cable car.
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