Fifteen kilometres northeast of Tay Ninh, Nui Ba Den (Black Lady Mountain; admission adult/child 8000/4000d) rises 850m above the rice paddies, corn, cassava (manioc) and rubber plantations of the surrounding countryside

. Over the centuries Nui Ba Den has served as a shrine for various peoples of the area, including the Khmer, Chams, Vietnamese and Chinese, and there are several interesting cave temples on the mountain. The summits of Nui Ba Den are much cooler than the rest of Tay Ninh province, most of which is only a few dozen metres above sea level.

Nui Ba Den was used as a staging area by both the Viet Minh and the VC, and was the scene of fierce fighting during the French and American Wars. At one time there was a US Army firebase and relay station at the summit, which was later, ironically, defoliated and heavily bombed by US aircraft.

The name Black Lady Mountain is derived from the legend of Huong, a young woman who married her true love despite the advances of a wealthy Mandarin. While her husband was away doing military service, she would visit a magical statue of Buddha at the mountain’s summit. One day Huong was attacked by kidnappers but, preferring death to dishonour, she threw herself off a cliff. She then reappeared in the visions of a monk who lived on the mountain, and he told her story.

The hike from the base of the mountain to the main temple complex and back takes about 1½ hours. Although steep in parts, it’s not a difficult walk – plenty of old people in sandals make the journey to worship at the temple. Around the temple complex a few stands sell snacks and drinks.

If you’d like more exercise, a walk to the summit and back takes about six hours. The fastest, easiest way is via the chair lift (one way/return adult 30, 000/50, 000d, child 15, 000/25, 000d) that shuttles the pilgrims up and down the hill. You can also opt to slide down the hill on the mountain’s toboggan run.

At the base of the mountain there are lakes and manicured gardens and (as with many such sacred sites in Asia) a mix of religion and tacky amusement park–style attractions: paddle boats for hire, ceramic beaver rubbish bins, and a choo-choo tram car (tickets 2000d) to save the weary a bit of walking.

Very few foreign tourists visit the mountain, but it’s a popular place for Vietnamese people. Because of the crowds, visiting on Sunday or during a holiday or festival is a bad idea.

Nui Ba Den appears prominently in a recent memoir published by a former American soldier in Black Virgin Mountain, A Return to Vietnam by Larry Heinemann.

www.lonelyplanet.com