TL;DR: The Jade Emperor's vía is the 9th day of the first lunar month, a folk belief tied to the saying "the 8th for worshipping the stars, the 9th for worshipping the heavenly deities, the 10th for worshipping the earth." In Ho Chi Minh City, people often go to Chùa Phước Hải, also known as Chùa Ngọc Hoàng, on Mai Thị Lựu Street to offer incense and pour oil for cầu an (prayer for peace and safety). Tradition holds that this is the birthday of Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế, the Jade Emperor; the pagoda was built by Mr. Lưu Minh, a Chinese man of Guangdong origin, in the early 20th century and was recognised as a national architectural and artistic relic in 1994.
What is Vía Ngọc Hoàng on the 9th day of the first lunar month?
Vía Ngọc Hoàng is a folk festival held on the 9th day of the first lunar month each year, tied to the worship of Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế, the supreme saint regarded in folk belief as the ruler of heaven. People often recite the saying "the 8th for the stars, the 9th for the celestial deities, the 10th for the earth" to mark three consecutive days of worship at the start of the new year[1][2]. Tradition has it that the 9th day of the first lunar month is the birthday of Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế[4].
This vía day is not found only in Ho Chi Minh City: the festival calendar of the Quỳnh Châu assembly hall of the Chinese community in Huế also records the vía of Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế on the 9th day of the first lunar month, alongside the vía days of Quan Thánh Đế Quân and Quan Âm Bodhisattva[3].
Which temple is Chùa Ngọc Hoàng in Ho Chi Minh City?
Chùa Ngọc Hoàng has the Sino-Vietnamese name Ngọc Hoàng điện, also called Long Hoa Phật đường, and was known to the French during the colonial period as Chùa Đa Kao, located at 73 Mai Thị Lựu Street, Ho Chi Minh City, which under the boundaries before July 2025 was in Đa Kao Ward, District 1[4]. The temple has a grounds of about 2,300 m2, with Chinese temple architecture, brilliant decorative motifs and exquisite carvings[4].
Tradition holds that the temple was built by Mr. Lưu Minh, whose dharma name was Lưu Đạo Nguyên, a Chinese of Cantonese origin; according to scholar Vương Hồng Sển, he followed the Minh Sư sect, kept a lifelong vegetarian diet, and paid for the temple to serve both as a place of worship and as the base of a secret society aiming to overthrow the Manchu Qing[4]. Scholar Vương Hồng Sển states that construction began in 1905 and was completed in 1906, but some opinions hold that the temple was founded in 1900[4]. The temple was recognized as a national architectural and artistic monument in 1994[4].
After renovations in 1943, 1958, 1985 and 1986, the temple still retains strong Chinese architectural features[4]. Today it stands in the city center yet still has a shaded, tree-filled grounds, creating a quiet feeling distinct from the surrounding streets[4]. From outside, the triple gate bears two writhing dragon statues in the motif of two dragons flanking a pearl; behind the gate is a grounds with a shrine to the Hộ pháp deity and ponds for released fish and turtles[4].
How do people worship at Chùa Ngọc Hoàng on the 9th day?
According to reports by Thanh Niên and VietNamNet, on 6 February 2025, the 9th day of the first lunar month of the year Ất Tỵ, thousands of people from Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces flocked to Chùa Phước Hải, that is Chùa Ngọc Hoàng, to offer incense and pray[1][2]. Many believe that worshipping on the correct vía day will bring protection and blessings for the whole year, so they try to arrive as early as possible, some showing up at 4 a.m. to avoid the crowds[1]. By around 6 a.m., the stream of people grows busier, and the entrances to the main hall become crowded[1].
Because of the sheer number of people, the temple rules that each person may burn only one incense stick for prayer outside and may not bring incense into the main hall, to avoid suffocating smoke[1]. One source notes the temple encourages people to use candles instead of incense[2]. These are organizational adjustments arising from actual overcrowding, not an ancient ritual rule.
Some people share that they come to the temple to pray for their family's peace and choose to go early so the worship is leisurely rather than crowded[1]. Many families also bring small children along[1].
The oil-pouring rite and other peace-praying activities
The point considered most important when worshipping at Vía Ngọc Hoàng is the oil-pouring rite. In front of the Ngọc Hoàng hall there is usually someone to pour oil into the offering lamp[2]. Pouring cooking oil into the lamp is understood as adding smoothness and ease to all affairs; the worshipper says their name and their wish while pouring the oil[2].
After worshipping at all the halls, people often ask for fortune slips, protective amulets or perform the cúng sao giải hạn (star worship to ward off misfortune), in the belief that they will receive protection[2]. In the temple grounds there is also the practice of releasing living creatures: depending on the wish, people choose a suitable animal, for example releasing golden or red carp to pray for wealth, releasing catfish to pray for health and to ward off misfortune, releasing soft-shell turtles to pray through a difficult age, and releasing birds to pray for the deceased[4]. The article records these as what many worshippers hold to be so.
Summary table of the main markers of the vía day
| Marker | Content | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 8th of the first lunar month | Star worship | Per the folk saying "the 8th for the stars" |
| 9th of the first lunar month | Worship of celestial deities, Vía Ngọc Hoàng | Main day of the vía festival |
| 10th of the first lunar month | Earth worship | Per the folk saying "the 10th for the earth" |
| From 4 a.m. | People begin arriving at the temple | As reported on 6 February 2025 |
| Around 6 a.m. | The stream of people grows busier | As reported on 6 February 2025 |
| All day | Pouring oil, asking for fortune slips, cúng sao giải hạn | Main activities in the temple |
Is Vía Ngọc Hoàng a Buddhist festival?
This is the vía day of Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế, not of a Buddha; the place of worship, however, is a temple that blends the Three Teachings. The article in Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Phật học writes that temples in Vietnam usually worship the Buddha, while this one worships Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế; it began as a Minh Sư temple, was later absorbed into folk practice and is now a Vietnamese Buddhist temple[4]. Above the altar of Quán Âm Bodhisattva hangs a horizontal board reading "Tiên Phật Nho tông", made in 1905, which expresses the blending of the Three Teachings[4]. At Chùa Ngọc Hoàng, a statue of Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) is worshipped in the central hall[4], showing the temple has both a Ngọc Hoàng hall and a Buddhist worship space. At the Quỳnh Châu assembly hall in Huế, the central bay worships Quan Âm Bodhisattva and Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế in front, with Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu behind[3].
