Perfume Pagoda
Perfume Pagoda
3.5
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Laughingbear
Wigan, UK780 contributions
Mar 2020
Ater the Cornoa virus menat closure of many attractions in Vietnam, somehow this stayed open and are we glad it did.
After a car trip approx 1.5 hrs from HanOI, We arrived at what seemed to be the head of a river within a small village.
Our guide took us to the boats were we boarded a typical s/e asian rowing boat. The rower was a middleaged lady and she rowed for about 45 mins up the river. The views, wildlife and ambiance of the place was fascinating. We saw exotic birds, butterfiles, dragonflies. Mystifying mountained in the background gave a unique bckdrop to this experience. On arrival at the pergodas, there is a bit of a walk which may be dificult for those who have mobility issues, even wheelchair users could have issues as the paths are mainly uneven broken slabs. However, once you see the temples, you will immediately see why this trip has to be done. The place is really spiritual and special. The pergodas are indeed impressive from outside (i didn't go into them as i wore shorts that day and there is a dress code in keeping with such places). My wife went into the pergodas and she was impressed with them. After this, we continued our walk UP the hill and steps towards the cable car. We went on the cable car for a 20 minute journey through the jungle type enviroment towards the top of the mountian. Once there we disembarked and had a short, easier walk, towards a huge cave. The cave too was spectacular in many ways. Within the cave there's a temple with many statues although again, there are quite a few steps to negotiate. We retraced our steps back to the river where our boat was waiting. On the way up (or down) there are many tourist stalls (maybe too many) with opporunities to buy reminders of your visit. The boats are very basic and seating can be a lillte uncomforatbalbe however, you are only on them for a short time so bear with it. The rowing ladies are magnificent in theri ability to row such distances with passengers and at a constant pace. Highly recommend this trip BUT only for those prepared for a bit of discomfort on the boat (single metal board seats) and walking over uneven paths up the hillside.
After a car trip approx 1.5 hrs from HanOI, We arrived at what seemed to be the head of a river within a small village.
Our guide took us to the boats were we boarded a typical s/e asian rowing boat. The rower was a middleaged lady and she rowed for about 45 mins up the river. The views, wildlife and ambiance of the place was fascinating. We saw exotic birds, butterfiles, dragonflies. Mystifying mountained in the background gave a unique bckdrop to this experience. On arrival at the pergodas, there is a bit of a walk which may be dificult for those who have mobility issues, even wheelchair users could have issues as the paths are mainly uneven broken slabs. However, once you see the temples, you will immediately see why this trip has to be done. The place is really spiritual and special. The pergodas are indeed impressive from outside (i didn't go into them as i wore shorts that day and there is a dress code in keeping with such places). My wife went into the pergodas and she was impressed with them. After this, we continued our walk UP the hill and steps towards the cable car. We went on the cable car for a 20 minute journey through the jungle type enviroment towards the top of the mountian. Once there we disembarked and had a short, easier walk, towards a huge cave. The cave too was spectacular in many ways. Within the cave there's a temple with many statues although again, there are quite a few steps to negotiate. We retraced our steps back to the river where our boat was waiting. On the way up (or down) there are many tourist stalls (maybe too many) with opporunities to buy reminders of your visit. The boats are very basic and seating can be a lillte uncomforatbalbe however, you are only on them for a short time so bear with it. The rowing ladies are magnificent in theri ability to row such distances with passengers and at a constant pace. Highly recommend this trip BUT only for those prepared for a bit of discomfort on the boat (single metal board seats) and walking over uneven paths up the hillside.
Written 15 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julien L
Le Lamentin, Martinique64 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
We have just finished this attraction, and our feeling is one of disappointment... we tell you:
First you have to pay for an electric bus 20,000 vnd per person to go from the parking lot to the office, then take a ticket for the boat, 85,000 vnd to which you will add the 120,000 vnd entrance fees, and if there are 2 of you like us, either you wait for other people to share the boat, or you pay 750,000 vnd in total for the same thing…
No one arrives, we pay so as not to waste too much time.
1st stop on the other side of the river, small pretty temple but every time we go to see, we are asked for $1 for the donation (the Vietnamese use fake bills, but we expect real ones from tourists!)
5 minutes there and we take our boat back to the real site... 1 hour along the river, nice scenery in the background but in the foreground a straight aquatic line decorated with advertising panels for sodas and other air conditioners... it's a little distorted.
Arriving there, it is a paradise for street vendors and this will be the case all the way to the cave... it is impossible to move forward quietly, we are hit every 10 seconds...
The cave is impressive for the size of its entrance, but it will not leave us with lasting memories... as for the sacred side, difficult to grasp here... the atmosphere could be one of contemplation, but it is small and we are not alone... we come out... now we will have to make the return trip through these aisles of sellers of trinkets and other plastic trinkets, fortunately we chose the cable car (220,000 vnd per person round trip) so it will be quick for us, because we will have suffered from going up or down for 1h30, crisscrossing not through the forest but through thousands of street vendors installed along absolutely the entire path
Lovers of nature and calm, flee!! Vietnam is splendid and full of magnificent, quiet and inexpensive places, here it's a scam!!!
Ah… and the rower of the boat to whom we have to leave another $2 per person, are we talking about that?!
First you have to pay for an electric bus 20,000 vnd per person to go from the parking lot to the office, then take a ticket for the boat, 85,000 vnd to which you will add the 120,000 vnd entrance fees, and if there are 2 of you like us, either you wait for other people to share the boat, or you pay 750,000 vnd in total for the same thing…
No one arrives, we pay so as not to waste too much time.
1st stop on the other side of the river, small pretty temple but every time we go to see, we are asked for $1 for the donation (the Vietnamese use fake bills, but we expect real ones from tourists!)
5 minutes there and we take our boat back to the real site... 1 hour along the river, nice scenery in the background but in the foreground a straight aquatic line decorated with advertising panels for sodas and other air conditioners... it's a little distorted.
Arriving there, it is a paradise for street vendors and this will be the case all the way to the cave... it is impossible to move forward quietly, we are hit every 10 seconds...
The cave is impressive for the size of its entrance, but it will not leave us with lasting memories... as for the sacred side, difficult to grasp here... the atmosphere could be one of contemplation, but it is small and we are not alone... we come out... now we will have to make the return trip through these aisles of sellers of trinkets and other plastic trinkets, fortunately we chose the cable car (220,000 vnd per person round trip) so it will be quick for us, because we will have suffered from going up or down for 1h30, crisscrossing not through the forest but through thousands of street vendors installed along absolutely the entire path
Lovers of nature and calm, flee!! Vietnam is splendid and full of magnificent, quiet and inexpensive places, here it's a scam!!!
Ah… and the rower of the boat to whom we have to leave another $2 per person, are we talking about that?!
Written 9 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
michael h
429 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
We went to the Pafume Pagoda during the Vietnamese lunar new year .we went there by a private car rental from hotel we stayed it took almost 2 hours to get there. When we arrived Yen spring we rent a private boat from local people there which is very convenient and comfortable for us as they did arranged everything for us included entrance tickets.., it took about 1 hour to get to the mountain and the Pagoda on boat. We took a cable car one way only and the return we went down on foot. The view from Cable car was very beautiful indeed and we love so much sitting on boat and enjoy the nice weather and beautiful spring . We also had Pho for our lunch there too which is very reasonable price and delicious. We will definitely going back to the Oagoda and will recommend our friends too.
Written 20 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simone
2 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
You go there by rowing boat, very tranquil and serene. Beautiful view of mountains. Motor boats are not allowed, although we saw a few. A lot of steps to go up, some steep. Best is to go up and down by cable car as along the route all deserted stalls, and the stalls block all the nice views of mountains. Very commercial, 2 km up, only stalls, although very desolate, as most stalls are empty. Caves and temples are beautiful and definitely worth the trip. In jan-mrt 1 million mostly Vietnamese people are expected to visit to pray. Then apparently bustling with people..now it was nice and quiet.
Written 23 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sander v
Rotterdam, The Netherlands172 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
We have to give 1 hour to get there. There is no other way. It is done by hand and takes a very long time. then you have to go through a dirty dock with restaurants to the entrance. We went to the toilet there and it doesn't look like much. You have to flush the toilet yourself with water from a water barrel located at DD toilets. what year are we living in? From there another long path with stalls to the stairs of the Cable Car. Outside the season they only run if there are enough people, otherwise you have to wait. Once you reach the top you have to go through a sea of stalls again and then take a very long staircase on the right to the Cave Pagoda. This one does look nice. They were singing and praying so that added some extra dimension. Then back down again. Fortunately we had bought a return ticket because otherwise you have to walk down a 2km path. Not a big deal in itself, but there are Marktkrame on both sides, who constantly bombard you with questions if you want to buy something. All in all, this takes at least 4 hours with sailing, and 5 hours with lunch. And it is still very quiet now. In summer it is a madhouse. I would definitely skip this. way too much fuss for 1 cave. Sailing is possible in many more places. Here you sail through 1 canal.
Written 18 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J C
Dilbeek, Belgium217 contributions
Nov 2022
Most of all,, the place is full of animals (birds, turtles, fish) kept in terrible consitions in captiivity, so that Buddhists may get "merit"by liberating them. Very depressing sight.
The trip is not impressive. For me the best part was the boat trip and then the cable car ride. There is a cave temple in the end,but not worth the journey in my view. We decided to go down on foot to see 2 other small temples, which were not interesting, and quite decrepit. The best temple (though nothing special) was at the bottom.
I deduct points for overall shabbiness and ugliness of shops and restaurants this place is full of. The walk down was not pleasant as any views were obscured by commercial shacks made of rugs and corrugated iron, built along the path from the mountain top to bottom.
The trip is not impressive. For me the best part was the boat trip and then the cable car ride. There is a cave temple in the end,but not worth the journey in my view. We decided to go down on foot to see 2 other small temples, which were not interesting, and quite decrepit. The best temple (though nothing special) was at the bottom.
I deduct points for overall shabbiness and ugliness of shops and restaurants this place is full of. The walk down was not pleasant as any views were obscured by commercial shacks made of rugs and corrugated iron, built along the path from the mountain top to bottom.
Written 20 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WCOB
Paekakariki, New Zealand647 contributions
Sept 2024 • Solo
I went on a day trip to Perfume Pagoda from Hanoi. It was good to get away from the noise of Hanoi. It was a leisurely day that perhaps could have been completed a bit earlier. The boat trip down the river was nice. The actual Perfume Pagoda was drawn out more than necessary. However, it was nice to get away from the Hanoi motorbikes and cars.
Written 13 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JMWG
Darwin, Australia124 contributions
Jan 2017 • Family
After a rather sedate NYE in Hanoi we were in need of some fresh air and having heard good things about The Perfume Pagoda near Hanoi we decided to venture out. The Pagoda known locally as Chua Huong or ‘inner temple’, is at the center of a sacred site featuring a maze of mainly Buddhist temples built into the limestone cliffs of Huong Tich. At the heart of this complex lies the Perfume Pagoda in the Huong Tich Cave. I hear it is also referred to as the “mini Hao Long Bay” due to the steep limestone cliffs that are everywhere.
After researching long and hard on google about the various ways to get there and with tips and warnings from travelers everywhere, I decided to go it alone with the family and organize everything myself. By nature I am a) a control freak and b) I detest the idea of tour groups / marching to someone else’s drum etc and also…I wanted to conduct a little experiment and see if we could beat the tour rates. A small overview of our family by way of context; We have now lived in Hanoi for 6 months having just moved from Cambodia where we lived for 10 years. We are well versed in local travel standards and the pitfalls that can await and are therefore not what I would consider tourists or newbies ! . I will break this up in to sections to try make it a bit easier for me to write and you to understand;
Firstly, I will say I only called one tour company for pricing, Mrs Ly 84 097 613 89 00 having seen her touted on TripAdvisor. She was very nice and patient as I asked a myriad of questions and her costs came out like this; USD$107 for two adults and two kids to get on a shared minibus, travel out, enter the park, get on a return row boat and eat lunch. Cable Car, tip to boat rower and drinks extra. With cable car costing USD$13 one way for the whole family and tip equating to USD$5….total was going to be USD$125. She also offered a private car for USD$50 return if we then joined the tour at the park and paid $60 or USD$68 return if we simply took the car. Mrs Ly was not pushy in the slightest and when I eventually declined her services, she wished me a Happy New Year and a safe trip. Lovely Lady.
I rented a private car through one of my staff who had a cousin who drives for a living. He turned up in a very smart almost new diesel Ford Explorer and we loaded the kids and the day bags and set off. The traffic out of Hanoi was almost nonexistent and on this particularly grey and gloomy day the scenery was typical semi urban South East Asia with not much to write home about. We arrived just under 2.5 hours later at the entry gate to the park. Here we paid VND260,000/USD$12 for 2 adults as kids were actually free (under 1.2m). We then proceeded to the boat dock and this is where things got a little funky.
Arriving at the boat counter we were instantly accosted by a group of women offering boat services and whilst I presented tickets to the counter for inspection by the “official” and attempted to ask her questions (cost of boats power vs row, time to the pagoda etc), these women stood right by us and butted in with their answers. So straight away my hackles started to go up as I wanted my enquiries answered by the official .... not by a bunch of gaggling annoying hawkers. Unfortunately, I could not wave them off as they actually spoke better English than the official so in the end I had to engage them. What they told me was that the boats wait until there are 6 people in a boat before they will leave. As there were only 4 of us and as I had only paid for 2 tickets (kids were free remember) I would need to purchase 4 more tickets at a total cost of USD$26. This then meant the boat could leave immediately with only 4 on board. Whilst I pondered that I asked about a power boat (15mins vs over one hour for a row boat) and was told USD$65 but that the powerboats left from a bit further across the river and therefore a row boat would have to take us there. By now my South East Asia rip off spidey senses are on high alert and with the wife fuming (she is Cambodian and knows a rort when she sees one) and the kids champing at the bit, I decided to just pay for the extra 4 tickets and just take the row boat. (FYI - The lady with the power boat was lowering her price right up until we got on the row boat and was eventually down to USD$42). So…cost of return row boat for 4 people was either USD$38 if you count the initial USD$12 we paid at the entry gate plus the extra USD$26…..or USD$26. There was some explanation by the hawkers that the gate price is actually for “guarantee” of some sort in case there was a “problem with the boat” which I took to mean insurance however by this stage I was so damned confused I did not really care…..we were on the way.
The row boat trip was pleasant enough and the kids in particular had a great time. I noticed there were no life rings or jackets in our boat whilst others had them. I am told the water is 1m deep and we were never further than about 10m from the bank. Also….the slim steel bench seats acted as anesthetic for the butt and mine was soon asleep. I noticed several boats had plastic seats bolted in so definitely look for these if you go. The scenery on the way up is very nice with limestone spires all around and lotus leaves providing splashes of color along the way. There were several other boats in front and behind us and the occasional power boat went past but overall it was very quiet and relaxing. Just over an hour later we arrived at the base of the attraction and we alighted safely to begin the next stage.
Baring in mind we had chosen an “off peak” time to visit ( Monday January 2nd ) , what greeted us was…in a word…. totally random. It really was very VERY odd. A huge entry portico with entry gates etc that we just strolled through, some random souvenir shops selling kids toys ( because one never knows when one might want to buy a remote controlled car or a flashing AK47 for the littluns ) and then a hike up up up up past all manner of strange hawker stalls carved into the hills that were all either closed up or being feverishly worked on by their owners. This was to be a recurring theme the whole day – the bang bang bang of hammers and the sound of power tools . Half way to the cable car there is a lovely flat section with huge overhead trees, some restaurants and some vendors selling live squirrels, pigeons and sparrows. Not sure if these poor animals were for releasing or eating but I really felt for the little squirrels that were being kept in nylon mesh pouches that just allowed them to turn around and no more. Several were in manic fits and one’s nose was all bloodied from the nylon which made me very angry and I let the short fat ugly little lady who was selling them know it with a nasty look. Here is where we bought our Cable Car tickets and these cost USD$13 for the four of us one way only. Our plan was to cable car up, walk down and picnic somewhere with our home made lunch.
We arrived huffing and puffing at the cable car and with zero queuing or anyone else around were glad to flop into a bubble car that took us up the mountain. The kids loved this and I have to say the scenery was great albeit a little misty. The 20 minute cable car pretty much tracks over the walking path and you can see that the entire way there are wall to wall hawker stands. There is a station mid-way that you cruise through without stopping and then you arrive at the top. Some more steep stairs take you up up up UP to the cave. As you descend the stairs into the cave all of the mornings hassles and stresses dissolve as the sheer size and spectacle of it hit you. It really is something to see and there were only small groups of people down there so we were able to move around with ease into the stomach of the cave where there are some lovely shrines and stalactite overhead. We spent about 30 mins in the cave before heading up and out. Note; there is a “no shorts or t-shirts” sign at the top but I was wearing exactly this and had no issues.
Having packed our own lunch of baguettes, BBQ drumsticks, bananas and cake we now only had one way to go and that was down down down DOWN. Now…you would think that going down would be a godsend after the up up up UP stuff but let me tell you….going down was hard work in some places. The stairs are steep and U L T R A T R E A C H E R O U S and I am super glad it had not rained as it would make it diabolical on the smooth flag stones. My 5-year-old boy took several falls after catching uneven stones and you really had to pay attention to where your feet were going. As mentioned, the path is lined – without any break – wall to wall with these horrid tin shacks and as a result…you do not see ANYTHING of the natural surrounds. A real shame the way this has been done. I cannot think of anything worse than actually eating in one of these sheds as very few had windows looking out over the forest etc. Very odd. Need to take a pee ? That will cost 20c thanks. In the end we got lucky and I spied a tiny little temple almost directly opposite the mid-way cable car station. A 10m climb off the main track saw us sitting on a lovely terrace under a flame tree staring right down the valley while we noshed on our lunch – and a few cold beers ( USD $1 a pop ). We spent a really nice hour here cooling down and giving the legs a breather and it was mostly quiet other than the odd power tool starting up.
Eventually we reached the bottom and I wanted to stop in at this awesome shop I saw on the LHS as you head up from the very bottom that really stands out amongst all the other tacky stalls. This chap has a lovely cave / grotto set back in to the hill full of slabs of wood and lengths of bamboo painted with Chinese characters. At first I actually thought it was a temple and people had paid to have a good luck talisman hung in there but is soon became apparent everything was for sale. We bought two lovely 75cm long large pieces of bamboo that had panels carved out of the sections and Chinese lettering painted on. No idea what it said ( “ all tourists are suckers “ ?? ) but they were USD$40 for both. The owner happily posed for a photo with the kids and we were on our way back down to the boat. On arrival at the dock our Lady Rower tries to find her boat and cannot and she tells us to “wait wait” and hitches a ride with another row boat and heads off down the river without us !. This is the last thing I feel like at this stage of the day with kids almost asleep on their feet and I kick up a fuss such that another lady starts rowing us home and then eventually we are met by the original lady returning with her boat. All rather bizarre. I tipped the boat lady USD$5 (per many other reports here she barely waited until we had started the return trip before getting pushy and demanding a tip and I was too tired to push back) and the car driver USD$10 (he never asked but did an excellent job). What I think happens here is that the hawkers / touts at the boat dock actually sell you the ticket to the boat ride and then they go and find a boat owner and give them a cut of the ticket sale to fulfil the service. I believe our Rower said she got 100,000VND which is $4.50 so it is no wonder they push for an extra tip. Why the owners are not waiting there and dealing with tourists direct or why there is not a much clearer process is beyond me.
So…all in all I calculate our DIY visit cost USD$127 vs the tour cost of USD$125 if we had gone on a tour. I was more than happy with this outcome as it allowed us to dictate start and end times, move at our own speed, have our own itinerary, stop for lunch etc etc. Some small tips FWIW; 1. Do NOT take your 70 year old mother with you. You need to be fit / able 2. Do not even think about walking the path up,up,up UP unless you are really fit and certainly not with small kids. It is a very long way and if it has rained or is raining, personally I would not walk it up or down at all. Our ankles particularly at the end of the day were very sore as the ground is very uneven. In fine weather, catch the cable car UP and walk DOWN. We noticed the cable car had stopped for over 30 mins while we ate our lunch and that would not have been very much fun. 3. I hate crowds and I imagine at TET this place must get absolutely smashed. Pick when you go. 4. Pack your own lunch but water etc readily available 5; If you are going to take the row boat, take a small travel cushion. Your butt will thank you. 6; If you are expecting the 9th wonder of the world and you cannot look past some litter (it was much cleaner than something like this would have been in Cambodia I can tell you), some haggling, some aggressive drink sellers, some squat dunnies etc then you are probably not going to like this trip however it is WELL worth it for the eventual Huong Tich cave even if everything in between is a bit random etc.
Take a deep breath and Enjoy!
After researching long and hard on google about the various ways to get there and with tips and warnings from travelers everywhere, I decided to go it alone with the family and organize everything myself. By nature I am a) a control freak and b) I detest the idea of tour groups / marching to someone else’s drum etc and also…I wanted to conduct a little experiment and see if we could beat the tour rates. A small overview of our family by way of context; We have now lived in Hanoi for 6 months having just moved from Cambodia where we lived for 10 years. We are well versed in local travel standards and the pitfalls that can await and are therefore not what I would consider tourists or newbies ! . I will break this up in to sections to try make it a bit easier for me to write and you to understand;
Firstly, I will say I only called one tour company for pricing, Mrs Ly 84 097 613 89 00 having seen her touted on TripAdvisor. She was very nice and patient as I asked a myriad of questions and her costs came out like this; USD$107 for two adults and two kids to get on a shared minibus, travel out, enter the park, get on a return row boat and eat lunch. Cable Car, tip to boat rower and drinks extra. With cable car costing USD$13 one way for the whole family and tip equating to USD$5….total was going to be USD$125. She also offered a private car for USD$50 return if we then joined the tour at the park and paid $60 or USD$68 return if we simply took the car. Mrs Ly was not pushy in the slightest and when I eventually declined her services, she wished me a Happy New Year and a safe trip. Lovely Lady.
I rented a private car through one of my staff who had a cousin who drives for a living. He turned up in a very smart almost new diesel Ford Explorer and we loaded the kids and the day bags and set off. The traffic out of Hanoi was almost nonexistent and on this particularly grey and gloomy day the scenery was typical semi urban South East Asia with not much to write home about. We arrived just under 2.5 hours later at the entry gate to the park. Here we paid VND260,000/USD$12 for 2 adults as kids were actually free (under 1.2m). We then proceeded to the boat dock and this is where things got a little funky.
Arriving at the boat counter we were instantly accosted by a group of women offering boat services and whilst I presented tickets to the counter for inspection by the “official” and attempted to ask her questions (cost of boats power vs row, time to the pagoda etc), these women stood right by us and butted in with their answers. So straight away my hackles started to go up as I wanted my enquiries answered by the official .... not by a bunch of gaggling annoying hawkers. Unfortunately, I could not wave them off as they actually spoke better English than the official so in the end I had to engage them. What they told me was that the boats wait until there are 6 people in a boat before they will leave. As there were only 4 of us and as I had only paid for 2 tickets (kids were free remember) I would need to purchase 4 more tickets at a total cost of USD$26. This then meant the boat could leave immediately with only 4 on board. Whilst I pondered that I asked about a power boat (15mins vs over one hour for a row boat) and was told USD$65 but that the powerboats left from a bit further across the river and therefore a row boat would have to take us there. By now my South East Asia rip off spidey senses are on high alert and with the wife fuming (she is Cambodian and knows a rort when she sees one) and the kids champing at the bit, I decided to just pay for the extra 4 tickets and just take the row boat. (FYI - The lady with the power boat was lowering her price right up until we got on the row boat and was eventually down to USD$42). So…cost of return row boat for 4 people was either USD$38 if you count the initial USD$12 we paid at the entry gate plus the extra USD$26…..or USD$26. There was some explanation by the hawkers that the gate price is actually for “guarantee” of some sort in case there was a “problem with the boat” which I took to mean insurance however by this stage I was so damned confused I did not really care…..we were on the way.
The row boat trip was pleasant enough and the kids in particular had a great time. I noticed there were no life rings or jackets in our boat whilst others had them. I am told the water is 1m deep and we were never further than about 10m from the bank. Also….the slim steel bench seats acted as anesthetic for the butt and mine was soon asleep. I noticed several boats had plastic seats bolted in so definitely look for these if you go. The scenery on the way up is very nice with limestone spires all around and lotus leaves providing splashes of color along the way. There were several other boats in front and behind us and the occasional power boat went past but overall it was very quiet and relaxing. Just over an hour later we arrived at the base of the attraction and we alighted safely to begin the next stage.
Baring in mind we had chosen an “off peak” time to visit ( Monday January 2nd ) , what greeted us was…in a word…. totally random. It really was very VERY odd. A huge entry portico with entry gates etc that we just strolled through, some random souvenir shops selling kids toys ( because one never knows when one might want to buy a remote controlled car or a flashing AK47 for the littluns ) and then a hike up up up up past all manner of strange hawker stalls carved into the hills that were all either closed up or being feverishly worked on by their owners. This was to be a recurring theme the whole day – the bang bang bang of hammers and the sound of power tools . Half way to the cable car there is a lovely flat section with huge overhead trees, some restaurants and some vendors selling live squirrels, pigeons and sparrows. Not sure if these poor animals were for releasing or eating but I really felt for the little squirrels that were being kept in nylon mesh pouches that just allowed them to turn around and no more. Several were in manic fits and one’s nose was all bloodied from the nylon which made me very angry and I let the short fat ugly little lady who was selling them know it with a nasty look. Here is where we bought our Cable Car tickets and these cost USD$13 for the four of us one way only. Our plan was to cable car up, walk down and picnic somewhere with our home made lunch.
We arrived huffing and puffing at the cable car and with zero queuing or anyone else around were glad to flop into a bubble car that took us up the mountain. The kids loved this and I have to say the scenery was great albeit a little misty. The 20 minute cable car pretty much tracks over the walking path and you can see that the entire way there are wall to wall hawker stands. There is a station mid-way that you cruise through without stopping and then you arrive at the top. Some more steep stairs take you up up up UP to the cave. As you descend the stairs into the cave all of the mornings hassles and stresses dissolve as the sheer size and spectacle of it hit you. It really is something to see and there were only small groups of people down there so we were able to move around with ease into the stomach of the cave where there are some lovely shrines and stalactite overhead. We spent about 30 mins in the cave before heading up and out. Note; there is a “no shorts or t-shirts” sign at the top but I was wearing exactly this and had no issues.
Having packed our own lunch of baguettes, BBQ drumsticks, bananas and cake we now only had one way to go and that was down down down DOWN. Now…you would think that going down would be a godsend after the up up up UP stuff but let me tell you….going down was hard work in some places. The stairs are steep and U L T R A T R E A C H E R O U S and I am super glad it had not rained as it would make it diabolical on the smooth flag stones. My 5-year-old boy took several falls after catching uneven stones and you really had to pay attention to where your feet were going. As mentioned, the path is lined – without any break – wall to wall with these horrid tin shacks and as a result…you do not see ANYTHING of the natural surrounds. A real shame the way this has been done. I cannot think of anything worse than actually eating in one of these sheds as very few had windows looking out over the forest etc. Very odd. Need to take a pee ? That will cost 20c thanks. In the end we got lucky and I spied a tiny little temple almost directly opposite the mid-way cable car station. A 10m climb off the main track saw us sitting on a lovely terrace under a flame tree staring right down the valley while we noshed on our lunch – and a few cold beers ( USD $1 a pop ). We spent a really nice hour here cooling down and giving the legs a breather and it was mostly quiet other than the odd power tool starting up.
Eventually we reached the bottom and I wanted to stop in at this awesome shop I saw on the LHS as you head up from the very bottom that really stands out amongst all the other tacky stalls. This chap has a lovely cave / grotto set back in to the hill full of slabs of wood and lengths of bamboo painted with Chinese characters. At first I actually thought it was a temple and people had paid to have a good luck talisman hung in there but is soon became apparent everything was for sale. We bought two lovely 75cm long large pieces of bamboo that had panels carved out of the sections and Chinese lettering painted on. No idea what it said ( “ all tourists are suckers “ ?? ) but they were USD$40 for both. The owner happily posed for a photo with the kids and we were on our way back down to the boat. On arrival at the dock our Lady Rower tries to find her boat and cannot and she tells us to “wait wait” and hitches a ride with another row boat and heads off down the river without us !. This is the last thing I feel like at this stage of the day with kids almost asleep on their feet and I kick up a fuss such that another lady starts rowing us home and then eventually we are met by the original lady returning with her boat. All rather bizarre. I tipped the boat lady USD$5 (per many other reports here she barely waited until we had started the return trip before getting pushy and demanding a tip and I was too tired to push back) and the car driver USD$10 (he never asked but did an excellent job). What I think happens here is that the hawkers / touts at the boat dock actually sell you the ticket to the boat ride and then they go and find a boat owner and give them a cut of the ticket sale to fulfil the service. I believe our Rower said she got 100,000VND which is $4.50 so it is no wonder they push for an extra tip. Why the owners are not waiting there and dealing with tourists direct or why there is not a much clearer process is beyond me.
So…all in all I calculate our DIY visit cost USD$127 vs the tour cost of USD$125 if we had gone on a tour. I was more than happy with this outcome as it allowed us to dictate start and end times, move at our own speed, have our own itinerary, stop for lunch etc etc. Some small tips FWIW; 1. Do NOT take your 70 year old mother with you. You need to be fit / able 2. Do not even think about walking the path up,up,up UP unless you are really fit and certainly not with small kids. It is a very long way and if it has rained or is raining, personally I would not walk it up or down at all. Our ankles particularly at the end of the day were very sore as the ground is very uneven. In fine weather, catch the cable car UP and walk DOWN. We noticed the cable car had stopped for over 30 mins while we ate our lunch and that would not have been very much fun. 3. I hate crowds and I imagine at TET this place must get absolutely smashed. Pick when you go. 4. Pack your own lunch but water etc readily available 5; If you are going to take the row boat, take a small travel cushion. Your butt will thank you. 6; If you are expecting the 9th wonder of the world and you cannot look past some litter (it was much cleaner than something like this would have been in Cambodia I can tell you), some haggling, some aggressive drink sellers, some squat dunnies etc then you are probably not going to like this trip however it is WELL worth it for the eventual Huong Tich cave even if everything in between is a bit random etc.
Take a deep breath and Enjoy!
Written 5 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Journey11677
Hong Kong1 contribution
This is a good day's trip from Hanoi - we left at 8.30 and got back at 6.30. The bus trip there is OK - the roads are fine, if slow, and there's plenty of city and country life to see from the windows. The last hour to the base of the mountain is via a leisurely row-boat trip up the river through jutting mountains. It's a peaceful and attractive journey - although you might want to bring something to cushion your backside - the seating on the boats is very basic.
The walk up the mountain to the pagoda grotto is no stroll - it's about 2 km up and 2 km down some steep and often slippery steps. But there are plenty of places to rest and have a cold drink along the way. The pagoda itself is more interesting for its importance to Vietnamese Buddhists than any intrinsic architectural merit. But it's a good hike, and you work up an appetite for the lunch that should be included in your tour.
After a late lunch, there's time for a quick tour of a nearby temple, then it's back on the boats and to the minibus for the return to Hanoi.
One-day tours from Hanoi should cost about US$10-11. Don't use Compass Tours in Hanoi! They tried to charge us well over the odds.
The walk up the mountain to the pagoda grotto is no stroll - it's about 2 km up and 2 km down some steep and often slippery steps. But there are plenty of places to rest and have a cold drink along the way. The pagoda itself is more interesting for its importance to Vietnamese Buddhists than any intrinsic architectural merit. But it's a good hike, and you work up an appetite for the lunch that should be included in your tour.
After a late lunch, there's time for a quick tour of a nearby temple, then it's back on the boats and to the minibus for the return to Hanoi.
One-day tours from Hanoi should cost about US$10-11. Don't use Compass Tours in Hanoi! They tried to charge us well over the odds.
Written 18 August 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Incredible Asia Journeys Travel
Hanoi, Vietnam456 contributions
Apr 2018 • Family
Our family visited the Perfume Pagoda in April when it was still crowed there as the festival in Perfume Pagoda lasts for a long time. In fact, the trip itself is nice with the boat trip on the nice river, nice views with rice fields and mountains.That was nice trekking route even it was a bit tired for the old people. The trip would be nicer if the services in the restuarant was better and the local people were nicer. The local boat rowers always asked for big tip even we had nice tip for them already. It was like they always asked for more tip and not so nice to tourists.
Written 26 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I’m traveling around Hanoi on a bike. Would like to know the location or name of place I should take the boat..?
Also any parking areas around there?
Thanks
Written 12 December 2017
Hi!
Maybe it’s too late to answer...
You’ll have to pay for the parking of your bike ;-)
Once arrived you’ll be directed by the locals towards the hostel next to the bridge...
We experienced this with the scooter, I found it a bit aggressive but it is Perfume Pagoda when you go alone...
Written 29 December 2017
I’m traveling around Hanoi on a bike. Would like to know the location or name of place I should take the boat..?
Also any parking areas around there?
Thanks
Written 12 December 2017
I don't remember about the vietnamese name but yes you have parking for your motorbike
Written 13 December 2017
Can anyone recommend me any travel agency which does tours to this pagoda?
Written 22 July 2017
Hi there,
No need an agency I believe because it is a simple travel from Hanoi to the place then buy boat ticket there. Just remember to make sure the price they tell you is matched on the ticket... Have fun then
Written 14 December 2017
What time of the year did you go?
Written 19 February 2017
A note for you. From Feb-Apr 2017 is annual festival so there are lots of people going there.
If possible, do it another period or change place.
Written 20 February 2017
Would people recommend booking through the hotel in Hanoi or online before arriving? What are some of the best prices/companies people have experienced? We are a group of four adults traveling in December 2016.
Thanks!
Written 26 October 2016
With a group of 4 people, i think it is better to book the private tour. If u want everything is well arranged and save time, it is better to book in advance. Novn travel is new agency with very cheap prices, u can look for that on tripadvisor and ask for more details. U book in advance but pay later
Written 26 October 2016
je viens de voir ton commentaire, qui est dans l'ensemble pas mal et surtout vraiment bien détaillé.
Je dois me rendre au vietnam "Hanoi du 9/04 au 13/04, puis retour bangkok...
est il plus intéressant de faire ce trip en solo ou organisé par une agence surtout que c'est la premiere fois que je vais au vietnam....
merci pour votre réponse et conseil
Written 28 March 2015
C'est plus intéressant de passer par une agence on a fait comme ça avec l'agence The sinh tourist (52 luong ngoc quyen) dans le vieux quartier. Attention parce qu'il y en a plusieurs de ce nom dans la même rue et elles ne sont pas toutes bien. On a payé 449 000 dong par personne avec repas du midi compris et le bus vient vous chercher à votre hotel.
Après pour éviter le monde à la pagode c'est mieux d'y aller en semaine je pense, on y était un dimanche et c'était blindé!!
J'espère que je vous ai aidé si vous avez d'autres questions n'hésitez pas.
Written 28 March 2015
I'd like to know how's it opting for a rowing boat? do we need to wait for the row boats too get full before taking off to perfume pagoda or once we are on it, does it mean they won't be waiting for other tourists? 3 of us will be traveling. Just curious about the set up of the row boats. and if you want to see thien mu pagoda, will they stop there? or can u get down and then just ride another one to perfume pagoda? and when u reach perfume pagoda thru cable car how long does it take u to see the attractions there? and what are the attractions out there by the way? thanks for your help
Written 7 March 2015
no row boat , it is in the middle of the city.
Written 27 October 2016
Is there a shop called Mr Simple near L'Usine restaurant?
Written 26 December 2014
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