Chua Tran Quoc

Tran Quoc Pagoda (3 September 2006)


Chua Tran Quoc is one of the oldest pagodas in Hanoi. It is located on a small promontary on the eastern bank of Ho Tay, the West Lake of Hanoi.

The history of Chua Tran Quoc goes back to 545AD, to the time Vietnamese revolted against their Chinese occupiers. The national hero Ly Bon built a wood-and-bamboo citadel at the mouth of the Song To Lich. At the same time, he also built the Chua Khai Quoc, or Foundation of the Country Pagoda, by the banks of the Red River. Chua Khai Quoc was the original name for Chua Tran Quoc.

In the 17th century, Chua Khai Quoc Pagoda was moved to its present side on the peninsula in Ho Tay, and was renamed Chua Tran Quoc. Historian learned all this from a stelae found on the premises. The stelae dates to 1639.

To reach the pagoda, visitors walk across a palm-tree lined causeway to the main entrance.

Getting there

The most straightforward way to reach Chua Tran Quoc is from Ba Dinh Square where the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is located. Just head north along Hung Vuong, and that will take you to the West Lake. Chua Tran Quoc is located at the tip of a small peninsula on the east side of the lake. You may consider taking a taxi but be sure to negotiate a price before you step in. Beware that some taxis have meters that are not trustworthy.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.