Tay Ninh is located in the Southeast region, bordering Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh city, to the east and south, Dong Thap to the west and Cambodia to the north with a long border.

With the location is a key economic zone and is the gateway connecting the Southeast with the Mekong Delta. Tay Ninh is also considered one of the provinces with rich and diverse tourism potential, bringing visitors many memorable experiences when coming here.

General information about Tay Ninh

In terms of geographical location, Tay Ninh has the Dong Vam Co River flowing through before converging with the Tay Vam Co River to form the Vam Co River.

Furthermore, Tay Ninh has important strategic locations, bordering Ho Chi Minh City and the Cambodian border. After the merger between Tay Ninh And Long An in 2025, the new province has a space of more than 8,500 km² with a population of more than 3.3 million people.

What’s the best time to visit Tay Ninh?

Tay Ninh’s climate is divided into two distinct seasons. The dry season is from December to April of the following year. The dry season is sunny and convenient for sightseeing. Tay Ninh’s rainy season lasts from May to November. However, the rain does not last long and there are still sunny days, visitors should follow the weather forecast to have a suitable schedule.

How to get here

Tay Ninh is about 100 km from Ho Chi Minh City, travel time is 2 – 3 hours depending on the means of transport. From An Suong bus station or Tan Son Nhat airport, popular passenger vans such as Dong Phuoc, Le Khanh, Hue Nghia limousine, to Tay Ninh city center, one-way ticket price is 100,000 – 250,000 VND.

The old Long An is just  about 60 km from Ho Chi Minh City. National highways from Ho Chi Minh City through Long An to other provinces in the region include QL1, 50, 61, N1 and N2. Travel time is from one and a half to two and a half hours, depending on traffic conditions, means of transport and destination in the province.

In Tay Ninh, visitors can go to tourist attractions by taxi, or rent a motorbike for 100,000 – 180,000 VND each. Personal cars and motorbikes are the most flexible means of transport.

There is no airport in Tay Ninh, and the nearest airport is Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City. Travel time is one and a half to two hours, depending on traffic conditions. With a location not too far from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, visitors have many options in using or renting means of transport.

Accommodation in Tay Ninh

Tay Ninh is located next to Ho Chi Minh City, so it is suitable for a day trip or short trips of 2-3 days. If staying overnight in Long An, visitors should choose to stay in eco-tourism areas. The accommodation area in Tan Lap floating village has rooms with prices ranging from 450,000 VND to 1.1 million VND per night. In the center of Tan An, visitors can choose 2-3 star hotels with prices ranging from 200,000 VND to 600,000 VND per night.

Sightseeing

Ba Den Mountain

Ba Den Mountain is located in the Ba Mountain relic complex in Binh Minh commune, 11 km northeast of Tay Ninh. Compared to the two remaining mountains in the group, Heo Mountain and Phung Mountain, Ba Den Mountain stands out with a height of 986 m and is the highest mountain in the Southeast. The mountain has white clouds floating all year round on the top, looking like it is wearing a thin silk cloth, so the mountain is also called Van Son. From afar, Ba Den Mountain stands tall like an upside-down conical hat in the middle of the plain, attracting tourists to visit.

If you visit all the pagodas on the mountain, you will pass by Ba Den Pagoda (Linh Son Tien Thach Tu), Hang Pagoda (Linh Son Long Chau), Linh Son Hoa Dong Pagoda, Linh Son Phuoc Trung Pagoda, and Quan Am Pagoda. Of which, Ba Den Pagoda, which is over 300 years old, is a pilgrimage destination especially crowded at the beginning of the year and the Ba festival is held annually in the 5th lunar month.

The statue of Buddha Tay Bo Da Son sits on a bronze lotus platform, appearing and disappearing among the sea of clouds, amidst the natural scenery on the top of the mountain.

Many major Buddhist festivals are regularly held at Ba Den Mountain, such as the Maitreya Buddha’s birthday in early January, Buddha’s birthday in the fourth lunar month, or Vu Lan festival in the seventh lunar month, the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara’s renunciation festival and the ninth lunar month, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world.

To go up the mountain, most tourists choose to travel by cable car. The three cable car stations are Ba Den station, Chua Hang station, and Van Son station, which are not only places for passengers to transfer to tourist attractions on the mountain, but also places to see the scenery from above as well as the entire plain at the foot of the mountain.

The round-trip cable car ticket price is 250,000 VND for adults, 150,000 VND for children 1-1.4m tall. In addition, each visitor must buy an additional entrance ticket for adults at 16,000 VND, 8,000 VND for children 1-1.4m tall, people over 60 years old, and people with severe disabilities.

The Van Son cable car to the top of the mountain operates from 7:45 am to 16:00 pm on weekdays, 7:00 am to 17:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The cable car from Hang Pagoda to Ba Pagoda operates from 7:00 am to 17:00 pm on weekdays, 6:00 am to 18:00 pm on Saturdays and 6:00 am to 17:00 pm on Sundays.

Tay Ninh Holy See

Located in Long Hoa commune about 5 km southeast of old Tay Ninh city, Tay Ninh Holy See stands out in its campus with its unique architecture, combining Eastern and Western philosophical views, expressing the synthesis of many spiritual elements in one project. The Holy See began construction in 1933 and was completed in 1947, but was not inaugurated until 1955.

Tay Ninh Cao Dai religion was born in late 1926 in Tay Ninh. The symbol of the religion is Thien Nhan with an eye in a triangle, symbolizing God. In addition, the religion also worships Buddha Shakyamuni, Jesus, Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Guanyin. These images are depicted in many places inside and outside the Holy See, especially the main entrance.

The two biggest festivals of the Holy See are the Great Festival of the Supreme being held on the 8th of January and the Yaochi Palace on the 15th of the 8th lunar month every year. Visitors will admire the magical space of the Holy See and the large-scale, unique cultural activities.

At the Holy See, ceremonies are solemnly held 4 times a day at 0:00, 6:00, 12:00 and 18:00. This is the address for visitors to learn about religion and experience the cultural beliefs of Tay Ninh.

Note that when entering the Holy See, visitors must leave their shoes outside (with someone watching) and are not allowed to take pictures of people with the Holy Eye as the background, only take pictures of the scenery. Visitors can ask for permission to go upstairs to take panoramic photos of the Holy See.

Dau Tieng Lake

From the city center, about 45 minutes by car, visitors will arrive at Dau Tieng Lake – the largest artificial lake in Vietnam. The lake has an area of 27,000 hectares, so it is also known as the Sea Lake of Tay Ninh.

During the flood season from August to November, Dau Tieng Lake is filled with water, creating a freshwater ecosystem with many types of shrimp and fish.

During the dry season, Dau Tieng Lake is a camping spot chosen by many tourists because of its green lawn and fresh air. Nhim Island in the middle of the lake is also an attractive camping spot. To reach the island, visitors must rent a boat from local people. Around Dau Tieng Lake, tourism services have been developed. In addition to camping, visitors can choose to paddle SUP or play thrilling games.

Lo Go Xa Mat National Park

Lo Go Xa Mat National Park with a total area of 19,000 hectares, about 30 km northwest of Tay Ninh. In 2019, the park was recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park. After the appearance of the stork flock, the park management board has had many protection plans, and at the same time organized for visitors to visit and watch birds. At the national park, visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the peaceful, pristine beauty of nature at the border when traveling by motorboat on the Vam Co Dong River, watching wild flowers and birds on both sides of the river.

Lo Go Xa Mat is home to more than 200 species of rare water birds such as giang sen, old Java, swallow, and le khoa co. This is also a stopover for red-crowned cranes migrating from the Mekong Delta to their breeding grounds in Cambodia. The terrain in the garden is flat and easy to navigate. Visitors can experience trekking through the forest to visit two ancient trees recognized as Vietnam heritage trees, including the 200-year-old tung tree and the more than 200-year-old vên vên tree.

Go Ken Pagoda
8 km from the center of Tay Ninh city, Go Ken Pagoda is located on National Highway 22B in Long Thanh Trung commune, Hoa Thanh district. The pagoda is over 100 years old and is home to two giant Buddha statues, including a 25-meter-high statue of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara standing on a 7-meter-high dragon body and a 25-meter-long statue of Buddha entering nirvana.

The Go Ken Pagoda complex is a blend of traditional and modern architectural styles. The space of the pagoda brings visitors a sense of peace because of the harmonious combination of a quiet and ancient atmosphere. The pagoda has typical Buddhist structures that were elaborately built, from the Tam Quan gate, the Maitreya Buddha shrine, to the Lam Ty Ni garden, Ngu Hanh Son mountain, and the 9-storey Xa Loi Stupa.
Binh Thanh Ancient Tower
The thousand-year-old tower was discovered in 1886, located in Binh Thanh commune, Trang Bang district. This is one of the rare ancient towers that still remains almost intact, representing the architecture of the Oc Eo culture of the South.
Nguyen Tam Kien Ancient House
The house at 39 Phan Chau Trinh Street, Tay Ninh City was built in 1894 with traditional Southern architecture. The wooden structures and tiled roofs are preserved intact to this day. In 2017, the building was ranked as a provincial-level architectural and artistic relic. The owner of the house is Mr. Nguyen Tam Kien, the Governor during the French colonial period. The house still has descendants living there and preserving many ancient objects. Visitors are welcome to visit and take photos for free.

Cuisine
Tay Ninh is famous for its rice paper, Trang Bang rice noodles, young beef, nem rin grapefruit, shrimp salt, Ba mountain snails, sour fish sauce, mountain lizards, and vegetarian dishes of Cao Dai followers.

Trang Bang rice noodles
Along National Highway 22 from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh, there are many Trang Bang rice noodles shops. A bowl of rice noodles is characterized by pig’s feet, blood and green onions, which is considered to be suitable for many people’s taste. Trang Bang rice noodles are characterized by the sweetness of bone broth, soft, sweet meat, and the aroma of fried onions, pepper and green onions.

Customers can find rice noodles shops in Trang Bang town to enjoy, with prices ranging from 30,000 VND – 100,000 VND per bowl.

– Nam Dung rice noodles 29, QL22, Tan Loc hamlet, Trang Bang town.

– Be Nam rice noodles 45 QL22, Trang Bang town.
Ut Hue Rice Noodle Soup 88 Nguyen Van Rop, Trang Bang Town.
Snow-dried rice paper
Snow-dried rice paper is a Trang Bang specialty, with an elaborate and sophisticated processing process. The cake is made from delicious rice, without mixing. When grinding the rice, a certain amount of salt is added to create a salty taste. The rice paper is processed twice, thicker than other types. The cake is steamed and then dried in the sun, then grilled again on charcoal to make it fragrant and spongy, the final step is drying in the dew.
Snow-dried rice paper is soft and chewy, often used to wrap meat, fish, raw vegetables and dip in sweet and sour fish sauce or fermented fish sauce.
Customers can enjoy it at local restaurants and buy rice paper as gifts. Some suggested restaurants:
– Ut Thien Restaurant 88 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Tay Ninh City.
– Hoang Minh Restaurant 38 QL 22, Trang Bang Town.

Tay Ninh veal
Tay Ninh veal is a type of cow about 5 to 6 months old that is naturally raised, so the meat is firm, not too fatty, the skin is not too hard, the ribs are soft and sweet. Beef is processed into many different dishes such as steamed veal with lemongrass, grilled veal with fish sauce, hot pot.

Visitors can enjoy veal at the following addresses:
– Sau Tam veal, 68 Nguyen Trai, Tay Ninh City.
– Nam Sanh veal, QL 22B, Hoa Thanh District.
– Song Que Cuisine, Tran Hung Dao, Tay Ninh City.

Broo nem
Broo nem is a popular snack of Tay Ninh people. Buo nem has a sour, salty, sweet taste, the spicy taste of chili, pepper and spices to make a vegetarian nem that visitors should try when coming to Tay Ninh.
The main ingredients of this dish are grapefruit peel, shredded green papaya, dried, combined with sour star fruit, chili, pepper, star fruit leaves, banana leaves… Ripe spring rolls are pink, moderately chewy and have all the sour, salty, sweet, spicy, aromatic flavors, all creating a unique dish that attracts diners.

Tourists can buy grapefruit spring rolls at traditional markets, rest stops or local restaurants for 30,000 VND – 40,000 VND per dozen.

Specialties
In addition to dishes that can be enjoyed on the spot, tourists coming to Tay Ninh can buy specialties such as custard apple, shrimp salt, dew-dried rice paper, vegetarian spring rolls, Thai fish sauce, salted roasted beans, taro, vegetarian salt at Long Hoa market as gifts.