The temple is located to the south of Dalat. From the district of Hòa Bình in the city centre of Dalat, the temple is located at a turnoff on the road to Prenn Hill, located on Phượng Hoàng Hill near Tuyền Lăm Lake. Along the road winding up the hill to the temple, the bell tower is clearly visible from afar. The tiled roof of the pagoda is also prominent, contrasting against the pine forests that surround it. The entrance of the temple is somewhat isolated, so there is a direct entrance to the temple with 61 steps or climbing, or you can go directly past Tuyền Lâm Lake and then climb 222 steps past the triple gated entrance to enter the main courtyard in front of the temple.
One of the objectives of the temple is to recreate the spirit of Zen Buddhism during the Trần Dynasty that ruled Vietnam from 1225 to 1400. The tradition practiced here was started by Emperor Trần Nhân Tông, who abdicated the throne in favour of his son Trần Anh Tông to become a Buddhist monk and founded a new tradition in Zen. The Trúc Lâm Zen tradition emphasizes the habit of applying Buddhist practice in whatever surroundings one finds oneself in, for sangha and laypeople alike.