at first the temple was just a small temple covered with a corrugated iron roof? and only allow people who followed Hindu religion to visit/ From 1950 to 1952? the total structure of the temple was rebuilt with a new version by some indian businessmaen living and working in district 1 at that time as a lace to practice their belife as well as to have their business always blessed by the goddess

Mariamman Hindu Temple is a sacred Hindu Temple dedicated to the goddess of the Rain ‘Mariamman’. This temple was built in the late 19th century by traders coming from India and has been well preserved. This complex is the only Hindu temple in Saigon and is believed to have miraculous powers giving luck and wealth to its visitors.

The outer wall of the Temple has a collection of interesting statues of different gods and goddesses like Mariamman, Vishnu, Brahma and Ganesha. The main hall of the complex (The Rajagopuram) stands twelve metres tall and inside you find a well maintained statue of Mariamman flanked by her protectors ‘Maduraiveeran’ and ‘Pechiamman’.

In the outer hall, Parvati's sons Ganesha and Muruga are on her right and left, respectively. The Raja-gopuram of this temple is about 12m high and contains a number of statues. Statues of Lakshmi, Murugan and other devas dot the hallways.

The main feature of the temple are the various statues of Mariamman, which surround the outer walls of the temple. These include Nataraja, Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Kali, Biramasakthi, Samundi, Thirumagal, Mageswari, Meenatchi, Valambigai, Andal, Kamatchiamman, Karumari-amman, Sivagami and Parvati who has Murugan in her lap.

Migrants from Tamil Nadu have constructed temples to the Goddess Mariamman all over South East Asia. There are, for example, temples to Mariamman in every state in Peninsula Malaysia, most notable of which is the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur. As well as being the goddess of fertility, Mariamman is also believed by many South Indians to have the ability to cure them of disease and to be the protector of Hindus travelling abroad.

Main shrine at the Mariamman Temple The most striking feature of the Mariamman Temple is the gopuram tower which is constructed above the main entrance to the temple. A ‘gopuram’ is a classic feature of temple architecture in Tamil Nadu state and is a tower with representations of Hindu gods and important characters from Hindu mythology built into the structure. The gopuram tower at the Mariamman Temple in Ho Chi Minh City is 12 metres tall and features a number of different Hindu gods represented by colourful statues.

Secondary shrine at the Mariamman Temple Inside the Mariamman Temple is a large square room. In the centre of the room is the main shrine to the Goddess Mariamman. In the relief above the shrine the seated goddess is flanked by Ganesh and Naaga, as she is traditionally depicted in the shaktha agamas. Vietnamese worshippers at the Mariamman Temple Whilst the Mariamman Temple was initially built as a place of worship for the Tamil community, in the modern day the majority of worshippers at the temple are Vietnamese nationals. Vietnamese people often have complicated religious beliefs which combine belief in one of the mainstream religions, such as Buddhism, with worship of other gods or spirits, and some Vietnamese people also worship the Hindu Goddess Mariamman. If you visit you will see mainly Vietnamese people at the temple offering gifts. The number of Tamil people living in Ho Chi Minh City has dwindled since the 19th Century due to the many years of conflict in the country during the 20th Century and the maintenance of the temple is now funded by the Vietnamese government.

There is also a huge mandapam or main hall inside the kovil.