The crafty lure of Tay Ninh

A wide angle shot of Ba Den Mountain, seen from across rice paddies. The mountain, at a height of 986 meters, is the highest in southern Vietnam and a "national tourism site" as recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Ba Den is a famous spiritual tourist draw. Traveling by cable car, visitors can take in historical sites and old pagodas like Linh Son Tien Thach Tu, Hang, and Dien Ba while listening to the tales of Linh Son Goddess, the deity of Ba Den Mountain.

The series was shot by Nguyen Tan Tuan, a photographer living and working in Ho Chi Minh City.

The cable car to Ba Den Mountain started operation in early 2020. There are two cable routes, one taking tourists from the bottom to the top of Ba Den Mountain and the other from the bottom to Ba Den Pagoda.

Covering 10,959 square meters, the cable car station is recognized by Guinness as the biggest in the world. The price for a cable car ride is VND100,000 ($4.3) for customers above 1.4 meters and half price for children between 1 meter to 1.4 meters.

From Ba Den Mountain, tourists can view Dau Tieng Lake, 25 kilometers from Tay Ninh Town. This is the biggest artificial freshwater lake in Vietnam, with an area of 27,000 hectares. It serves to monitor the water flow along Saigon River and provide water to regional residents.

Dau Tieng, called "Waveless Bay", is home to endless rice fields and fields of hot pinky lotus and water lily that cast great fragrances.

In the photo is a water lily pond near Dau Tieng Lake said to be a “must go” destination in Tay Ninh.

Water buffalo cross Dau Tieng Lake during low water season searching for food. This shot reached the final of the international photography contest run by US magazine Smithsonian in 2019.

Another place that tourists can visit in Tay Ninh is the large rubber tree forest. It’s the most beautiful here from December to March. A full grown rubber tree can reach 30 m in height.

Large solar panels are set up right next to Dau Tieng Lake to provide power for households nearby.

Craft villages, especially those producing conical hats like Ninh Son and An Hoa, is definitely worth a visit.

Chilies are dried under the sun and then ground with fresh sea salt to produce the famous Tay Ninh chili salt.

Sweet potato starch dries in Truong Tay Commune, Hoa Thanh Town before being chopped into thin fibers used to make noodles.

A woman dries incense sticks in Hoa Thanh Town.

A manufacturer of rubber tree sap containers in Chau Thanh District.

These containers are made from clay. There are currently 12 different traditional crafts in Tay Ninh, including rice paper, chili salt, incense, woodwork, and conical hats.