Ba Den Mountain

Cao Cai Temple (Left) and Cable Car at Top Baden Mountain (Right)

Vietnam :

Ba Den Mountain the highest peak in the southern provinces at 986 m high and 24 sq. m wide, is a great place to be visited in the off season, we can enjoy the fresh air and the distance 100 km from Ho Chi Min city.

Ba Den which was recognized as a national historical and cultural heritage site by the Ministry of Information and Communication (now, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in 1986, and surrounding Tay Ninh Town. We explored caves, pagodas, temples and war memorials, ate local delicacies, and literally climbed the mountain.

The bustling place of Ba Den is home to the pagoda of Trung, Thuong and Hang and the caves of Thanh Long, Ong Ho,Ba Co, Ba Tuan, Thien Tai, and Ong Ta. Three museums there house both relics and pictures of soldiers fighting in the American War. Tramcars (cable cars) connect it all, and lead to the foot of the mountain, at which point there are three options for ascent to Dien Ba (Ba Temple) and its famous lying Sakyamuni Buddha.

According the legend, the bronze statue of Ba Den names Ly Thi Thien Huong, a beautiful lady with swarthy complexion and much virtue, who was forced to marry with the son of a rich mandarin while her lover was fighting the aggressors. Refusing to marry a man she did not love, Huong threw herself from the mountain. Another legend tells the sinilar tragic story of a woman named Denh who worshiped in the Dien Ba.

Cao dai Great Temple located in Tay Ninh's Hoa Thanh District, 8 km from Ba Den mountain. The 22 m wide and 97.5 long temple and its peaceful place were built in the early 1920 and attract many local and foreign tourists. The temple has four towers : Tam Dai, Hiep Thien Dai, Trung Dai and Bat Quy Dai and in the centre, the rows of colonnade are decorated with dragons and coated in white, red and blue color.

The domed ceiling is divided into nine parts similar to a night sky full of stars. And, in the sanctuary, there's a giant star-speckled blue globe on which is painted the Divine Eye.

During the festival of Cao Daism, which occurs the first eight days of the Lunar New Year and in the eight lunar month, the place is alive with ceremonies and celebrations of the custom and lifestyle of residents in Tay Ninh Town. (Vietnam News)