One Pillar Pagoda, known locally as Chua Mot Cot, is one of the most recognisable symbols of Hanoi. The original pagoda was commissioned by Emperor Ly Thai Tong in 1049, making it one of the city’s oldest religious landmarks.

The pagoda is particularly famous for its unusual architectural design: a small wooden shrine rests on a single stone pillar rising from a square lotus pond. Its form is traditionally associated with a lotus flower emerging from the water, a powerful Buddhist symbol of purity and enlightenment.

According to historical accounts, the pagoda was connected with a dream of Emperor Ly Thai Tong, in which he saw the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara seated on a lotus and inviting him to sit beside her. The emperor subsequently ordered the construction of the pagoda, giving it both architectural and spiritual significance.

Today, One Pillar Pagoda forms part of the Ho Chi Minh Complex, together with Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House and Ho Chi Minh Museum. Its compact size and distinctive architecture make it an easy and worthwhile stop when exploring Hanoi’s historic Ba Dinh area.