Cam Mountain

Nui Cam is the highest of the That Son, the seven mountains of An Giang, rising to about 705 metres out of the delta plain near the Cambodian border - a range that is geologically unrelated to the flat alluvium around it and that has been a place of hermits, healers and religious movements for two centuries, including the Buu Son Ky Huong and Hoa Hao traditions that began in this district. The mountain is covered in pagodas, shrines and caves, with a seated Maitreya statue of about thirty-four metres on the summit finished in 2005. A cable car now runs up.

What you actually see

• The highest of the seven mountains - about 705 metres out of flat delta.
• A range unrelated to the plain - geologically separate from the alluvium.
• A hermit and healer tradition - and the religious movements it produced.
• A thirty-four metre Maitreya - on the summit, finished in 2005.

When to go

November to April; the lunar new year and spring festivals are the busiest. A full day.

Honest expectations

The summit is heavily developed with statues, shops and restaurants. The cable car queues in festival season. Roads up are steep. Much of the religious building is recent.

Nearby

Tri Ton and the other six mountains are around it; Chau Doc is north.