About a 40-minute drive from my homestay in Tam Coc is the Bai Dinh Pagoda. This is apparently Southeast Asia’s largest Buddhist complex, and it includes several temples and more than 500 carved statues of Buddha. This is a modern pagoda with elements that are, in fact, still under construction – though it incorporates some older artifacts into the design. This complex is so large that it ended up being my lone destination for the day, but I’m very glad I went!

When you first arrive in the pagoda’s parking lot, you have the option to buy a ticket for an electric car ride to the entrance to the pagoda. I didn’t even see a path that would make walking an option, so I payed my entrance fee in the way of an electric car ticket.

The entire pagoda complex is on an incline, so the next two hours consisted of walking up steps so see the various sights. The majority of the stairs were in covered walkways decorated with gold and lined with a seemingly endless number of Buddhas. These statues had clearly been rubbed over and over again for luck, so some of their hands, knees, and bellies had turned black.

My first branch off of this main walkway took me to some smaller structures that already offered beautiful views downhill.

Next came a stunning bell tower, which I climbed to see the enormous bells and the sights I’d eventually be heading to.

After each of these sights, it was back to the Buddha-lined gradual staircase.

Next came the Kuan-Yin Hall, and the scale of the many-armed Buddha here made for a dramatic sight!

In a peaceful part of the complex was a large pool surrounded by greenery and pomelo plants. I found some shade here to rest in before continuing my climb.

Next was the Buddha Dharma Lord Temple. Again, the motifs, gold, and the scale in which they were presented made for a dramatic sight.

Then came my personal highlight of the pagoda. This stupa or tower is visible from a long way away from the complex. It is built fairly high up within the pagoda, and is impressively tall. An elevator (when combined with a couple sets of stairs) provides access to the top of the tower, and this offered some gorgeous views. Along with being able to see the stunning landscapes around me, I could appreciate the scale and geometrical design of the pagoda itself.

The final and most impressive temple of the complex was the Three Periods Temple. It’s tough to understand the scale of this structure through photos, but it was huge! Underneath this temple, accessible from the back, was a large food hall for all the staff who work at the pagoda. There was clearly a stock of electric cars here to ferry the staff to and from their lunch breaks.

In my last major climb of the day, I went to see the enormous Maitreya Buddha Statue that I had spotted from the top of the tower. Under the feet of this enormous Buddha was a small temple, but really the highlight of this climb was the view it offered.

I had taken the right branch of the pagoda on my climb up, so I descended via the left branch. As the complex is essentially symmetrical the whole way through, I saw the same sights on my walk to the exit as I had seen on my way in.

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I spent the afternoon and evening dining and shopping in Tam Coc, and then went to the train station. I’m currently aboard an overnight train that will bring me to my last stop in Vietnam: Phong Nha.