Ba Den Mountain

Nui Ba Den rises 986 metres out of an almost completely flat plain in Tay Ninh, which makes it visible from an enormous distance and the highest point in the southern lowlands, where nothing else rises at all. Partway up is the shrine of Linh Son Thanh Mau, the Black Lady, a figure venerated across the south with several versions of her story - most of them ending with a woman who died rather than break faith - and the pilgrimage to her in the first lunar month is one of the largest religious gatherings in southern Vietnam. Cable cars now run to the shrine and to the summit, where a large modern complex and statue have been built.

History

The Gia Định Thành Thông Chí gives the mountain's old name as Bà Dinh, local elders say it was once Một Mountain, and around the mid-18th century the name Bà Đênh began to appear and slowly became Bà Đen. The oldest Khmer myth tells of a goddess, Neang Khmau, who left her footprints on its rocks, and the Vietnamese one of a woman who died on the mountain; it has a famous shrine about two thirds of the way up, and the Cao Dai Holy See at Tây Ninh stands close by (Wikipedia, Black Virgin Mountain).

What's there

• A 986 metre cone on a flat plain - the highest thing in the southern lowlands.
• The Black Lady shrine - venerated across southern Vietnam.
• A pilgrimage in the first lunar month - among the largest in the south.
• Cable cars and a summit complex - built in recent years.

When to go

November to April; the first lunar month for the pilgrimage. A full day.

Good to know

The summit development is very new and large, which disappoints people expecting a mountain. Pilgrimage crowds are enormous. Walking up is possible but hot and long. Cable car queues are the main time cost.

Nearby

The Cao Dai Holy See is at Tay Ninh; Ho Chi Minh City is south-east.

Key facts