Place · Chợ Lớn (Chinatown)
Thiên Hậu Temple
The best 20 minutes in Chợ Lớn: the Cantonese sea-goddess temple with hanging incense coils and roof-ridge ceramic figures; go in the morning with Bình Tây Market.
- Incense coils
- 20 minutes
- Morning
- Free entry
- Works with kids
- Mostly indoors
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 9Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…Hold phones and bags on the side away from the road
- Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
- Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
- Vietnam ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra.
- Vietnam ↗Crossing streets: walk slowly and steadily; motorbikes flow around you — do not stop or run.
- Vietnam ↗Carry Vietnamese đồng in small notes; many stalls and taxis are cash-only.
- Southern Vietnam ↗The Mekong's floating markets finish by about 09:00: to see one working, sleep in Cần Thơ or nearby and be on the boat by 05:30.
- Southern Vietnam ↗Phú Quốc's 30-day visa exemption applies only to direct international arrivals on the island; connecting via Saigon or Hanoi needs a normal visa or exemption.
- Ho Chi Minh City ↗Hold phones and bags on the side away from the road: snatch thefts by passing motorbikes are the city's most common crime against visitors.
- Ho Chi Minh City ↗Leave for Tân Sơn Nhất before 16:00 or after 19:00 when you can: the evening rush can double the airport ride.
More
Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, best time to go, opening hours
Go now?
hours and prices: check on the day- Open
- Hours unknown
- Crowds
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Quietest Mon–Fri · busiest Sun · desk estimate
- Tickets
- Adult: Free
- Time to spend
- 20–30 min · up to 45 min if you linger
Best time to go
Worshippers busiest on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month and at Tết; tour groups late morning.
By weekday: quietest Mon–Fri, busiest Sun.
Opening hours
- Note
- Temple gate hours not printed until verified.
- Hours note
- Day hours.
Which month is quietest
- Janpacked
- Febpacked
- Marheavy
- Aprheavy
- Maybusy
- Junbusy
- Julbusy
- Augbusy
- Sepbusy
- Octbusy
- Novbusy
- Decbusy
Quietest May–Dec · busiest Jan–Feb.
Estimate: lunar-calendar and Tết patterns; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.
Weather here, next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work
Getting in
- Stop
- 710 Nguyễn Trãi, Chợ Lớn
- Ticket
- free · official site
- Stairs
- Not recorded
- Shoes
- Shoes on in the courtyard; follow what worshippers do at the altar.
Accessibility
- PartialStep-free entrance
- PartialWheelchair
- PartialStroller · caution
Sensory load
- Sensory load3/5 Medium
Exposure: low
What to bring and the rules
- Footwear that suits the rule · Shoes on in the courtyard; follow what worshippers do at the altar.
Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.
Bailouts
- heat: Trần Hưng Đạo café (AC), 4 min walk
Nearest rescue anchor: B — Thiên Hậu Temple courtyard (shade)
Problem
Red lines
- Do not photograph worshippers at close range; do not touch the incense coils.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
Eat nearby
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
Tickets, prices and entry
Tickets & entry
- Where to buy
- No ticket needed.
- What's closed
- Festival dayscheckVery crowded at Tết and on the goddess's festival (23rd day of the 3rd lunar month).
“Check” dates move year to year: confirm on the official page for your date.
| Ticket | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free | Donations welcome. |
What to see, in order
01
Incense coils
Hung from the courtyard roof, each with a prayer tag; they burn for weeks.
02
Roof ceramics
Figures of legends and daily life along the ridges, best seen from the courtyard.
03
Thiên Hậu altar
The goddess of the sea, protector of sailors and traders.
How to do it well
- 1Morning, before or after Bình Tây Market.
- 2Leave a small donation if you buy incense; there is no ticket.
Facilities
- toilets
- Check; use nearby cafés.
Time on site, inside and your plan
Time on site
Minimum
15min
Worthwhile
20min
Typical
30min
p95
45min
How much time do you have?
Enough for a typical visit (30 min).
Nothing else in our notes is a short enough walk from here for the time that is left.
Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.
Inside, in order
Incense coils
Hung from the courtyard roof, each with a prayer tag; they burn for weeks.
Roof ceramics
Figures of legends and daily life along the ridges, best seen from the courtyard.
Thiên Hậu altar
The goddess of the sea, protector of sailors and traders.
Step-free check, who it suits, facilities
Step-free check
- Step-free entrance: partly · partly
- Wheelchair: partly · partly
- Stroller: partly · partlycaution
Raised thresholds at the gates.
With kids
- with kids
- Short visit; smoke can be heavy on festival days.
Combine with
Combine with
- 3 minQuan Âm and Phước An pagodas (Lão Tử street)
- 20 minBình Tây Market
Walk the Chợ Lớn (Chinatown) area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes
Best photo time
Deep dive
Questions, photos, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Is it a pagoda or a temple?
A temple in a Cantonese assembly hall; locals still call it chùa (pagoda).
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Photos
Deep dive
Sources
- secondaryWikivoyage — Ho Chi Minh City
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Source: Price
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates. The official site has the current price.
Source: Opening hours
Source: Best hour
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Taken from the desk crowd estimate by hour. It is not a count of visitors.
Source: Bag rating
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Rated for the whole walking cluster, from desk research, not for this entrance.