Núi Bà Đen—Black Virgin Mountain—rises 986 metres above the Tay Ninh plain, its granite summit visible from the Cambodian border. Local folklore dates its name to the 12th century, when a young woman named Lý Thị Thiên Hương fled an arranged marriage and took refuge in a cave on the mountain's southern face. She was later deified, and the peak became a pilgrimage site centuries before French surveyors mapped the region. The mountain's cable car system, installed in 2014, replaced a punishing two-hour footpath with an eight-minute glide over forest canopy and exposed rock. Sixty kilometres west of Ho Chi Minh City, the Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh City remains the operational heart of Caodaism, a syncretic faith founded in 1926 that draws from Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, and Islam. The Great Temple, completed in 1955, seats three thousand beneath a ceiling painted with clouds and constellations. Its central nave is flanked by columns wrapped in nagas, and the Divine Eye—symbol of the faith's singular deity—watches from the altar's globe. Noon prayer on any given day draws hundreds of clergy in saffron, red, blue, and white robes, each colour denoting a theological rank within the religion's hierarchical structure. Victor Hugo and Sun Yat-sen are among the faith's declared saints, their portraits displayed in side chapels. Tours that pair the two sites typically depart Ho Chi Minh City before dawn, covering 96 kilometres northwest on Highway 22 to reach Tay Ninh City by 08:00. The Holy See opens at 06:00; visitors are asked to remove footwear and remain silent during ceremonies. The drive to Black Virgin Mountain continues another 11 kilometres east into Thanh Tan Commune. The cable car, operated by Sun World, ascends from the tourist zone—admission 10,000 VND—to Linh Sơn Thiền Viện pagoda at 470 metres, then continues to the summit station at 986 metres. Multi-site itineraries often combine the mountain and temple with the Cu Chi Tunnels, located 40 kilometres south, creating a triangle route that spans war history, religious architecture, and regional mythology. The mountain closes its gates at 18:00, though most tour groups descend by mid-afternoon to avoid the cable car's evening queues. Operators offering Black Virgin Mountain and Cao Dai Temple tours provide round-trip transport, cable car tickets, and English-speaking guides. Some packages include entry to the Cu Chi Tunnels; others focus exclusively on the Tay Ninh pair. Pickup points concentrate in District 1 and District 3, with departures scheduled between 05:30 and 07:00 to align with the noon ceremony at the Holy See.