Sam Mountain

Nui Sam rises about 230 metres out of the flat An Giang plain near the Cambodian border, and at its foot is the temple of Ba Chua Xu, the Lady of the Realm, whose statue - a seated sandstone figure of uncertain origin, probably Khmer and reworked - is the object of one of the largest pilgrimages in Vietnam, drawing several million visitors a year, with the main festival in the fourth lunar month. The hill also holds Tay An pagoda, the tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau who built the Vinh Te canal, and a road to the summit with a view over the delta into Cambodia.

The main sights

• Ba Chua Xu temple - several million pilgrims a year.
• A reworked sandstone figure - probably Khmer in origin.
• Tay An pagoda and Thoai Ngoc Hau's tomb - on the same hill.
• A view into Cambodia - from the summit road.

When to go

November to April; the fourth lunar month for the festival. A full day.

Practical notes

The temple area is intensely commercial, with heavy pressure to buy offerings and persistent touting. Festival crowds are enormous. The summit has been built up. Heat is constant.

Nearby

Chau Doc and its floating houses are north-east; the Cambodian border is west.