Background: For those who didn't know, I'm half Thai and half Cambodian. Our New Year (in addition…read moreto other Southeast Asian countries such as Laos, Burma, Sri Lanka, etc.) is traditionally celebrated on April 13/14 and lasts for three whole days before the rainy season begins. I've gone to Wat Lao a few times over the years and I'm glad that I have a slice of my culture only 45 minutes away from home! The temple is located approximately 15 minutes past Manassas and there's plentiful parking around it. They have huge festivals for the Southeast Asian New Year and July 4th. Even if you're not Buddhist or Southeast Asian, you can still attend the festivals held at the temple. A small donation is suggested before you enter. In addition to tons of food vendors (pretty much any Southeast Asian food you can think of), they also have music, traditional dancers, and other entertainment throughout the grounds.

40th Annual Lao New Year Celebration reminded me how there is so much to explore in life. It was…read moreone of the best festivals I have attended. I met so many incredibly welcoming Lao people that do not stay shy to talk with you or explain some things. There is so much to see at the Buddhist compound and it is very peaceful, as if all the Buddhist reincarnations have taken a place already in order to create very friendly and calm people. There are markets with various products and clothes. Very popular booth was the one with Thai doughnuts made by friendly elderly Laotian couple. The whole atmosphere felt more festive and less commercialized then I am used to at other festivals. There is a stage with music/dance and there was a lot of food. It is very children friendly. My son loved letting fish in the pond for good luck (blessing) and he skipped other rites - food offering or water spilling. Interesting food item was sticky rice in a bamboo stick. You get it for $2 and they cut it with the machete and you enjoy food after you split the bamboo sides. There were all standard grilled items and pho's and fried vegetables. The food was cheaper than normal - great Pad Thai was $5 instead of usual $7. I felt so good at the festival and the access is the highway all the way, except for the last 4 scenic miles. I used to think of November as my favorite month because all the great local Scandinavian bazaars, but April is now so interesting with all the local South Asian New Year celebrations. Happy Lao New Year! P.S. They have two festivals a year - one in mid-April and another one on July 4th.

Wonderful atmosphere, great statues around and everything about the place was so peaceful. Will fs…read morebe coming back!

As someone who has consistently come to this temple for many years, it's really disappointing to…read moresee someone speak of Van Hanh Temple in such a way. My relatives and friends volunteer at this temple each week to help the monks prepare foods, and the services that they hold each Sunday. They have also helped out by conducting health screenings, and wonderful festivals that have made everyone very happy as well. The money that the monks receive all go back to the people that donate in the end. They do not really "beg" for it per say, but it is usually custom to try to give back to make the ambiance of this temple a lot better.

I love this place! They have 65 acres of hiking trails, multiple places to meditate outdoors, and a…read morebeautiful prayer room full of cool crystals.

Seems like a cool place to meditate. There was a nice outdoor temple and a parrot sanctuary where…read morethey have 50 rescued parrots.

Awesome organization, if you enjoy volunteering and doing community service these are great people…read moreto work with.

Great organization! The staff is very friendly. Being a clueless student, I recently got my taxes…read moredone here (for free!) and the staff did their absolute best to ensure everything was correct. Pay a visit and say hello, they seem to have some great volunteering opportunities available to those interested.

This is a sanctuary that offers zen, peace, and reflection…read more The indoor temple itself is not very large, but its perimeter is vast, with separate areas designated for sitting, meditation, and other purposes. Beautiful, various Buddha statues are offered here for different desires and prayers. This temple ground also offers various activities, including yoga and meditation classes, among others. See the included photos for more information. Last but not least, this is a peacock sanctuary; they come in peace, and can understand what the words that came out of my mouth. When I went on a rainy day, the peacocks were hanging out right next to me like they were keeping me company. Highly recommend to check this place out and offer what you can to support the facility.

Beautiful grounds to wander when you need a moment of peace and contemplation. The chimes are…read moreespecially hypnotic.

I have visited this places multiple times before pandemic and this is the real Buddhism practice,…read morevery serious and very beneficial and it is like a bath of my heart and soul for each visit.

I can't stress how wonderful and beautiful this temple is. Go to this temple every Thai New Year…read morebut in general for the love of the place and atmosphere. The food was amazing. They had Thai Sonkron Festival (Spring Festival) New Year on 4/20 and 4/21. I was about to post as much pictures on here but oh there's so limitation. I highly recommend everyone to come here for their peaceful temple even if you're not Buddhist but if you are this is the right place. The people here are really friendly. The place is very spacious and is huge so there is plenty of parking space. You can come here to pray, listen to the monk's Buddhist sutra or be blessed by the holy monk with holy water. Whatever your heart is at, this is a respectful peaceful place. The food vendors are extremely pleasant and their foods are out of this world. You will not be disappointed at all from majority of these Thai vendors. What I like about their food is it's definitely fresh, and definitely home cooking and street food style. Recommendation: Statue of famous Chinese Guanying Buddhist deity right near parking entrance. Very peaceful to sit and pray to her. Inside temple, you can pray to monk. Big temple. This is very family friendly even if you're not religious but very good for all Buddhist. The following are my top Thai food recommendations but majority of the vendors are pretty good so you won't go wrong with any of them. Some of the vendors that went to the Silverspring, MD Thai DC temple also come to this temple but this is truly the best Thai temple in the DMV area. Even if the crowd is large, there is so much open space for people to walk and the vendors here seem to be more organized and know how to serve the food a lot faster. The lines aren't as long as the one in Silver Spring, MD location and that's because the vendors typically have 3-5 helpers which is a good thing. Keeps the line going faster. It's best to get there early as it's less crowded and certain foods are not sold out. Typically by 1 pm EST, some of the food are sold out like shrimp cakes, fried doughnut, noodle roll soup etc. Vendor Food Recommendation: 1. Thai Pho noodle soup : 10/10 2. Thai Roll noodle soup: 10/10 3. Fried Pork belly: 10/10 4. Fried plantain and Taro 10/10 5. Thai seafood soup: 10/10 6. Papaya salad: 10/10 7. Sugar cane drink : 10/10 8. Fish, Chicken and Beef ball: 10/10 9. Beef Jerky: 10/10 10: Purple sticky rice bamboo with Taro : 10/10 11. Mango desert: 10/10 12. Thai Crepe 10/10 13. Pad Thai 10/10 14. Thai fried doughnut 10/10 15. Fish cake 10/10 16. Fried Coconut ball 10/10 Like I said, the food from all the vendors are really good. I don't think you wil dislike any as they are specialized in their own way of cooking.

Wat Tummaprateip Thai Buddhist Temple- Accokeek, MD (previously located in Alexandria, VA)…read more I've been to Wat DC in Silver Spring, MD several times, but I had no idea there was another temple so close by! Wat Tummaprateip used to be in Alexandria, but they recently moved South to Accokeek, MD. It's in a very secluded area, and you'd never find it unless you were looking for it. I hadn't even hear of Accokeek, so the journey out to the temple was very exciting! I really like Wat Tummaprateip. It's very calm, relaxing, and non-commercialized. I was welcomed by many friendly Thai people, and I was invited to eat lunch with the monks and Thai people who made food to serve to the monks. The food was delicious. Real authentic Thai food. The monks were very friendly, and they said they have meditation at the temple on a regular basis. The monks were Thai. (There is another temple out West of DC in Catlett,VA - I believe they are from Laos there). I liked how the monks just put all the food together in a bowl, mixing it, not being picky about flavors or portions, but treating it as a source of nutrition and energy. There was a ton of food. Behind the main building they have many pavilions/gazebos for meditating and relaxing, as well as peaceful walking areas. I highly recommend checking out this temple if you are looking for an alternative to Wat DC. It's quite different. They are currently renovating part of the temple, but the final competed building looks like it will be amazing.

What this is: a community dedicated to the serious and respectful practice of Tibetan Buddhism. The…read morecenter was established in 1994 under the spiritual direction of Lama Zopa Rinpoche as part of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international non-profit organization founded in 1975 by Lama Thubten Yeshe, a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Dr. Lorne Ladner, Ph.D., has served as director of The Guhyasamaja Center for over 12 years and I recommend checking out his book "The Lost Art of Compassion: Discovering The Practice Of Happiness In The Meeting Of Buddhism And Psychology." See their YouTube page to get a sense of their activities https://www.youtube.com/user/GuhyasamajaCenter What this is not: corporate consultant McMindfullness or nouveau riche types trying to look spiritual in their expensive yoga pants.

The new center is very beautiful and has a comfy atmosphere. A great place for teachings and…read moremeditation.