Private & tailor-made · 1–4 guests
Ba Den Mountain and Cao Dai Temple Tour from Saigon, Private and Guided
The highest summit in southern Vietnam in the cool of the morning, the Black Lady’s pagoda on its flank, then the noon prayer at the Cao Dai Holy See and a Tay Ninh lunch. Every entry fee is paid before you travel, cable cars included.
A sample day at a glance
What changes when the day is yours
A private car for your group alone
Private, 1-4 guests, and nobody outside your party is added to it
Your own licensed local guide
Fluent in English and explains the Black Lady legend and the Cao Dai prayer — to your group alone, not twenty strangers
Collected at your own hotel
Anywhere in Saigon. No tour office to reach on your own at seven in the morning
Every entry fee and cable car prepaid
Both cable car lines are booked for you. Nothing is collected from you at any gate
No shop stops, in writing
No detour to a lacquerware showroom that pays to have you delivered
The summit before the cloud
We ride up in the morning, when the view is clearest, and still reach the Holy See in time for noon
Duration
About 9.5 hours
Departure
07:00 pickup
Pickup
Any Saigon hotel
from · $121 · / person · ›Check your price ›
Choose your group size · price is the total for the group
Solo traveller$320 BOOK →2 guests$375 BOOK →3 guests$430 BOOK →4 guests$485 BOOK →Free cancellation up to 3 days before · every tour tailored on request
The day, hour by hour
This is a sample day: add, skip or linger over any stop and we will adjust it. The times are set around the noon prayer at the Holy See, the one fixed point of the day.
Hotel pickup · 07:00 · anywhere in Saigon
Drive north-west · about 2½ hours · some 100 km out through Cu Chi and Trang Bang
Van Son summit, by cable car
09:15 · about 70 minutes · cable car and paved paths
Cable car included — both ways
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The Van Son line lifts you from the plain to 986 m in about eight minutes, over the forest paths that pilgrims still climb on foot. At the top stands Tay Bo Da Son, a 72-metre bronze statue of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and on a clear day the plain runs flat all the way to Dau Tieng Lake. Your guide explains why this one mountain, alone on the plain, became the holiest peak in the south.
Cable car down, then up again · about 15 minutes · across to the Chua Hang line
The Lady Pagoda
10:40 · about 40 minutes · cable car and stone steps
Cable car included · no temple fee
1 photo · tap to enlarge
Halfway up the mountain, at about 350 m, stands Linh Son Tien Thach Tu, the pagoda where the Black Lady is worshipped alongside the Buddha. It has been here for around 300 years, and on festival days pilgrims still climb the stone steps from the plain with offerings. Your guide tells the legend of Ly Thi Thien Huong and shows you how people pray here.
Short drive · about 25 minutes · to the Holy See
Cao Dai Holy See and the noon prayer
11:45 · about 50 minutes · on foot
No entry fee — watching the prayer is free
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The mother temple of Cao Dai, a faith founded in Vietnam in 1926 that honours the Buddha, Confucius, Laozi and Jesus under one Divine Eye. At noon the faithful file in by rank, in white, blue, yellow and red robes, and pray to live music while visitors watch from the upper gallery. Your guide explains who each figure is and what the colours mean, which is what turns it from a spectacle into something you understand.
Lunch: dew-dried rice paper
12:45 · about 50 minutes · local restaurant
Lunch and a soft drink included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
Tay Ninh’s own dish: banh trang phoi suong, rice paper left out in the night dew until it turns soft, rolled at the table with boiled pork and a basket of wild herbs. Vegetarian and other diets are easy to arrange if you tell us when you book.
Back at your hotel · around 16:30 · about 2½ hours back to Saigon
Summit, pagoda, Holy See and lunch, in one car
No stops we did not tell you about, nothing to pay at any gate, and any part of it can be changed.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$320 BOOK →2 guests$375 BOOK →3 guests$430 BOOK →4 guests$485 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›What is in the price
Included
- Private car with driver, pickup and drop-off at your Saigon hotel
- Your own licensed local guide, fluent in English
- Return cable cars on the Van Son summit line and the Chua Hang line
- The noon prayer at the Cao Dai Holy See
- Lunch of Tay Ninh dew-dried rice paper rolls, with a soft drink
- Bottled water all day
Not included
− Drinks beyond the soft drink at lunch and the water we provide
− Anything you choose to buy on the mountain
− A tip for your guide and driver — never expected, always welcome
− Travel insurance, which we recommend you carry
Is this the right tour for you?
A good fit if
You want the mountain and the Holy See in one unhurried day, with the noon prayer timed properly.
You would rather be on the summit in the morning, before the afternoon cloud builds.
You are travelling as a couple, a family or a small group and want the day to bend around you.
You want one number that covers everything, with nothing to settle at any gate.
Look elsewhere if
You are one person on a tight budget.
You want to hike up the mountain on foot. This day uses the cable cars; a hike is a different, longer day.
You only have half a day. The drive alone is about five hours there and back.
You fly out of Saigon before about 19:00 the same evening.
If you also want the Cu Chi Tunnels, the long day starts earlier and takes them in at opening time. See the Ba Den, Cao Dai & Cu Chi day. Or tell us what you want to see, and we will plan a day around it.
Questions before you book
About the day
How long is the tour and when does it start?
It runs About 9.5 hours door to door, with pickup at 07:00 pickup from your hotel. We can start earlier or later on request, as long as we reach the Holy See before noon.
Where do you pick us up?
At your own hotel anywhere in Saigon, including Thu Duc, District 7 and the airport area, with no meeting point to reach on your own. If you are staying in Tay Ninh, we collect you there instead. Your guide waits in the lobby for 20 minutes.
How much walking is there?
Less than you might think: the cable cars do the climbing. At the summit and at the Lady Pagoda there are paved paths and some flights of stone steps, and the Holy See is flat. It is hot on the plain, so we keep cold water in the car all day.
Can we change the route or the pace?
Yes. This is a sample day and every part of it can be adjusted: add a stop, skip one, or spend longer on the summit. Tell us before you book and we confirm the plan and an all-inclusive price in writing.
Does the guide speak good English?
Yes. Your guide is a licensed local who speaks fluent English and explains the customs, the legend of the mountain and the Cao Dai prayer as you go.
Booking and practicalities
Is the price per person or for the whole group?
For the whole group, from one to four guests: four people pay less each than two, and the car is the same car. Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest. Groups of five or more travel in a larger vehicle — message us for a quote.
How do I pay, and when?
Two ways: pay the full price online by card, or pay a 30% deposit online and the rest in cash on the day of the tour, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. We can also send a secure payment link on WhatsApp. The booking is confirmed once the online payment goes through, and your pickup time and guide’s name arrive in writing.
Can I cancel or reschedule?
Yes — free cancellation up to 3 days before departure for a full refund, and free rescheduling subject to availability. Within 3 days of departure, 30% of the tour price is charged because the car and guide are already committed.
What should I wear, and do I need cash?
Clothes that cover shoulders and knees for the pagoda and the Holy See, where shoes also come off, plus comfortable shoes and a hat. You do not need cash at any gate, since every ticket is bought for you; if you chose to pay the balance in cash, bring it for your guide. Date changes are arranged over WhatsApp.
What happens if it storms?
If storms or high wind stop the cable cars, your guide changes the order of the day, or we move the tour to another date free of charge. No partial refund is made for a stop that is changed.
Book your Ba Den day
Private car and licensed local guide, hotel pickup, every fee already settled.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$320 BOOK →2 guests$375 BOOK →3 guests$430 BOOK →4 guests$485 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›