White Horse Temple (Đền Bạch Mã)

In front of you is Đền Bạch Mã, the White Horse Temple. Squeezed between sweet shops and souvenir stalls, it is probably the oldest shrine in the Old Quarter.

1The horse that traced the walls

Tradition says that in 1010, when Lý Thái Tổ moved the capital here, the walls he ordered kept collapsing. The emperor came to pray at this temple, dedicated to Long Đỗ, the guardian spirit of the place. A white horse then emerged from the shrine and walked in a circle. The emperor had the walls built along its hoofprints, and this time they held. In gratitude he made Long Đỗ the city's guardian.

The legend can't be proven, but it explains Hanoians' deep devotion to this small temple.

2One of the four guardians

By tradition the temple was founded in the 9th century. Bạch Mã is one of the "four guardians" of Thăng Long, four temples protecting the city at the four points of the compass; this one watches over the east. What you see today is mostly 19th-century: the temple's steles mention a major renovation in the late 17th century and another in 1839, under Emperor Minh Mạng.

Inside, look for the great columns of lim, an extremely hard wood, and the carved beams.

3What to look for

• The white horse on the altar, with its reins and ornaments.
• The dark wooden columns and the carved ceiling beams.
• The stone steles recording the temple's renovations.