Temples are dedicated to the worship of deities, national heroes, or persons who have rendered meritorious services to the country or to a particular village or district. Temples have some connections with Taoism.
In terms of architecture, the outside part of a temple is basically similar to a communal house or a pagoda. The difference lies in the interior part: a temple has an altar with holy tablets identifying the hero and or the deity concerned, while a pagoda usually contains statues of the Buddhist Trinity. Some temples also contain sculptured statues of the heroes worshipped such as the Two Trung Sisters, Tran Hung Dao General, etc., which are usually put in impressive places such as the central hall of the Inner Room, thus adding to the solemn and austere air of the structure.
