Bach Ma Temple

As seen today, the Bach Ma Temple is a complex of 5 palace complexes each of which features a three-door gate. The arrangement of the different blocks of lower, middle and upper palaces refer to the idea of harmony, solemnity and respect. A significant amount of construction is made of wood and carved aesthetically. Throughout the temple, you can find images of fishes, dragons, phoenixes etc, as well as a variety of precious and rare exhibits from Hanoi's past.


The Bach Ma Temple has some beautifully decorated interiors. The temple has big iron-wood columns with a wooden framework rafters joining together to form a weight-bearing structure, completely covered with decorative carvings. You will find a large dome-shaped roof over the incense-burning house. Within this serene temple are valuable artefacts such as stone steles, altars, shrines and statues. 

It also features a funeral palanquin, a memorial to Confucius, an altar dedicated to four seasons in the shape of a phoenix, and most importantly, a statue of the white horse. Along with architectural and artistic merit, Bach Ma Temple is also a valuable resource for researching and studying the history of Thang Long (modern-day Hanoi).

Out of all the artefacts in the Bach Ma Temple, the statue of the white horse is the most important. The white horse was called Bach La, and the whole temple is a shrine to that horse. It is said that King Ly Thai To was having problems constructing the Imperial Citadel of Hanoi because the walls he built kept collapsing. One day he had a dream which led him to go worship a local deity's temple. A pure, spotless white horse emerged from that temple and led the King to a location indicating it to be the perfect place to build the Citadel. In thanks, the King built this temple to commemorate the horse, but also cleverly used its location to fortify his city.

The white horse that the King saw in the dream has a reference to General Phan Da who contributed greatly to the glorious victory over Ming intruders. Urban legends say that his talent were seen at a very young age. During the battles, Phan Da always rode his beautiful white horse named Thien Ly Ma (the Thousand-Mile Horse), which, according to legend, was the source of his prowess. As a result, Phan Da became widely popular and people started calling him White-Horse God. Even after his death, people still believed that his spirit continued to bless and save the country.

• If possible visit on the 1st or the 15th day of the lunar calendar or on the 9th or 10th days of February, during the evening prayers. There are a lot more local rituals performed on these auspicious days.
• Dress conservatively, even though there are no strict rules that say so, in an effort to respect the locals and their traditions. There are a few conservative locals who get angry if you don't.