Tay Ninh

Before you go

Tay Ninh is the birthplace of the Cao Dai religion and the home of the Cao Dai Holy See, the centre of Cao Daism, so a visit here is as much about understanding the faith as seeing the sights. The province is also known for Ba Den mountain, the highest mountain in southern Vietnam, and the Dau Tieng reservoir, the largest reservoir in Vietnam.

The weather is hot and humid all year round. The dry season normally runs from December to April and the rainy season from May to November, so plan your trip around which of the two you would rather travel in.

Getting there

From Ho Chi Minh City, tour buses run daily to Tay Ninh, which lies about 96 km to the southeast. These tours usually include a stop at Cu Chi to see the Cu Chi Tunnels, so they suit you if you want to combine the two sights in one day.

• From Cu Chi, you can take Bus 702, or Bus 701 to Gau Dai and then Bus 4 on to Tay Ninh.
• Minibuses leave every 15 minutes from An Suong Bus Station (at the Hwy 1A/Truong Chinh St intersection) in Hoc Mon, Ho Chi Minh City, for Tay Ninh Bus Station; the trip takes roughly two and a half hours.
• You can also charter a taxi: find any taxi and negotiate a round-trip price for an all-day return trip from Ho Chi Minh City covering both Tay Ninh and Cu Chi.

Getting around

Tay Ninh city is compact, and most of what you'll want to see clusters around two main streets, Cach Mang Thang Tam and 30 Thang 4, where the government buildings, banks and businesses sit. The Tay Ninh roundabout, at the intersection of those two streets, is the centre of the city and your best landmark for getting your bearings. The core area around the roundabout and the two streets is manageable on foot, but the Cao Dai Holy See lies about 3 km from the roundabout — a longer walk than most visitors will want in the heat, so take a taxi or xe om for that trip.

There is no rail, metro or tram network serving Tay Ninh, and no meaningful local bus network for visitors within the city, so practical movement relies on taxis and "xe om" motorbike taxis. Mai Linh taxi operates in the area, and xe om can be found at most intersections; both are convenient and low-cost for short hops. For longer journeys, a chartered taxi is a viable choice — you can arrange an all-day return trip from Ho Chi Minh City covering both Tay Ninh and Cu Chi by finding any taxi and negotiating a round-trip price.

Where to stay

Most of Tay Ninh's places to stay cluster along 30/4 Street near the roundabout, so you can compare several on foot. Rooms typically come with air-con and a hot shower, and breakfast is commonly included.

• Anh Dao Hotel (146 - 30/4 St) – an older hotel with big rooms, a short walk west of the Hoa Binh Hotel.
• Hoa Binh Hotel (210 - 30/4 St) – the town's main hotel, with a massage service, though it is quite run down and has not been renovated for some time.
• Nha Nghi Quyen (30/4 St, opposite Anh Dao Hotel) – small double rooms, with a large bedroom holding two double beds that is good value for money.
• Song Lam Hotel (30/4 St, between Anh Dao and Hoa Binh) – also offers a massage service.
• Viet Phuong (in the same block of buildings as Nha Nghi Quyen) – OK rooms.

Food & drink

Tây Ninh eats early, and most of the city quiets down by evening. The exception is the area around Cầu Quan bridge, a short walk from the Tây Ninh roundabout, which stays active late into the night with brightly lit shops, crowded eateries and drink and snack joints. Find a seat on the promenade beside the creek and watch the bustle.

• Cánh Ký Noodle House (109 Trần Hưng Đạo) is a family-owned spot known to locals for its won ton noodle soups, serving from morning until noon.
• Phở Mai (627 Cách Mạng Tháng 8, on the main street) is a clean, fast place for a good bowl of phở, open all day.
• Tùng Ký Noodle (Nguyễn Thái Học St, near the corner of Hoàng Lê Kha St) is small but busy, serving delicious won ton noodles.

The city is hot and humid year round, so cold drinks and shade from the heat are easy to find — coffee shops are abundant, with more than ten on any given street. Cafe Bang Lang (56 Nguyễn Chí Thanh, near the town centre) has a large open space and plenty of seating, and can be crowded with office workers in the early morning thanks to its proximity to government and business buildings. Cafe Thao Wind (196 Võ Thị Sáu) cools the air with tropical greenery, overhead baskets of plants forming a natural canopy and trickling water fountains — a nice place to chill and pass the time.

What to see and do

The Cao Dai Temple is the sight most visitors come for. Services are held several times a day, and most travellers time their visit for the noon mass. A balcony runs along the walls halfway up, giving you a fine vantage point over the service below. Listen for the orchestra of roughly ten musicians playing traditionally Vietnamese music, and the choir of about twenty who lead the congregation in prayer; the hymns blend Western and Vietnamese elements in a way you are unlikely to hear elsewhere. At the front of the temple, the Divine Eye sits in a triangle of justice surrounded by flowers on a cosmic globe, while the altar holds three glasses of wine, a cup of water and a cup of tea. The domed ceiling is painted with stars and a blue globe, a Cao Dai icon. Entry is free. On the temple grounds you can feed the monkeys that live in the trees and dash about near the seating areas on either side of the big square in front of the temple — locals and visitors alike enjoy it, and peanuts and fruit are the usual offerings. You can also stroll through the tracts of rubber plantation planted throughout the Holy See complex, saving you a trip further afield.

• Ba Den Mountain, roughly 10 km northeast of town, is often called the roof of southern Vietnam and is usually wrapped in cloud. A cable car runs from the bottom to the top, or you can walk the trail; either way the views over the countryside are breathtaking. For a real challenge, take a taxi or motorbike taxi halfway up near the temple entrances and hike about two hours to the summit, where a 360-degree vista rewards you — bring plenty of water and good hiking shoes, and note that some climbing skill is needed to reach the very peak. If you are here for the Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival in the first lunar month, expect crowds.
• Lo Go Xa Mat National Park, about 30 km northwest, protects a remnant of the primeval forest that once covered much of the province, with lowland forest and wetlands and a rich mix of flora and fauna, including endangered species. It is the only protected natural reserve in Tay Ninh, and on the Cambodian side of the park little of the forest remains.
• Dau Tieng Reservoir, about 19 km away, is set in a landscape of surrounding mountains and many islets.

Three days in Tay Ninh

Day one: From Ho Chi Minh City, take a bus or minibus from An Suong Bus Station along Hwy 22 through Hoc Mon and Cu Chi, or join a Cao Dai temple tour that stops at the Cu Chi Tunnels on the way. In Tay Ninh, settle into a guesthouse or hotel such as Anh Dao Hotel or Hoa Binh Hotel, then spend the afternoon exploring the town along Cach Mang Thang Tam and Truong Chinh St. In the evening, try local Cao Dai vegetarian cooking.

Day two: Visit the Cao Dai Holy See to observe a Cao Daism ceremony, ideally at noon or midnight. In the afternoon, climb Ba Den, the mountain that dominates the landscape around Tay Ninh, or explore the Dau Tieng area. Return to town for dinner and a quiet evening.

Day three: Take a minibus or Mai Linh bus back toward Ho Chi Minh City, breaking the journey at Cu Chi to explore the Cu Chi Tunnels. Alternatively, spend the morning at Gau Dai before catching an afternoon bus from Tay Ninh Bus Station. The dry season from November to April is the most comfortable time for this itinerary, while May to December brings warmer, wetter weather.