The Bửu Đài Sơn pagoda, which is located across from the beach north of downtown, is one of Danang’s lesser known Buddhist sites. There were several Vietnamese inside when I visited, but not a foreign tourist in sight. I could not find any English language information about this place when I searched online. The place catches your eye when you ride by and this time I decided to walk inside. Bửu Đài Sơn is a good example of the extent to which Buddhist temple architecture in Vietnam has taken its cue from China. The design of the building is clearly Chinese in origin, very different in appearance from the many Buddhist wats I visited in Thailand. The fat Budai, sometimes called the Fat Buddha or Laughing Buddha, sitting in front of the temple also originated in China. The magnificent dragons decorating the Chinese styled roof of the temple are, however, distinctly and uniquely Vietnamese. I am finding this often to be the case in Vietnam: whether it is the way people behave and interact, traditional architecture and design or cultural patterns, there is broad similarity with China and things Chinese, but the details are very much Vietnamese, often delightfully so.
