Sam Mountain, 284m high, is a famous spiritual tourist destination in Chau Doc, An Giang, because of the legend of The Lady (Vietnamese: Bà Chúa Xứ). According to legend, about 200 years ago, after discovering the sacredness of the Lady statue (located atop Sam Mountain), local people brought the statue to the foot of the mountain to facilitate worship. But when carrying her to the current temple site, the statue proved too heavy to move. The local people believed she had chosen this location, so they built a temple for her. Since then, more and more people from all over have come to visit and pray at the temple.
The Lady Temple is about 250 km from Ho Chi Minh City. If traveling by personal vehicle from Ho Chi Minh City, tourists can follow the Saigon-Can Tho highway and then continue along the Long Xuyen route. Coming to Chau Doc city, go straight on Tan Lo Kieu Luong street to the Sam Mountain cable car located on Chau Thi Te street.
Tourists who choose this type of transportation service can take buses from bus companies such as Futa, Hung Cuong, and Hue Nghia departing from the Western bus station and arriving in Chau Doc, which costs around 200.000 VND per ticket.
In the past, pilgrims often chose to ride motorbikes around the mountainside to visit her temple. However, since 2021, An Giang province has put into operation a cable car system with a total length of 900 m and 37 cabins, each accommodating 8 passengers, operating continuously to meet the needs of the Lady’s Day ceremony.
Currently, the two-way cable car ticket price for adults is 150,000 VND. On the cable car route to the top of Mount Sam, tourists can enjoy a panoramic view of the Shakyamuni Buddha statue carved into the cliff.
According to the management board of Sam Mountain national tourist area, each year this place attracts millions of visitors from all over to visit and pray, especially at the beginning of the year; the time of the festival of The Lady in Sam Mountain (from April 22 to 27 of the lunar calendar), full moon days, and the first day of every month. However, some visitors come not only because of its sacredness but also for its peaceful beauty, which helps them regain energy after the stresses of life.
The Lady Temple in Sam Mountain is famous for its sacredness and impressive architecture. Previously, this place was built quite simply with bamboo leaves. In 1870, local people restored the pagoda with bricks.
From 1972 to 1976, two architects, Huynh Kim Mang and Nguyen Ba Lang, renovated the pagoda to its current appearance. Outside is a gate carved with many parallel tureens and golden diaphragms. Even though they have been repaired many times, the wall behind the Lady statue and the four ancient pillars in front of the main hall still retain their original shapes. The three-level roof of the three floors has curved corners and is covered with jade green tiles.
After visiting the Lady Temple, visitors can go to the Sam Mountain cable car tourist area, experience the feeling of riding on clouds to see the panorama of Chau Doc, and immerse themselves in the peaceful Buddhist space, worshiping the “Jade Buddha statue” at the top of the mountain.
The statue is located in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, next to the Sam Mountain cable car station. The jade block used to make the Shakyamuni Buddha statue has a total height of more than 2.5 meters and weighs more than 3 tons, mined in Northeast Vancouver (Canada) – a place known as the world’s precious mine in terms of jade reserves.
In addition to spiritual works, there are also the twin towers – a building with the appearance of Notre Dame Cathedral located at the cable car station, check-in points combining eastern and western cultures, such as the love bridge, Vong Canh tower, …
Source: collected by An
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