Southern Vietnam · Day tour
Tay Ninh & Ba Den Mountain
Up the roof of the south by cable car, round the pagodas and caves at the summit, then the Cao Dai Holy See in the afternoon.
- Length
- Full day
- Approx. 5:00 AM – 6:30 PM
- Pick-up
- Ho Chi Minh City
- From your hotel
- Guide
- English-speaking
- Group or private
What you see
The day in short
Everything below is covered by the programme. The order can move with the traffic and the weather; the list does not.
Where it goes: Ho Chi Minh City
Highlights
- Ba Den Mountain, the roof of the south, at 986 metres
- The Van Son cable car, about 2,055 metres of cable covered in roughly eight minutes
- Ba Tay Ninh Pagoda, Hang Pagoda, Linh Son Phuoc Trung and Quan Am Pagoda, and the caves around them
- The 72-metre Buddha at the summit
- The Cao Dai Holy See, where Buddhist, Confucian and Christian motifs share one building
Hour by hour
The running order
Approx. 5:00 AM – 6:30 PM. These are the timings operations work to; your guide confirms the pick-up the evening before.
Want it privately?05:00 AM
Pick-up at the Youth Cultural House, 4 Pham Ngoc Thach, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, and out towards Tay Ninh.
En route
Your guide introduces Tay Ninh and the landmarks along the way, including Thap Bat Phu Vien, Muoi Tam Thon Vuon Trau and the steel land of Cu Chi. A rest stop for breakfast.
08:30 AM
Into Tay Ninh and on to the Ba Den Mountain tourist area.
Morning
The Van Son cable car to the 986-metre summit, about eight minutes up.
At the summit
The pagodas and cave systems, the view over the plain and the 72-metre Buddha.
Midday
Lunch and a rest.
Afternoon
The Cao Dai Holy See and the religion that built it.
06:00 PM
The day ends and the drive back begins.
What's included
- Air-conditioned car for pick-up and drop-off as set out in the programme
- Vietnamese tour guide throughout
- Entrance tickets at every stop in the programme
- Van Son cable car ticket to the summit
- Buffet lunch at Nam Chau
What's not
- VAT
- Personal expenses outside the programme
- Tips for the driver and guide
Before you book
- The guide on this departure works in Vietnamese. Ask us for an English-speaking guide and we will arrange one.
- Shoulders and knees covered at the pagodas and at the Holy See.
The route
- 1Ho Chi Minh City
- 2Ba Den Mountain
- 3Tay Ninh Holy See
Map is schematic and not to scale for travel times.
Our own camera roll
From this day
Good to know
Questions
Why such an early start?
To be on the mountain before the heat and the crowds, and back at the Holy See in time for the afternoon ceremony. Breakfast is taken on the road.
Is there walking at the summit?
Yes, but gentle and paved. The cable car does the climbing; the walking is between the pagodas on the summit plateau.
Can this run as a private tour?
Yes. Every excursion here can run privately with your own guide and vehicle instead of joining a group. Tell us how many of you there are and we will quote it.
Can we combine this with other days?
Yes — most guests string two or three of these together, or add them either side of a multi-day journey. Send us your dates and we will lay them out in a sensible order.
Book the Tay Ninh & Ba Den Mountain
Give us your dates, your hotel and how many of you there are. We confirm availability the same day and pick you up from the door.