Long Sơn Pagoda is located on 23/10 Street, Tây Nha Trang Ward, Khánh Hòa Province. The pagoda dates back to the late 19th century. It was founded by Most Venerable Thích Ngộ Chí and was originally named Đăng Long Tự.

In 1900, a major storm damaged the pagoda. It was then moved down to its current site at the foot of Trai Thuy Hill. In 1936, the pagoda was donated to the An Nam Buddhist Studies Association (Hội An Nam Phật học) to serve as its headquarters for the Buddhist revival movement in Khánh Hòa. In the late 1930s, the pagoda was granted a royal plaque reading “Sắc tứ Long Sơn tự” (Royally Recognized Long Sơn Pagoda).

After many restorations and embellishments, Long Sơn Pagoda has retained the distinctive features of traditional Buddhist architecture. Its grounds cover more than 3,000 square meters. They are harmoniously laid out with the three-entrance gate, the main hall, the lecture hall and the ancestral hall, along with statues and landscaped features.

Tiled roofs, rows of columns and decorations made from ceramic and porcelain fragments give Long Sơn Pagoda its distinctive architectural character.

The main hall covers more than 1,500 square meters and is the heart of the pagoda. It is solemnly arranged, with statues, reliefs and motifs that strongly reflect Buddhist art.

The solemnly decorated main hall is where Buddhist followers and visitors come to pay homage to the Buddha and pray for peace.

The main hall houses a bronze Buddha statue about 1.6 meters tall and weighing about 700 kilograms. The combination of statues, wooden architecture and natural light creates a calm and solemn atmosphere.

The Buddha statue is solemnly enshrined in the pagoda’s traditional architectural space.

A highlight of Long Sơn Pagoda is its complex of Buddhist structures on Trai Thuy Hill. From the pagoda, pilgrims climb 193 steps to the hilltop, home to the Buddha statue, popularly known as the White Buddha.

From the pagoda, 193 steps wind up the slope of Trai Thuy Hill, leading pilgrims to the Buddha statue.

At the 44th step lies a statue of the Buddha entering Nirvana. Built in 2003, it is 17 meters long and 5 meters high. Behind it, a relief depicts 49 disciples turning reverently toward the Buddha.

The statue of the Buddha entering Nirvana is 17 meters long and 5 meters high. Behind it, a relief portrays 49 disciples reverently facing the Buddha.

Further up the hillside is the bell tower. It houses a great bell offered to the pagoda by Buddhist followers in Hue city in 2002.

The great bell in the bell tower

The complex also features many statues and structures symbolizing the protection of the Dharma. They enrich the pagoda’s Buddhist architecture and art.

A Dharma protector statue in the Long Sơn Pagoda complex symbolizes the safeguarding of the monastery’s sanctity.

On the summit of Trai Thuy Hill stands the Buddha statue, built in the 1960s. The entire structure is 24 meters tall. The Buddha statue is 14 meters tall, the lotus throne 7 meters and the base 3 meters.

Beneath the statue’s pedestal are reliefs commemorating Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức and the monks who self-immolated to protect the Dharma in 1963. These images recall a special period in the history of Vietnamese Buddhism.

A relief of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức at the pedestal of the Kim Thân Phật Tổ statue recalls his self-immolation to protect the Dharma in 1963.

The Buddha statue sits in meditation on a lotus throne, standing out against the sky atop Trai Thuy Hill. The 24-meter structure has become one of Nha Trang’s most familiar symbols.

Founded in the late 19th century, Long Sơn today is both a center of Buddhist activities and a place that preserves Khánh Hòa’s representative historical, cultural and architectural values. Amid the modern pace of life in Nha Trang, the pagoda’s bell and the image of the Buddha statue on Trai Thuy Hill continue to evoke compassion, goodness and enduring values in the community’s spiritual life.