Tay Ninh is located in the Southeast region, bordering Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc provinces to the east, Ho Chi Minh City to the south, Long An to the west and Cambodia to the north with a 240 km long border.
Tay Ninh has the capital city of Tay Ninh, 2 towns including Hoa Thanh and Trang Bang and the districts of Ben Cau, Chau Thanh, Duong Minh Chau, Go Dau, Tan Bien, Tan Chau.
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 beautiful sunny days. Visitors should follow the weather forecast to have a suitable schedule.
Move
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 the center of Tay Ninh city, one-way ticket price is 100,000 - 250,000 VND. 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.
Accommodation
The province's accommodation areas are mainly concentrated in Tay Ninh city, Trang Bang town and locations near Ba Den mountain area.
In Tay Ninh city, visitors can choose hotels such as Melia Vinpearl Tay Ninh, Mai Vy Hotel, Valender Hotel, Sunrise Hotel with prices ranging from 500,000 VND to 1 million VND per night. In Trang Bang town and places near Ba Den mountain area, visitors can choose Blue Star hotel, Golden Central hotel, Tam Quen homestay, Diem Hang motel. More affordable motels and hotels have prices ranging from 150,000 VND to 300,000 VND.
Top Vung Tau Attractions – What to See and Do
Black Lady Mountain
Ba Den Mountain is located in the Ba Mountain relic complex in Thanh Tan commune, Hoa Thanh district, 11 km northeast of Tay Ninh city. Compared to the two remaining mountains in the complex, 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 hovering all year round on the top, looking like it is wearing a thin silk cloth, so the mountain is also called Van Son. Seen from afar, Ba Den Mountain stands tall like an upside-down cone in the middle of the plain, attracting tourists to visit.
If you visit all the temples on the mountain, you will visit 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. Among them, Ba Den Pagoda, which is over 300 years old, is a pilgrimage destination especially crowded during the New Year and the Ba festival 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 mountain top.
Many major Buddhist festivals are regularly held at Ba Den Mountain, such as Maitreya Buddha's birthday in early January, Buddha's birthday in the fourth lunar month, Vu Lan festival in the seventh lunar month, and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's renunciation festival in the ninth lunar month, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world.
To go up the mountain, most visitors 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 a place to see the scenery from above as well as the entire plain at the foot of the mountain.
Round-trip cable car tickets cost 250,000 VND for adults and 150,000 VND for children 1-1.4m tall. In addition, each guest 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 line to the top of the mountain operates from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The cable car line from Hang Pagoda to Ba Pagoda operates from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Tay Ninh Holy See
Located in Long Thanh Bac commune, Hoa Thanh district, about 5 km southeast of Tay Ninh city, Tay Ninh Holy See stands out in 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.
Cao Dai Tay Ninh was born in late 1926 in Tay Ninh. The symbol of the religion is 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 Great Festival of the Dieu Tri Palace on the 15th of the 8th lunar month every year. Visitors will be able to admire the magical space of the Holy See and the large-scale, unique cultural activities.
At the Holy See, solemn ceremonies are held four 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.
Please note that when entering the basilica, visitors must leave their shoes outside (there will be a guard) and are not allowed to take photos of people with the Holy Eye as a backdrop, only of the scenery. Visitors can ask permission to go upstairs to take panoramic photos of the basilica.
Dau Tieng Lake
From the city center, about 45 minutes by car, visitors will reach 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 low water season, Dau Tieng Lake is a camping spot chosen by many tourists because of its green lawns 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 enjoy thrilling games.
Lo Go Xa Mat National Park
Lo Go Xa Mat National Park with a total area of 19,000 hectares is located in Tan Bien district, about 30 km northwest of Tay Ninh city. 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 tourists to visit and watch birds. At the national park, visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the peaceful, wild 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, storks, and le khoa co. This is also a stopover for red-crowned cranes on their migration 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 dau rai tree and the vên vên tree, which are over 200 years old.
Go Ken Pagoda
8 km from Tay Ninh city center, Go Ken pagoda is located on National Highway 22B in Long Thanh Trung commune, Hoa Thanh district. The pagoda is over 100 years old, home to two giant Buddha statues, including a 25 m high statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara standing on a 7 m high dragon body and a 25 m 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 the ancient and quiet atmosphere. The pagoda has typical Buddhist structures that were elaborately built, from the Tam Quan gate, the Maitreya Buddha shrine, to the Lumbini garden, Ngu Hanh Son mountain, and the 9-storey Xa Loi Stupa.
Moc Bai border gate
Moc Bai is the largest international land border gate in the South on the Vietnam - Cambodia land border, located on the Trans-Asia Highway and 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City. Moc Bai welcomes many tours from Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces to visit and shop thanks to the duty-free supermarket system. From Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia, it takes about an hour for tourists to complete exit procedures at Moc Bai - Tay Ninh border gate and entry procedures at Bavet - Svayrieng border gate, so this is also the place tourists choose to stop and check in on their journey to Cambodia.
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 exists almost intact, representing the architecture of the Oc Eo culture of the South.
Nguyen Tam Kien ancient house
House No. 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 architectural and artistic relic. The owner of the house is Mr. Nguyen Tam Kien, Governor of the French colonial period. The house is still inhabited by descendants and many antiques are preserved. Visitors are welcome to visit and take photos for free.
What to Eat in Tay Ninh – Culinary Delights
Tay Ninh is famous for its rice paper, Trang Bang rice noodle soup, beef, grapefruit peel spring rolls, shrimp salt, Ba mountain snails, sour fish sauce, mountain lizards, and vegetarian dishes of Cao Dai followers.
Trang Bang noodle soup
Along Highway 22 from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh, there are many Trang Bang noodle soup shops. The bowl of noodle soup is characterized by pig's feet, blood and green onions, and is considered to be suitable for many people's taste. Trang Bang noodle soup is characterized by the sweetness of the bone broth, soft, sweet meat, and the aroma of fried onions, pepper and green onions.
Visitors can find noodle shops in Trang Bang town to enjoy, prices range from 30,000 VND - 100,000 VND per bowl.
- Nam Dung Noodle Soup 29, QL22, Tan Loc Hamlet, Trang Bang Town.
- Banh Canh Be Nam 45 QL22, Trang Bang town.
- Ut Hue Noodle Soup 88 Nguyen Van Rop, Trang Bang town.
Rice paper exposed to dew
Sun-dried rice paper is a specialty of Trang Bang, with an elaborate and sophisticated processing process. The cake is made from delicious rice, without any mixing. When grinding the rice, a certain amount of salt is added to create a salty taste. The rice paper is processed twice, making it 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 to dry in the dew.
Sun-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.
Visitors can enjoy 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 National Highway 22, Trang Bang Town.
Tay Ninh veal
Tay Ninh beef is a type of beef 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 beef with lemongrass, grilled beef with fish sauce, hot pot.
Guests can enjoy veal at the following addresses:
- Sau Tam veal, 68 Nguyen Trai, Tay Ninh city.
- Nam Sanh Beef, National Highway 22B, Hoa Thanh District.
- Song Que Cuisine, Tran Hung Dao, Tay Ninh City.
Grapefruit spring rolls
Pomelo spring rolls are a popular snack of Tay Ninh people. Pomelo spring rolls have sour, salty, sweet flavors, the spicy taste of chili, pepper and spices make up a vegetarian spring roll 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 have a pink color, moderate toughness and a combination of 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.
Vegetarian food court Long Hoa market
Long Hoa Market is located in the center of Hoa Thanh town, with 4 facades on Huynh Thanh Mung street and can be accessed from 8 different directions. The market is famous for its vegetarian food court serving many dishes on the spot and packaged for take-away. This is also a place selling many local specialties that attract tourists.
