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Story: Nam Hoa
Photos: Quang Ngoc
Tay Ninh offers a harmonious blend of stunning natural landscapes and spiritual serenit.
Located in Southeast Vietnam, Tay Ninh acts as a natural gateway between the Central Highlands and the fertile Mekong Delta. Carrying the subtle charm of the highlands while embracing the character of the lowlands, this province’s most distinctive feature is its rich variety of greens, found in its forests, lakes, and mountains.
In the gently rolling hills and low-lying plateaus of Tan Chau and Tan Bien districts, Tay Ninh’s highland personality comes alive. Here, an emerald canopy stretches skyward as if drawing the sky closer to the treetops. Between the forests lie seasonal floodplains that give rise to marshy meadows, adding texture to the verdant landscape. Soft rays of sunlight filter through the forest canopy, casting a gentle glow on the moss-lined paths below. These enchanting landscapes stir the hearts of adventurers.
From Lo Go – Xa Mat National Park, follow National Highway 22B southward through vast rubber plantations, the leafy canopies arching to form a shady tunnel over the road, until you reach the iconic heart of Tay Ninh: Ba Den Mountain. Dubbed the “roof of the Southern Region”, this 968m-high peak rises like a giant green conical hat gently resting on the flatlands below.
Steeped in legend, Ba Den Mountain is an important spiritual destination. Midway up its slope rests the sacred Ba Den Pagoda (Linh Son Tien Thach Tu), which is centuries-old. At the summit lies a complex of spiritual monuments, including the colossal Tay Bo Da Son Bodhisattva statue—standing 72 meters tall and cast from more than 170 tons of bronze. Nearby is the Maitreya Bodhisattva statue, composed of 6,688 pieces of natural sandstone, crafted to resemble cascading terraced fields. Surrounding and beneath these sacred statues is a sea of vibrant green foliage, enveloping the mountaintop in nature’s embrace. At the foot of the mountain lies a custard apple orchard, where dozens of hectares are cultivated by local farmers, producing fruit celebrated for its exceptional fragrance and flavor.
Some days, a sea of clouds drapes over the mountaintop, shrouding the structures in a mystical haze. As the mist begins to lift, a breathtaking panorama gradually comes into view. Below, the landscape resembles a vast chessboard: squares of lush green trees, freshly tilled brown earth, and the shimmering violet of solar panels arranged in a seemingly random yet poetic pattern. From the summit, gazing eastward in the same direction as the Maitreya Bodhisattva, one can see beyond the vast “chessboard” landscape to the shimmering expanse of Dau Tieng Lake. The largest manmade lake in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, Dau Tieng Lake supplies irrigation water to Tay Ninh and neighboring provinces, provides freshwater fish for local communities, and serves as a popular eco-tourism destination for nature lovers.
The lake’s surface mirrors drifting clouds and the towering presence of nearby Ba Den Mountain, creating a serene and romantic scene unique to Tay Ninh:
Where green peaks reflect upon emerald water.
One fine morning, a gentle cloud came to visit.
Lo Go – Xa Mat National Park spans nearly 30,000 hectares across the communes of Tan Lap, Tan Binh, Hoa Hiep, Thanh Bac, Thanh Binh, and Thanh Tay in Tan Bien District. Of this area, about 11,000 hectares are designated as a strictly protected zone, over 19,000 hectares as an ecological restoration zone, and 125.8 hectares are allocated for services and administrative functions.
