Ngan Nua Mountain
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Ngan Nua mountain range consists of large and small mountains evenly distributed over an area of ​​55 km2 in Trieu Son district, about 30km from Thanh Hoa City.
The highest peak of Ngan Nua range is Am Tien, about 500m above sea level. In 248, Ba Trieu (Lady Trieu – a heroine in the 3rd century who managed, for a time, to resist the rule of the Chinese Eastern Wu dynasty) built a pagoda named “Bich Van Cung Tu” or Am Tien. Later, local people built a temple at the foot of Nua mountain to worship Lady Trieu and restored Am Tien relic on the top of the mountain.
On the top of Ngan Nua, in addition to Am Tien pagoda, which is a place to worship the Mother Goddess and the Buddha… there are many places associated with legends such as the fairy chessboard where fairies play chess or the fairy well that never runs dry and whoever drink water from the well will have good luck.
There is a piece of land with a radius of 21m near Am Tien relic, which is believed to be one of the “sacred acupoints” in Vietnam, the convergence point of earth and sky. Every year, on the 9th day of the first lunar year, people flock to this place to attend the opening ceremony of the Nua Temple – Am Tien festival and the ceremony to open “heaven’s gate” to pray for fortune and peace.
This site was recognized as a national monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in March 2009.
Fansipan – “Roof of Indochina”
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With an altitude of 3,143m above sea level, Fansipan is not only the highest mountain in Vietnam, but also the “roof” of Indochina. This mountain, according to many feng shui experts, is the point of communication between the earth and the sky, the convergence of quintessence and spiritual energy.
In 2018, the world’s most modern 3-wire cable car system and a complex of 12 spiritual works were built on top of Fansipan, turning it into an attractive tourist site.
Ba Den Mountain
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If the North of Vietnam has Fansipan, the roof of Indochina, the Southern region has Mount Ba Den, the symbol of belief and also the roof of the South.
Over 100km from Ho Chi Minh City, the 986m Ba Den Mountain, formerly known as Mount Mot, is considered a symbol of Tay Ninh province. Legend has it that in Mount Mot area, there was a beautiful woman named Ly Thi Thien Huong who often went to the mountain to worship Buddha on the full moon day. One day she was seized by robbers and later rescued by a man named Le Si Triet. She fell in love with him. But before their wedding, the man had to join the army and go to the battle field.
When Ly Thi Thien Huong went up to the mountain to worship, she was again was seized by a bad guy who wanted to have her as a concubine. The lady jumped down into a ravine to keep her virginity. After her death, Ly Thi Thien Huong entered the dream of the abbot of a pagoda on Mount Mot to tell him to collect her body for burying. After that, she appeared in the dreams of the monk and local people as a girl to inform them of natural disasters and show them how to fight against wild animals. In response to her merit, the abbot and local residents made her statue for worship. They called her Ba Den (Lady Black). Since then, the name of the mountain has been called after her name.
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The Ba Den Pagoda system today, also known as Linh Son Tien Thach Tu, is located in the middle of the mountain at an altitude of 350m, consisting of the oldest temples in Tay Ninh such as Ba Pagoda, Hang Pagoda, Dong Hoang Chung, Trung Pagoda, Moi pagoda… about 300 years old. These are spiritual works associated with the religious life of the local people, attracting millions of visitors every year.
Mount Ba Den also marks the highest peak in the South with the Van Son peak of 986m. Covered by white clouds all year round, this mountain is where visitors come not only for pilgrimage but also for viewing the clouds and enjoying the beautiful scenery.
Doan Phong
