Ba Den Mountain (Vietnamese: núi Bà Đen, núi means mountain), also know as Black Virgin Mountain or Black lady Mountain, is considered as the roof of the Southeast and an attractive destination in the Mekong Delta river tours. This place not only attracts tourists by the wild and majestic scenery but also by the surrounding thrilling legends. The mountain is suitable for exploring during the day or if you like you can choose to camp overnight here, it will bring a very interesting experience.
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General information about Ba Den Mountain
Ba Den is a majestic mountain located in the famous Ba Den mountain cultural and historical relic complex, in Thanh Tan commune, approximately 10 km northeast of Tay Ninh city and 100 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City.
Ba Den Mountain scenic complex has an area of about 24 km², including 3 mountains: Heo, Phung, and Ba Den mountain. With a height of 986m, Ba Den the highest mountain in the Southeast. The road to Ba Den mountain is divided into two parts: from the foot of the mountain to Ba Den pagoda and from the pagoda to the top of the mountain.
Map of Ba Den Mountain tourist area
The only way to reach the peak from the top is by climbing up. But from the foot of the mountain to the pagoda, there are 3 ways:
- Cable car: with 1,200m long and this is the fastest way to reach the top.
- Trekking: a good way to experience the feeling of conquering the mountain with your own strength. However, the road to the mountain is quite steep, so you need to pay attention to careful preparation and climb the mountain carefully.
- Go by the sliding system includes two lines going upward and downward.
Entrance ticket fee
To visit Ba Den Mountain tourist area, you must buy an entrance ticket, specifically as follows:
- Adults: About 16,000 VND/ticket
- Children (from 1-1.4m), people over 60 years old, people with disabilities: About 8,000 VND/ticket
- Children under 1m: Free
cable car in Ba Den Mountain
Ba Den Mountain’s opening hours (cable car system operating time) are from 6:00 a.m. to 22:00 p.m. from Monday to Sunday, and on Saturdays it operates 24/7.
Cable car fees to go up Ba Den mountain
For those who want to offer incense to Buddha or visit the spiritual tourist area on the top of the mountain, the Ba Den mountain cable car is the most popular means of transport, saving time while admiring the beautiful natural scenery. from above. And, below is the cable car ticket to go up the mountain:
What is the best time to visit the Ba Den mountain?
Tay Ninh tourists mostly come to visit from November to May next year. At this time, the weather is beautiful and sunny without raining, very suitable for climbing and camping trips.
However, if you want to admire and pray for spiritual works, regardless of the erratic weather and rain, you can visit Ba Den Mountain at any time of the year. In particular, the Ba Mountain Spring Festival (first half of January), Ba Linh Son Thanh Mau worshiping ceremony (the 4th, 5th, 6th of the 5th lunar month), Vu Lan – Mid-Autumn Festival (full moon day of July – August)… are the big holidays, it helps you gather with many Buddhists and pilgrims and participate in formal worship rituals.
Via Ba Festival in Ba Den Mountain
And it should be noted, with the new cable car system, tourists can come to visit and explore the mountain during the rainy season.
What you can do in Ba Den Mountain?
Ba Den Mountain owns a system of spiritual destinations, along with many typical Southern cultural experiences that help attract tourists.
Visit pagodas and grottoes
Located halfway up the mountain at an altitude of 350 meters is the Ba Pagoda system (Linh Son Tien Thach Tu) was formed in 1745 and built in 1763, with an area of more than 6,000 m² . This is the oldest pagoda with a vestige of the first inhabitants of Tay Ninh land and also a clear confirmation of the time Buddhism came to this region.
Not only Ba Pagoda, the Hang Pagoda, Trung Pagoda, Quan Am Pagoda… all of them located near together and have been exiting nearly 300 years old. This is a spiritual work associated with the religious life of local people, attracting millions of tourists to worship and pray for peace every year.
From the foot of the mountain to the top, there are many and grottoes such as Kim Quang, Kim Son, Thanh Long, Dai Dong, Thien Thai Grotto. This was the base of the Vietnam Liberation Army during the war. Furthermore, Ba Den mountain is the location of three preservation parks that serve as outdoor museums that display relics and photographs depicting the life and activities of the Vietnamese Liberation Forces during the American war.
Admire great and unique Buddha statues
From the middle to the top of Ba Den mountain, there are 03 famous Buddha statues attract million people come to visit and admire.
Reclining Statue of Buddha Shakyamuni
On the dense forest path behind Linh Son Tien Thach Pagoda, visitors can admire the masterpiece statue depicting the reclining figure of Shakyamuni Buddha when returning to the pure Nirvana. The statue is pure white, placed on a pedestal carved with exquisite reliefs, surrounded by a watchtower facing the immense sky. Buddhists from all over also come here to worship the reclining Buddha, also known as the Buddha entering Nirvana.
From the lookout of the statue, visitors have the opportunity to see the bustling scene of the pagoda complex and the distant clouds. The pink and white bougainvillea bushes woven from the stairs up to this location bloom all year round, helping you have unique frames and keep beautiful memories with family and friends.
The Lady Buddha statue
The Lady Buddha statue locates on top of Ba Den mountain, impressing with its height of 72m and cast from 170 tons of copper. Inspired by the Buddha statues of the Le Dynasty, artisans added many meaningful motifs and patterns to the project, creating a difference compared to Buddha statues of other countries. Standing in front of the masterpiece with cultural and spiritual value, visitors will feel positive energy, erasing the stress and pressure of life.
Looking up from the square, the majestic appearance of the Buddha statue standing on a 4-storey concentric base falls into the eyes of visitors. In particular, when walking up the stairs on both sides of the Buddha statue, you can observe the lush green forests, the leisurely clouds and the beautiful plains far away.
On major holidays of the year, the square at the foot of the Buddha statue is also a place where tourists joyfully assemble lanterns, write wishes and offer them to the gods. The magical light of more than 3,500 LED lights mixed with colorful lanterns makes the space here cozy, bringing a unique experience to visitors when visiting this sacred land.
The statue of Maitreya Buddha
Located at an altitude of 900m on the top of Ba Den Mountain, the giant Maitreya Buddha statue is in a sitting position on a flowing waterfall, eyes facing the East where the sun rises as if looking towards the future, covering the entire landscape of the Southern Delta with the vast Dau Tieng reservoir.
The statue has a height of 36 meters, a maximum width of 45 meters, a surface area of more than 4,600 square meters, a weight of 5,100 tons, and a necklace of 54 beads around its neck. The Maitreya Buddha Statue was shaped in a special method unprecedented in Vietnam: assembled from 6,688 natural stone pieces inspired by terraced fields. Each piece of stone is carefully selected, checked for color, grain, and exact size, then sculpted according to the design.
Compared to the largest Buddha statues in the world made from stone, in both height and weight, the Maitreya Buddha Statue at Ba Den Mountain is the largest stone Maitreya Buddha Statue in the world.
Climbing Ba Den Mountain – an interesting trekking route for backpackers
In addition to the cable car route to the top of the mountain, you can also conquer the roof of the Southern region by climbing. This is an ideal trekking route for young people who love to explore. Accordingly, there will be 5 routes of increasing difficulty level.
- Pagoda Road: This is the easiest route to conquer Ba Den peak. From the welcome gate, just follow the directions to get there. Along the way, there are many bars where you can have a snack, rest, and drink water to fuel your journey.
- Electric pole trail: Electric pole path is quite suitable for those new to climbing. This route has steps and clear markings.
- Water-pipes trail: Visitors will have to crawl through relatively dangerous water pipes. However, in return, you will be able to admire the majestic and poetic natural scenery.
- Ma Thien Lanh Trail: If you are a professional trekker, this will be a new discovery for you. This terrain has no trails or stone steps. Visitors will have to research carefully and have a companion guide the way.
- Phung Mountain trail: This is the last route and also the route with the greatest difficulty, challenging every climber. You will have to spend 2 days climbing to the top of Phung mountain and then continue the journey to Ba Den peak.
Please note that those who are not healthy enough, do not have enough endurance or do not have a local guide should not follow this route.
Camp on Ba Den mountain
After completing the tiring trekking, camping at the top of Ba Den Mountain is one of the best experiences. Waiting for dawn, or watching the floating clouds in the middle of the sky, brings great emotions as a reward after a long trip. Many young people chose to stay overnight to welcome the new day and watch the beautiful sunrise when they coming here.
What to eat when coming to Ba Den Mountain?
One of the important experiences when traveling to Ba Den Mountain that you must keep in mind is what to reward your belly with. Here are some suggestions that you can add to your menu to make your trip more complete:
- Tay Ninh beef
- Dew-dried rice paper rolled with pork
- Tay Ninh grapefruit spring rolls
- Ba Den mountain lizard
- Trang Bang noodle soup
- Durian sugarcane juice
Some notes before taking your trip:
If you travel to Ba Den mountain by cable car, you may not care about this issue. However, if you want to conquer the roof of the Southeast by yourself with your own strength, you must pay attention to the following:
- Before conquering Ba Den mountain for about 1 to 2 weeks, you need to exercise regularly so that your body can work at the high intensity of movement, avoid muscle tension, cramps when climbing.
- Prepare a good climbing shoes or sports shoes.
- There are no shops on the way up the mountain, so you need to bring your drinking water and some snacks.
- Wear comfortable, absorbing-sweat clothes.
- Do not forget to bring essential items such as raincoats, flashlights, sleeping bags, tents, … and some necessary medicines.
Vietdreamtravel is an tourist agency offer private tour, car/bus service rental service for you to visit Ba Den Mountain. If you require any further information, please feel free to contact us.
