Bow before the Buddha
Join your palms, bow and kneel before the Buddha in a main hall built on a T-shaped plan, with tiled roofs and gracefully upturned eaves.
Online 3D pagoda game
Visit Van Lien Pagoda, right in your browser
Bow before the Buddha in the main hall, light incense, meditate, count 108 prayer beads and help with temple chores alongside other players in an old northern Vietnamese pagoda. Free on phone and computer, nothing to install.
The game opens in English. Change the language any time in Settings.
Van Lien Pagoda (Chùa Vân Liên) is a fictional pagoda.
What you can do at the pagoda
Light incense and lamps
Walk to the right place, light the flame and set the incense in the burner step by step, just as at a real pagoda.
Meditate, count prayer beads
Sit on a meditation cushion to the sound of bell and wooden fish, or count all 108 beads to calm the mind after a busy day.
Help with temple chores
Sweep leaves in the courtyard, wipe the stone steles, tend the trees, clear the lotus pond and feed the carp. The elderly volunteers in the Chores Courtyard hand out tasks.
Memorial garden
Take a memorial plot to remember a loved one who has passed away. Its content is reviewed before others can see it.
Meet other people
Chat, greet each other with gestures, walk around the pagoda together and see the merit leaderboard.
Robes and outfits
Choose a male or female character, change your áo tràng (the robe Vietnamese lay Buddhists wear to the pagoda), prayer beads and outfits earned in the game.
Day and night in real time
Sunrise, sunset, moon and stars follow your local time, with gentle music for each area of the pagoda.
Merit cannot be bought
Merit is a progress score in the game. It comes from taking part regularly and is never exchanged for money. There is a daily limit, and players who never donate can still reach it. There are 60 levels in 7 tiers that follow the path of a lay Buddhist, from Sơ Tâm (newcomer) to Thiện Hữu Hộ Pháp (a good friend who supports the community).
Titles only reflect progress in the game. They are not monastic titles and do not replace taking refuge or receiving precepts in real life.
How to play
- Open the page and press Play. Try it as a guest right away, or sign up with an email address to keep your progress on every device.
- Create a character. Choose male or female, pick a name, a robe colour and a face.
- Walk around the pagoda. On a computer use the W, A, S, D keys. On a phone use the joystick in the corner of the screen. Tap the people at the pagoda to get tasks.
Menus are in English; change the language in Settings (O key).
Install it like an app
Add Van Lien Pagoda to your home screen to open it full screen, start faster and always get the latest version.
Android
Open it in Chrome and press the Install app button above, or open the ⋮ menu and choose Install app.
iPhone, iPad
Open it in Safari, tap Share and choose Add to Home Screen.
Computer
In Chrome or Edge, click the install icon at the end of the address bar.
FAQ
Is the game available in English?
Yes. The game opens in English from this page. You can switch between English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese in Settings. A few messages from the server are still in Vietnamese.
Does Van Lien Pagoda cost anything?
No. The game is free and runs right in your browser. You can support it voluntarily, but support is never converted into merit or rank.
Is Van Lien Pagoda a real pagoda?
No. Van Lien Pagoda is fictional, modelled on the architecture of old pagodas in northern Vietnam. Money given to support the game is not an offering to a real temple.
Do I need to install anything or create an account?
No installation is needed. You can start as a guest right away, and your progress is kept if you later sign up with an email address. You can also add the game to your home screen to open it like an app.
Will it run on a low-end phone?
Yes. The game has three graphics levels and lowers the level automatically when your device cannot keep up, so it runs on ordinary phones and computers.
Is the merit in the game real merit?
No. Merit in the game is a progress score. It cannot be bought with money and has a daily limit. Titles only reflect progress in the game and do not replace taking refuge or receiving precepts in real life.