This Lady Buddha at Chua Linh Ung Pagoda in Da Nang is the World’s Largest
The Lady Buddha at Chua Linh Ung Pagoda / Temple in Da Nang is the world’s largest (and perhaps, tallest, too!) Female Buddha. If you are sunbathing or just strolling along the beaches of this coastal city, you won’t miss it from afar.
Dan Nang’s Lady Buddha is standing on a hill in Son Tra Peninsula.
It stands at 67 meters and standing atop a lotus flower with 35m diameter.
Inside the statue, there are 17 floors. Each of these floors is in honor of different Buddhas. It’s going to be a long climb to the crown, but the views from there must be awesome!
Unfortunately, it was closed when I was there before the pandemic. Many of the visitors were disappointed that we couldn’t go to the top.
You might be asking, “Was Buddha a Lady?”
Well, that is a valid question since what we all see are statues of men Buddhas – after Siddharta Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.
However, “Buddha” means the “Enlightened One.” So, it’s not a debate that women can also attain Nirvana and be the “Enlightened One” right?
This is actually the first female Buddha I’ve ever seen in my life. Or maybe, I’ve seen a few before in my previous travels in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar but I never look at them closely or just didn’t notice their feminine form.
The temple/pagoda is pretty huge. The gardens are well-manicured and conducive for a well-needed rest.
Statues are everywhere, too, and a few of them are scary to look at. 🙂
And while strolling around, be aware of the cheeky monkeys. They will jump on you and insist hard to give them your food or water. Keep your things in your bag and don’t dare bring food. They will definitely smell it and before you know it, you will be protesting at their cheekiness. 😀
Most of all, the views of the coastal city of Da Nang are magnificent from here. I spend more time sitting on a bench here admiring the views below.
How to Get There
Rent a scooter if you know how to drive it. I took Grab scooter because I refuse to learn driving. 😀 If you choose to go on your own, just go the beach (My Khe) and from there, you will see the standing lady Buddha on far right. Follow the concrete road along the beach and it will bring you up there.
On my way back to the city, I decided to walk down following the long and winding road. It was a bad decision, really. 😀 It took me two hours on foot before arriving on the beach. It was a very long and exhausting walk. The only good thing was that – the sun never showed up – most of the time. 😀
Other Places to See in Danang
Da Nang is a pretty modern eastern seaside city in Vietnam. It is known for its beaches, of course. Most visitors stop by here on their way to Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage ancient town, 40 minutes by public transport. Other places to check out while you are in Da Nang are the interesting Marble Mountain and its unique Dragon Bridge that spits fire at night.
Hotel in Danang Near My The Beach
Hang Mansion Hotel and Apartments is on the main road that goes to My Khe Beach. From the hotel, it only takes 3-5 minutes to walk to the beach. The hotel’s top floor has a small swimming pool and you can see the sweeping views of the surrounding areas and the beach from up there. The room is clean and two bottles of water are provided every day. There are a lot of restaurants, grocery shops, cafes, and other hotels around. The staff members are nice and helpful. The reception also offers tours and private cars – but you need to ask them. They don’t really seem to advertise such a service. You can book it via Booking, Expedia, and TripAdvisor. For hostels in Danang, check this out.