We expressed an interest to a Vietnamese colleague to visit a Buddhist temple in Hanoi. She took us to Tran Quoc Pagoda, which she described as the oldest pagoda in Hanoi located on a small island on West Lake with lovely views of the city. She also said that Tran Quoc Pagoda featured a bodhi tree grown from a cutting of the holy bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment (the cutting was a gift from an Indian prime minister in the late 1950s).

Upon arrival at Tran Quoc Pagoda you will be gently accosted by vendors with post cards and other souvenirs for sale. We found they accepted our "no thank you" easily, unlike some of the vendors we encountered in other Hanoi tourist areas. However, our Vietnamese colleague, who is a buddhist, was somewhat distressed to see some tourists wearing shorts attempting to enter the pagoda grounds (in spite of the sign at the entrance - see photo).

We enjoyed walking among the pagoda's various shrines and gardens during our hour long visit. The statuary and relics were beautifully arranged and lit, with some dating from the 1600s. As mentioned earlier, the views from the pagoda grounds were also quite nice and there were even some local residents fishing from the pagoda's island. While we wouldn't list this as one of our top experiences in Hanoi, it is worth a visit if you have more than a couple of days in the city.