Turning off the bustling commercial thoroughfare of Nguyễn Trãi Boulevard in Chợ Lớn onto the quiet lane named after the sage Laozi (Lão Tử Street), the clamor of the city gives way within a few dozen paces to a shaded courtyard and a tranquil life-release pond at 12 Lão Tử Street, Chợ Lớn Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. Looking up at the multi-tiered tubular-tiled roofs whose ridge ends sweep skyward like swallowtails and whose crests are crowded with hundreds of polychrome glazed ceramic figures, visitors stand before Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall (溫陵會館), a nearly three-hundred-year-old sanctuary known to generations of Saigon - Chợ Lớn residents as Chùa Bà Ôn Lăng, Chùa Quan Âm, Quan Âm Các or Chùa Ông Lào.
Founded in the 5th year of the Qianlong era (Canh Thân 1740) by migrant merchants from Quanzhou Prefecture (Fujian province), Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall is not only one of the earliest Chinese architectural monuments established in southern Vietnam, but also an extraordinary spiritual microcosm where Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Quan Thế Âm) and dozens of Taoist and folk deities dwell under a single roof to shelter generations of worshippers.
IThe classical name Ôn Lăng of Quanzhou Prefecture and the richest Chinese-Taoist pantheon in Chợ Lớn
To understand the origin of this monument, one must first unpack the two characters Ôn Lăng (溫陵, Wēnlíng). In Chinese historical geography, Ôn Lăng is the classical literary name of Quanzhou Prefecture (泉州府, in Fujian province, a mild coastal region on the southeastern seaboard that flourished as the world-renowned port of Zayton along the Maritime Silk Road during the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties). In the early 18th century, when merchant fleets from the five counties of Quanzhou Prefecture (Jinjiang, Nan'an, Hui'an, Tong'an and Anxi) sailed across the sea to settle in Đề Ngạn - Gia Định, alongside joining their Zhangzhou compatriots in building Nhị Phủ Temple, the Quanzhou merchant community pooled its resources in 1740 to erect its own prefectural guildhall, naming it Ôn Lăng Hội Quán in remembrance of their ancestral homeland.
In the everyday speech of Saigon - Chợ Lớn, the sanctuary is known by several affectionate names, each reflecting a layer of its religious history. The name Chùa Bà Ôn Lăng stems from the fact that from its founding, the supreme patron deity enthroned at the center of the Main Sanctuary has been Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu (天后聖母, Mazu, the Fujianese sea goddess who guided Quanzhou merchant junks safely across stormy seas to southern Vietnam). The names Chùa Quan Âm and Quan Âm Các (觀音閣, Pavilion of Avalokiteśvara) arose later, when the hall established a deeply revered sanctuary to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Quan Thế Âm Bồ Tát) (including both South Seas Guanyin and the Eighteen-Armed Cundī Guanyin) in the Rear Hall, drawing tens of thousands of Buddhist devotees and local residents praying for compassionate deliverance. Meanwhile, the colloquial name Chùa Ông Lào has nothing to do with the country of Laos, but is simply a southern Vietnamese vernacular phonetic rendering of the two characters Ôn Lăng.
What makes Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall especially compelling to scholars of religion is that it houses the most extensive and diverse pantheon of Taoist deities, Southern Fujianese folk gods and Buddhist figures in Ho Chi Minh City (comprising more than twenty major and minor altars). In the Main Sanctuary, the central tabernacle enshrines Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu attended by palace maidens and the two guardian generals Thiên Lý Nhãn (Thousand-Mile Eye) and Thuận Phong Nhĩ (Wind-Following Ear). Flanking the Main Sanctuary on the left and right are two deities intimately bound to the life of Quanzhou settlers: on one side sits Phúc Đức Chính Thần (福德正神, Bổn Đầu Công / Ông Bổn, the patron deity of the land and local blessings), and on the other sits Bảo Sanh Đại Đế (保生大帝, the historical Northern Song physician Wu Tao / Ngô Bản, a native of Tong'an County in Quanzhou Prefecture, revered across Fujian as the Imperial Lord of Medical Healing).
Moving through the side bays of the Front Hall, Middle Hall, Rear Hall (Quan Âm Pavilion) and the East and West Corridors, pilgrims encounter a complete cosmos of Three Teachings syncretism: altars to the Jade Emperor (Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế), Quan Thánh Đế Quân (Guan Yu), the God of Wealth (Tài Bạch Tinh Quân), Văn Xương Đế Quân, Chú Sinh Nương Nương (Goddess of Childbirth) with the Twelve Midwife Goddesses (Thập nhị Bà Mụ), Thái Tuế Tinh Quân (the Presiding Star Deity of the Sixty-Year Cycle), Nguyệt Lão Tinh Quân (Ông Tơ Bà Nguyệt, the Old Man Under the Moon who binds marital destinies), the Great Sage Equal to Heaven (Tề Thiên Đại Thánh), Judge Bao (Bao Công), Śākyamuni Buddha, Maitreya Buddha, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva (Địa Tạng Vương), Skanda Bodhisattva (Hộ Pháp Vi Đà), and, set low near floor level, the shrine of the Tiger Lord (Hổ Gia / White Tiger General) who subdues malevolent spirits and petty backbiters.
Hearing the popular name Chùa Quan Âm, many visitors assume this is a purely Buddhist monastery presided over by monastic sangha, or mistakenly take the folk rite of striking petty people (đả tiểu nhân) before the Tiger Lord's altar to be a Buddhist practice. In reality, Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall is a hometown guildhall of the Quanzhou Chinese community combined with a temple of Taoism and Southern Chinese popular religion, in which the Rear Hall sanctuary of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva reflects the tradition of deities and Buddhas dwelling together (Thần Phật đồng cư). All administration and classical ritual observances are conducted by the Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall Management Board.
IINearly three hundred years from the 5th year of Qianlong (1740) to the restorations of the Daoguang, Tongzhi and Guangxu eras
Founded in 1740, the nearly three-century history of Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall is documented by a rich corpus of Chinese stone stelae mounted along the walls of the Front Hall, recording in detail each restoration funded by Quanzhou merchant houses in Gia Định - Chợ Lớn.
According to the national heritage dossier and epigraphic inscriptions preserved on site, Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall was founded in the 5th year of the Qianlong era (the Canh Thân year 1740, during the rule of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát in Đàng Trong). In that mid-18th-century period, merchants from the five counties of Jinjiang, Nan'an, Hui'an, Tong'an and Anxi in Quanzhou Prefecture pooled contributions to build a temple to Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu as a venue for hometown solidarity, mutual aid for newly arrived Fujianese migrants and shared worship. After more than eighty years of tropical weather, the monument underwent its first recorded grand restoration during the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty: comparing historical sources on this campaign, the library notes that some accounts cite the start of work in the 4th year of the Daoguang era (Giáp Thân 1824), while the commemorative stone stele on site records the completion of a subscription of over ten thousand strings of cash led by the director of the Thái Nguyên Hưng merchant house in the 8th year of the Daoguang era (Mậu Tý 1828, corresponding to the 9th year of Emperor Minh Mạng).
In the second half of the 19th century, as the river port of Chợ Lớn reached its commercial zenith, Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall underwent two further grand restorations that gave full shape to its carved timber frame and ceramic roof ensembles: the Tongzhi restoration (spanning from the 6th year of Tongzhi, Đinh Mão 1867, to the 8th year of Tongzhi, Kỷ Tỵ 1869) and the Guangxu 23 restoration (Đinh Dậu 1897). In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, major conservation works were carried out in 1993, 1995 and 2017. Regarding its national heritage ranking in 2002, the library likewise records both dates cited in documentary sources: the official text of Decision No. 39/2002/QĐ-BVHTT of the Minister of Culture and Information was signed on 30 December 2002, whereas some summary plaques cite 5 March 2002. The monument is officially ranked as a National Architectural and Artistic Heritage Site.
- 1740 (Qianlong 5)Founding of Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall by Quanzhou merchants in Đề NgạnIn the Canh Thân year (Qianlong 5, 1740), Chinese merchants from the five counties of Quanzhou Prefecture (classically named Ôn Lăng, Fujian province) built a temple to Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu and a hometown guildhall in Chợ Lớn.
- 1824 - 1828 (Daoguang 4 - 8)First grand restoration led by the Thái Nguyên Hưng merchant houseA major restoration carried out during the Daoguang era (1824 - 1828), in which the director of the Thái Nguyên Hưng firm and Quanzhou merchants raised over ten thousand strings of cash to expand the halls and erect a commemorative stone stele.
- 1867 - 1869 (Tongzhi 6 - 8)Tongzhi-era restoration, casting of the great bronze bell and erection of stelaeBetween the Đinh Mão year (1867) and the Kỷ Tỵ year (Tongzhi 8, 1869), the assembly hall underwent extensive repairs, cast its great bronze bell and added finely carved horizontal plaques and couplets.
- 1897 (Guangxu 23)Late-19th-century restoration and installation of Cây Mai ceramic roof tableauxIn the Đinh Dậu year (Guangxu 23, 1897), the hall completed a major restoration, crowning its multi-tiered tubular-tiled roofs with elaborate Cây Mai glazed ceramic relief ensembles.
- 1993 and 1995Structural reinforcement and refurbishment of the life-release pond and courtyardThe Management Board of Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall repaired the timber frame and tile roofs, refurbished the Quan Âm Pavilion and landscaped the front life-release pond in 1993 and 1995.
- 2002 and 2017National Architectural and Artistic Heritage ranking (2002) and conservation (2017)In 2002, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision No. 39/2002/QĐ-BVHTT (signed 30 December 2002, with some records citing 5 March 2002) ranking Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall as a National Architectural and Artistic Heritage Site. A major conservation campaign was completed in 2017.
IIITraditional Quanzhou (Minnan) architecture across 1,800 square meters and the treasury of Cây Mai ceramics on the roof ridges
Occupying a compound of roughly 1,800 square meters at 12 Lão Tử Street, Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall is a consummate example of traditional Quanzhou - Southern Fujian (Minnan) temple architecture. Its overall ground plan follows the inner-công outer-quốc configuration (an enclosed courtyard plan with an extended rear sanctuary). In front of the building lies a shaded forecourt featuring a semicircular life-release pond stocked with carp and turtles alongside a miniature rockery. The main architectural block unfolds along its central axis through the Front Hall (Tiền điện), the Skywell courtyard (Thiên tỉnh), the Middle Hall (Trung điện / Bái đình), the Main Sanctuary (Chính điện, dedicated to Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu) and the Rear Sanctuary / Quan Âm Pavilion (Hậu điện / Quan Âm Các, dedicated to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva), enclosed on the left and right by the continuous East and West Corridors (Đông lang - Tây lang).
The most dazzling artistic hallmark of Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall is its multi-tiered tubular-tiled roof system crowned with an extraordinary ensemble of Cây Mai art ceramics along the ridges. True to classical Quanzhou architecture, the main ridge and eaves of the Front Hall curve upward at both ends like soaring swallowtails (Yến vĩ tích) or the prows of a merchant junk, supported beneath the eaves by interlocking red-and-gold timber bracket sets (đấu củng). Along the full length of the main ridge and gables, master artisans from the Cây Mai kilns (the most celebrated ceramic tradition of 19th- and early-20th-century Saigon - Chợ Lớn) crafted and mounted hundreds of polychrome glazed ceramic figures (in jade green, imperial yellow, white and brown glazes): at the center of the crest are Two Dragons Vying for a Pearl, flanked by Two Dragons Flanking a Pagoda, Phoenixes, Carp Transforming into Dragons, the Sun and Moon deities and long friezes of ceramic opera figurines (ngõa tích nhân vật) enacting scenes from Investiture of the Gods, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West.
One of the finest open-air collections of antique ceramic sculpture in Chợ Lớn: atop the upturned Quanzhou-style swallowtail roof ridges stand hundreds of 19th- and early-20th-century Cây Mai glazed ceramic figures portraying Two Dragons Vying for a Pearl, carp turning into dragons and classical opera tableaux.
The porch of the Front Hall features a pair of bluestone columns carved in relief with dragons among clouds, a pair of stone guardian lions and wall-mounted bluestone panels carved with the Four Sacred Animals, Eight Treasures and birds and flowers in the Hui'an - Quanzhou stonecutting tradition.
The interior preserves dozens of gilded wooden horizontal plaques and couplets from the Daoguang, Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns (such as 'Peaceful Waves Across the Maritime Realm' praising Thiên Hậu), along with openwork friezes carved with phoenixes, peonies and historical legends.
The hall safeguards a 19th-century bronze bell, bronze censers, Eight Treasures processional insignia and a series of Chinese stone stelae mounted along the Front Hall walls recording the restorations of the Daoguang (1824 - 1828), Tongzhi (1867 - 1869) and Guangxu (1897) eras.
The Rear Sanctuary houses the serene shrines of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (South Seas Guanyin and Eighteen-Armed Cundī) and the Buddhas, while the shaded forecourt features a semicircular pond where worshippers release carp and turtles.
IVThe lie of the land and the facing
This section is the library's own reading through the eyes of traditional form-school feng shui, based on the physical urban geography of historic Chợ Lớn and the internal spatial layout of the monument, rather than content transcribed from the hall's stelae. We state this clearly so that readers may distinguish historical record from geomantic interpretation.
Examined on the urban map of Chợ Lớn at approximately 10.75423 degrees north latitude and 106.65966 degrees east longitude, Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall (Chùa Bà Ôn Lăng / Quan Âm Pavilion) occupies a site that exemplifies the classical principle of sheltering from wind and gathering qi (tàng phong tụ khí). Unlike assembly halls whose gates open directly onto the heavy traffic of Nguyễn Trãi Boulevard, Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall is set one block back along Lão Tử Street (a quiet lane lying just north of Nguyễn Trãi and connecting Lương Nhữ Học Street with Phùng Hưng Street). The building is oriented seated Northwest, facing Southeast (slightly turned toward the South): the Southeast belongs to the Xun (Tốn) palace (the Wood element, associated with favorable winds filling the sails of merchant junks and cultural flourishing), allowing the sanctuary to receive gentle breezes rising from the Tàu Hủ Canal - Bến Nghé Creek system to the south while avoiding the direct rushing sha-qi of highway traffic.
Right in the spacious forecourt before the Front Hall (the outer bright hall / ngoại minh đường), the Quanzhou founders created a semicircular life-release pond paired with a rockery and shade trees. In traditional form-school feng shui, a calm body of water in front of a sanctuary serves as a water-gathering pool (tụ thủy trì) that retains wealth and auspicious qi: it cools and settles incoming yang currents before they enter the halls while harmonizing with the compassionate Water nature of the temple's two principal figures, Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu (Empress of the Seas in the Main Sanctuary) and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin of the Southern Seas in the Rear Sanctuary). Inside the building, the open Skywell (Thiên tỉnh) between the Front and Middle Halls acts as an inner bright hall (nội minh đường) linking heaven and earth, drawing fragrant smoke upward from the spiral incense coils while letting natural sunlight warm more than twenty altars along the East and West corridors. Together, the outer water pond, the inner skywell and the dual axis of Thiên Hậu and Quan Âm create a serene, protective energy field that has endured for nearly three centuries.
VFestivals of Quan Âm and Thiên Hậu, Thái Tuế star rites and the Awakening of Insects rite of striking petty people
Because it brings together the most extensive pantheon of deities in Saigon - Chợ Lớn, Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall (Chùa Bà Ôn Lăng / Chùa Quan Âm) hosts a vibrant calendar of rituals throughout the year, most notably the feast days of Guanyin, the birthday of Thiên Hậu, the New Year Thái Tuế star-pacifying rite and the White Tiger rite of striking petty people.
| Lunar date | Festival and ritual | Traditional ceremonies and distinctive folk customs |
|---|---|---|
| 1st lunar month (especially the Lantern Festival on the 15th day) | Lantern Festival, New Year Thái Tuế Star Pacification Rite and Praying for Love before Nguyệt Lão | Tens of thousands of residents and visitors offer New Year incense, request talismans before Thái Tuế Tinh Quân (Nhiếp Thái Tuế) to harmonize astrological clashes in their birth-year cycle, and pray for harmonious marriage before the Matchmaker Deity (Ông Tơ Bà Nguyệt / Nguyệt Lão). |
| Awakening of Insects solar term (Kinh Trập, early 2nd lunar month) | Sacrifice to the White Tiger (Hổ Gia) and the Rite of Striking Petty People (Đả tiểu nhân) | A distinctive folk ritual before the low shrine of the Tiger Lord (Hổ Gia): worshippers offer raw pork, duck eggs and tofu to the Tiger Lord and beat paper effigies representing backbiters and misfortune with a shoe or slipper to dispel gossip and invite noble benefactors. |
| 19th day of the 2nd, 6th and 9th lunar months | Three Grand Feast Days of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Birth, Enlightenment and Renunciation) | Three major annual observances at the Quan Âm Pavilion (Rear Sanctuary), drawing crowds of Buddhist devotees and local residents offering fresh flowers, fruit and vegetarian gifts for peace and compassion. |
| 15th day of the 3rd lunar month | Birthday of Bảo Sanh Đại Đế (Ngô Chân Nhân) | The traditional feast of the Quanzhou Fujianese community commemorating the birth of the medical deity Bảo Sanh Đại Đế, with prayers for health and deliverance from illness. |
| 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month | Grand Birthday of Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu (Thiên Hậu Thánh Đản) | The most solemn annual festival of Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall: the Management Board performs the bathing of the statue and the classical Three Offerings sacrifice before the Main Sanctuary, accompanied by lion and dragon dances and traditional opera. |
Every first lunar month, the sight of thousands of Saigon - Chợ Lớn residents queuing respectfully amid sandalwood smoke at Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall to register prayers for Pacifying Thái Tuế, or young couples standing before the altar of Ông Tơ Bà Nguyệt to ask for a red thread of destiny, forms an enduring tableau of spiritual life in southern Vietnam.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Số 12 đường Lão Tử, phường Chợ Lớn (trước tháng 7/2025 là Phường 11, Quận 5 cũ), Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
- Getting there
- From central Ho Chi Minh City (around Bến Thành Market), travel west along Trần Hưng Đạo Boulevard for roughly 4.8 km into the Chợ Lớn quarter, turn right onto Lương Nhữ Học Street or Phùng Hưng Street and then turn into Lão Tử Street to reach Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall at 12 Lão Tử Street, Chợ Lớn Ward.
- Coordinates
- 10.75423, 106.65966
When visiting and offering respects at Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall (Chùa Bà Ôn Lăng / Chùa Quan Âm), please wear modest, respectful attire. Because the sanctuary houses more than twenty altars to deities and Bodhisattvas arranged sequentially from the Front Hall to the Rear Hall, visitors may consult the numbered incense-offering diagram posted in the Front Hall or ask staff of the Management Board for guidance. During the first lunar month (Thái Tuế rites) and the Awakening of Insects solar term (White Tiger rites), crowds are very large, so please queue in order and help keep the area around the life-release pond clean.
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VIIContribute To This Page
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?Quick Questions
Which Chinese community founded Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall and why is it also called Chùa Bà Ôn Lăng, Chùa Quan Âm or Chùa Ông Lào?
The assembly hall was founded in the 5th year of the Qianlong era (1740) by Chinese merchants from the five counties of Quanzhou Prefecture (Fujian province), taking the classical name Ôn Lăng of Quanzhou. It is called Chùa Bà Ôn Lăng because its Main Sanctuary enshrines Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu, Chùa Quan Âm (or Quan Âm Pavilion) because its Rear Sanctuary houses a deeply revered shrine to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, and Chùa Ông Lào as a southern Vietnamese vernacular phonetic rendering of the name Ôn Lăng.
What makes the pantheon inside Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall stand out among the assembly halls of Chợ Lớn?
Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall brings together the most extensive pantheon of Taoist deities, Fujianese folk gods and Buddhist figures in Saigon - Chợ Lớn, numbering over 20 deities and Bodhisattvas. Alongside Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, it venerates Bảo Sanh Đại Đế (the Quanzhou god of medicine), Phúc Đức Chính Thần (Bổn Đầu Công), Chú Sinh Nương Nương and the Twelve Midwife Goddesses, Thái Tuế Tinh Quân, the Tiger Lord (Hổ Gia), the Matchmaker Deity (Nguyệt Lão / Ông Tơ Bà Nguyệt), Quan Thánh Đế Quân, the Jade Emperor and Judge Bao.
How are the Thái Tuế star-pacifying rite and the custom of striking petty people practiced at Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall?
During the first lunar month, worshippers whose zodiac sign clashes with the presiding annual star deity visit the altar of Thái Tuế Tinh Quân to present petitions and receive protective talismans for peace throughout the year. Around the Awakening of Insects solar term (Kinh Trập, early in the second lunar month), devotees gather before the floor-level shrine of the Tiger Lord (Hổ Gia) to offer raw pork, eggs and tofu and strike paper effigies with a shoe (đả tiểu nhân) to drive away slander, misfortune and petty backbiters.
What is the artistic significance of the architecture and roof ceramics of Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall?
Built across roughly 1,800 square meters in the traditional Quanzhou (Southern Fujian) style, the hall is distinguished by its multi-tiered tubular-tiled roofs whose ridge ends sweep upward like swallowtails. Along the main ridge and gables survives a monumental 19th- and early-20th-century ensemble of polychrome Cây Mai glazed ceramics depicting Two Dragons Vying for a Pearl, carp transforming into dragons and hundreds of classical opera figures.
When was Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall ranked as a national heritage site and which administrative ward does it belong to today?
Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall was ranked by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a National Architectural and Artistic Heritage Site in 2002 under Decision No. 39/2002/QĐ-BVHTT (the official decision is dated 30 December 2002, while some summary plaques cite 5 March 2002). Under Resolution No. 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15 of 2025 (effective 1 July 2025), the monument at 12 Lão Tử Street belongs to the newly established Chợ Lớn Ward (merged from former Wards 11, 12, 13 and 14 of District 5), Ho Chi Minh City.