Arts and scrap: A pagoda in Da Lat

Sitting eight kilometers from the southern resort town of Da Lat, Linh Phuoc Pagoda is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the areas. Built from 1949 to 1953, the pagoda boasts a colorful appearance made up of tens of thousands of pieces of porcelain.

Though the materials used are only scrap, the craftsmanship involved in creating the décor is a match for any arts and crafts.

The ancient bell on the first floor.

To the right of the pagoda is Hoa Long Vien Garden made noticeable thanks to a 49-meter-long dragon with scales made from empty beer bottles and a Di Lac Buddha in its mouth.

The seven-storey Linh Thap Tower, covered in pieces of porcelain too, is also part of the Linh Phuoc Pagoda complex. By the tower is an 18-meter statue of the Goddess of Mercy woven from 700,000 golden everlasting flowers.

Inside lies a 8.5-ton 'Dai hong chung' bell, the biggest of its kind in Vietnam. Luck is said to go to those who write their names (and their loved one’s) on a strip of paper and stick it to the bell.

The Goddess of Mercy's shrine is a three-storey building next to the tower with its own statue made of steel-reinforced concrete at 17 meters high. Each floor holds 108 statuettes of the goddess.

The exterior of the shrine.

From here, the tower offers a vantage point looking over the whole pagoda.