Buddhism in Hue tour: Pagodas and meditation
Three pagodas in one morning and afternoon, ending in meditation
An eight-hour Buddhism tour in Hue visits hundred-year-old pagodas hidden in forests and on hillsides, with hotel pickup and an English or French-speaking guide. You start on Vong Canh hill for an overview of the city, then move to Tu Hieu temple to join the chanting, and finish at Huyen Khong temple for a meditation session or dharma talk. Lunch includes a small cooking class in a traditional garden house.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Hue Buddhist sites and meditation
- Pickup from hotel at 8:30-9:00
- Visit Vong Canh hill and introduction
- Tour Tu Hieu temple and join chanting
- Lunch break
- Visit Huyen Khong temple
- Join meditation or dharma talk
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off.
- air-conditioned vehicle throughout the day.
- bottled water.
- lunch with a small cooking class in a traditional garden house.
- English or French-speaking guide.
Times
- Every day 08:00
Before you book
Operated by RESTOUR
Prices and times updated 12 days ago
Traveler reviews
The experience
The tour picks you up at your hotel between 8:30 and 9:00am and begins on Vong Canh hill, where the view of Hue spreads out below and your guide introduces both the city and Buddhism's place in it. The morning air is clean enough that a cup of tea on the hilltop becomes part of the experience. From there you head to Tu Hieu temple, hidden inside a pine forest for nearly two centuries. The guide walks you through the temple's history under the Nguyen dynasty and introduces Thich Nhat Hanh, a widely known Zen Master connected to the place. You join the chanting, a regular activity at Tu Hieu, which is how most visitors get their closest look at Mahayana Buddhism as it is practiced in Vietnam.
After lunch at 2pm, which begins with a small cooking class in a traditional garden house, you travel to Huyen Khong temple, one of the rare Theravada Buddhism temples in Hue. The approach to the temple is marked by songs drifting from the fir trees and brooks. Once you arrive, the peaceful atmosphere and the temple's beautiful buildings make the shift in practice obvious. You can join either a meditation session or a dharma talk, depending on what is happening when you arrive. The air-conditioned vehicle waits between stops, and bottled water is provided throughout the day.
Is this one for you?Small groups suit this tour, since the chanting and meditation sessions at the temples are regular activities that work best when visitors join quietly alongside the community. The eight-hour span from morning to early afternoon lets you move through three temples at a pace that gives each one time to settle in, rather than rushing between stops.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English and French.
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
What is Tu Hieu temple and why is it significant?
Tu Hieu temple, hidden in a pine forest for nearly 200 years, holds an emotional story tied to filial piety under the Nguyen dynasty and is connected to Thich Nhat Hanh, a widely known Zen Master. Visitors join the chanting session there, which is a regular practice that offers a direct encounter with Mahayana Buddhism in Vietnam.
Can I actually participate in the meditation and chanting, or do I just watch?
You join both the chanting at Tu Hieu temple and either a meditation session or dharma talk at Huyen Khong temple, so participation is part of the experience rather than observation.
What is the difference between Tu Hieu and Huyen Khong temples?
Tu Hieu temple practices Mahayana Buddhism and is set in a pine forest with a history tied to the Nguyen dynasty. Huyen Khong is one of the rare Theravada Buddhism temples in Hue, located where songs from fir trees and brooks drift through the grounds, and it offers meditation or dharma talks rather than chanting.
Is the tour accessible if I have mobility concerns?
The tour is wheelchair accessible, and transportation options are wheelchair accessible as well, so mobility should not be a barrier to joining.
Buddhism in Hue tour: Pagodas and meditation
8h · EN · FR · at your hotel
from US$ 124 per person
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