Tây Ninh

Tay Ninh is the capital city of Tay Ninh Province, in Southern Vietnam.



Understand
Tay Ninh is the birth place of the Cao Dai religion and the home of the Cao Dai Holy See, the centre of Cao Daism. Tay Ninh is also known for the Ba Den mountain, the highest mountain in southern Vietnam, and the Dau Tieng reservoir, the largest reservoir in Vietnam.

Tay Ninh is hot and humid all year with an average temperature of 27.5 °C, and rainfall of 1,724 mm. The dry season normally lasts from Dec-Apr and the rainy season from May-Nov.

Get in

 * From Ho Chi Minh City: Tour buses run every day from HCMC, which is 96 km to the southeast. Tours, which usually include a stop at Cu Chi to see the Cu Chi Tunnels, cost about USD7-9 (140,000-180,000 dong).
 * From Cu Chi: You can go either by Bus 702 (18,000 dong, ~1.75 hr) or Bus 701 to Gau Dai (10,000 dong, ~1 hr), then Bus 4 to Tay Ninh (12,000 dong, 45 min).
 * Minibuses depart every 15 minutes from An Suong Bus Station (Intersection Hwy 1A/ Truong Chinh St) in Hoc Mon, Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh Bus Station. One way ticket is around USD3 (60,000 dong, ~2.5 hrs).
 * Another way to get to Tay Ninh would be by a charted taxi. An all-day return trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh and Cu Chi would cost you about USD45. Find any taxi and negotiate a round-trip price.

Get around
The hub of activities in Tay Ninh city is centred around two main streets, Cach Mang Thang Tam and 30 Thang 4, where most of the government buildings, banks, and businesses are. At the intersection of these two streets is the Tay Ninh roundabout, which is considered the centre of the city. The Cao Dai Holy See is approximately 3 km from the roundabout.

Getting around Tay Ninh is easy with a short ride via taxi and "xe om" motorbike taxi. Mai Linh taxi operates here and "xe om" can be found at most intersections.

See




Buy
As a rural province, Tay Ninh isn't much of a shopping destination. There used to be a popular duty-free shopping mall at Moc Bai border crossing that is now closed. Worthwhile buying are some Tay Ninh specialties that visitors can take home as gifts.

Eat
Tay Ninh goes to bed early. By 21:00 most of the city quiets down. The area around Cau Quan bridge (a short walk from Tay Ninh roundabout), however, remains active until late at night. In the evening, the area is brightly lit with shops lights advertising their wares. Eateries are crowded with diners. Drinks and snacks joints are teeming with customers. There are many dining options in this area. Find a seat on the promenade beside the creek and watch the bustling activities.

Drink
Tay Ninh is hot and humid year round. Fortunately, there are plenty of places that offer cold drinks and sanctuary from the heat. Drive around and one can find more than 10 coffee shops on any given street. Coffee shops are abundant here and there is no trouble in finding a nice place to chill, nonetheless, there are a few noteworthy places:



Sleep
There are a couple of hotels more or less close by 30/4 Thang near the roundabout. A hotel room typically comes with air-con and hot shower.



Go next
Tay Ninh offers a quick one day get-away from the big city. Most visitors come to see the Cao Dai Holy See and Ba Đen Mountain. A few would venture to Dầu Tiếng Reservoir. Most would head back to HCMC for other destinations. There isn't much to do in Tay Ninh after a day or two of sights seeing. Border crossing to Cambodia is at Mộc Bài.
 * Ho Chi Minh City