Ba Den Mountain – Tay Ninh and the mysterious legend of the girl who appeared in dreams and manifested divine power.

Overview of Ba Den Mountain

Ba Den Mountain is a mountain located within the historical relic complex of Ba Den Mountain, widely known by many people as one of the destinations with charming scenery and many thrilling legends. The mountain is located in Binh Minh ward, about 11km from Tay Ninh center.

Black Lady Mountain Tay Ninh holds a mysterious charm

Black Lady Mountain has such a strange attraction for people, not only because it is the highest mountain in Southern Vietnam, with many majestic and beautiful natural landscapes, but also because of many mysterious legends, passed down by the people for generations, from stories of the divine snake appearing, Cau Bay – the mountain god, to the story of the girl who died unjustly, returning in divine dreams, saving people and the world, and bringing good fortune and prosperity to all beings.

The legendary story always captivates visitors to this spiritual destination, which is the legend of Ba Den – Ly Thi Thien Huong, daughter of Mr. Ly Thien – the governor of Trang Bang during the Nguyen Dynasty, and Mrs. Dang Ngoc Phung – a woman from Binh Dinh.

Legend of Ba Den Mountain

Legend of Ba Den Mountain

Legend has it that she was a beautiful, virtuous, skilled in literature and martial arts, and the daughter of a scholarly family, so many people were interested in her. In the village, there was a young man named Le Si Triet, orphaned, raised by the monk Tri Tan, he was skilled in literature and martial arts and also harbored feelings for her.

One day, Thien Huong went up the mountain to offer incense at the pagoda and was surrounded and captured by a group of thugs. In her moment of distress, Le Si Triet rushed in, fought them off, and rescued her.

To repay his kindness, Thien Huong's parents promised to marry her to Le Si Triet. But amidst the chaos, before they could marry, the young man Le Si Triet had to enlist and go to battle to fight the Tay Son. She promised to stay home and preserve her honor while waiting for her husband.

When Le Si Triet enlisted, back home, during one visit to the mountain to pay respects to Buddha and visit the monk Tri Tan, she was again surrounded by the same group of villains, who intended to dishonor her. To preserve her chastity, she threw herself down a mountain ravine, choosing death.

View of the Ba Den Mountain temple

In the first dream message: she appeared to the monk Tri Tan, in the form of a dark-skinned woman, and told the whole story.

After hearing the whole story, the monk woke up and sent people to find her body and bring it back for burial. Therefore, the monk called her Nang Den, and later generations called her Ba Den to show their respect.

The second dream message occurred when Lord Nguyen Anh, pursued by the Tay Son army, fled to Ba Den Mountain to hide. Lacking food, from the lord down to the soldiers, all were starving. Hearing the local people's rumors about the sacredness of Lady Den, in despair, Lord Nguyen Anh prayed for help. That night, Lady Den appeared in a dream, showed him the way to escape, and advised Lord Nguyen Anh to go to Siam to gather troops and wait for the opportunity to restore his kingdom and unify the country.

The time of miraculous spirit possession when meeting Grand Duke Le Van Duyet. The story goes that this official had heard of the sacredness of Lady Den, so he was determined to investigate and promised to submit a petition to the king and grant an official title to this young lady of the Ly family if she manifested her divinity.

One day, Lady Ly Thi Thien Huong indeed possessed the body of a young girl to converse with the Grand Duke about the future of this talented official and her own grievances, about not having reunited and lived with her husband, about becoming an immortal saint, and about being sent down to the mortal world to save humanity.

Immediately after, Grand Duke Le Van Duyet, on behalf of the king, conferred upon Lady Thien Huong the title "Linh Son Sacred Mother", sculpted a statue for worship, and resided at Mount Mot, now renamed Ba Den Mountain.

And the legend of the 3 miraculous dream manifestations of Lady Ly Thi Thien Huong spread everywhere, along with the spiritual beliefs of Vietnamese people – those who died unjustly are often very sacred, so their good reputation spread far and wide. People from all over came to Tay Ninh to sightsee, worship, pray for wealth and prosperity, and express their respect for this saintly mother.

Black Lady Mountain Temple (Den tho nui Ba Den)

It can be affirmed that Black Lady Mountain (Nui Ba Den) is one of the particularly important cultural and spiritual spaces of Tay Ninh in particular, as well as the whole country in general.

Experience Sun World Ba Den Mountain

The Black Lady Cable Car System belonging to the Sun World Ba Den Mountain tourist area officially opened on January 18, 2020. Sun World Ba Den Mountain also brings visitors wonderful experiences with a set of 3 cable car stations: Ba Den Station (Ga Ba Den), Chua Hang Station (Ga Chua Hang), Van Son Station (Ga Van Son).

This is the departure point for both cable car routes: the Chua Hang cable car route (taking visitors to visit the spiritual cultural space of Ba Pagoda) and the Van Son cable car route (taking visitors to explore Ba Den Mountain at an altitude of 986m). To ensure service for the huge volume of tourists flocking here, Sun World Ba Den Mountain calculated and built the Ba Den Station building with a total area of up to 10,959m2.

Ba Den Mountain Cable Car Station

Not only impressive with its large area, Ba Den Station also boasts a unique architecture with a design of 3 rising roof clusters symbolizing the majestic Ba Den Mountain complex with its 3 large peaks: Ba Mountain, Phung Mountain, and Heo Mountain. In the middle of the station lobby are elaborately crafted large columns resembling giant trees, making visitors feel as if they are standing in a forest rather than a mere cable car station. The interior uses materials with deep, warm tones, creating a luxurious feel, making this place a favorite check-in spot for many young people.

Along with 2 cable car lines with large capacity and a travel time of only 5-8 minutes per trip, station structures like Ba Den Station have truly contributed to reducing congestion, so tourists do not have to queue long and wait tiredly as in previous years when making a pilgrimage to Ba Den Mountain. Instead, the modern Cable Car system creates an opportunity for tourists to admire the picturesque natural scenery and explore the pristine and unique flora and fauna found only at Ba Den Mountain, Tay Ninh.

Buddha Statue of Tay Bo Da Son on the summit of Van Son

The Guinness World Record of Ba Den Station once again demonstrates the strong transformation of Tay Ninh tourism, making this place an attractive, modern new tourist destination on the tourism map of Viet Nam.

Checking in with Ba Den Station – the world's largest cable car station is definitely an unmissable experience in the journey to explore the "roof of the South" – Ba Den Mountain and the spiritual cultural space of the famous Ba Pagoda.