Thien Mu Pagoda, located upriver from central Hue, was the home of the monk Thich Quang Duc who was driven to Saigon in 1963 and immolated himself to protest the policies of the Diem regime. 

The Austin car in which he was transported is housed here as a memorial.  Duc was the first monk to burn himself in protest and the dramatic picture taken of him burning is seared into the collective memory of many people around the world who were alive during the “American War”.

Many monks were to follow in his footsteps and there is no doubt that they contributed much to the public shift in loyalty that led to the assassination of the top members of the Diem regime by his own troops.