Jade Emperor Pagoda

Chùa Ngọc Hoàng (Phước Hải Tự)

Smoky 1909 Cantonese temple with a turtle pond out front

Hours

Daytime (commonly given as about 7am–5pm; check on site)

Tickets

Free (donations welcome)

Address

73 Mai Thi Luu Street, five minutes by Grab from Tan Dinh Church

A Taoist temple built in 1909 by Cantonese immigrants. The courtyard has a pond heaving with turtles, and beyond it incense smoke hangs permanently under red tiled roofs. The dark main hall is crowded with deities, the Jade Emperor himself, judges of hell, guardian kings, in finely worked carved wood and papier-mâché. A side room for the goddess of fertility draws a steady trickle of hopeful couples. Barack Obama visited in 2016.