Sam Mountain, An Giang Provence, Vietnam

Sam Mountain in the distance.

After an interesting breakfast where our order was lost in translation, we flagged down a moto-taxi to head toward our destination for the day. At first, he too didn't know what we were trying to tell him. Then I heard him say several times, “Nui Sam?”

“YES!” I said, nodding in agreement. The two of us hopped on the back of his motorcycle and soon our hair was blowing in the warm breeze as we passed occasional buildings and rice paddy fields. The ride was only a couple miles and he charged us 100,000 dong.

Sam Mountain is considered part of Chau Doc, but it is detached from the main village. Apart from visiting many of the shrines, it was my goal to climb to the top, which was supposedly the highest mountain in the Mekong Delta.

Our driver dropped us off at the foot of Sam Mountain, next to the Tay An Pagoda. This was a bustling little area with motorbikes and bicycles buzzing all around, shops lining the street, and vendors along the sidewalk. Not intending just yet to hike up the hill, we set out to explore the shrines.

Naturally, Tay An Pagoda became our first stop. The ornate building was orange in color, complemented with a creamy white. It appeared a cross between Buddhist and Hindu. The entrance was guarded with statues of elephants, lions and Buddhist deity figurines. Carved into the face of the building I saw what appeared to chrysanthemums, and along the trimming of the roof were lotus blossoms. Atop the pagoda stood an ornate tower with an onion dome.

An official description says it was built in 1847 and has elements of Cham, Vietnamese, Chinese and Indian cultures. I thought it interesting that the white elephant had six tusks protruding from his mouth.

Tay An Pagoda.

Just down the road we found our second holy building. This was the Ba Chua Xu Temple. Contrasted with the pagoda, this structure was more square in shape, with a greenish blue-tiled roof that was layered and flared at the corners. It was built in 1820.

Inside was an open-air walkway with nooks on the sides filled with shrines. Lotus blossoms, sticks of incense and other offerings sat on tables, I'm assuming to be sold to devotees. I saw several ladies around a tray of suckling pig. I didn't know if that was meant to be an offering, or lunch.

The Ba Chua Xu Temple is also known as the Holy Mother of the Realm. Legend has it that in ancient times the Holy Mother helped the villagers fight back the Siam army. She also blessed them with good weather and a rich harvest. Now worshipers will come to touch her statue and ask for her blessing and protection.

Ba Chua Xu Temple.

Across the street we found another place of worship. This one was the tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau. Don't ask me how to pronounce his name. And if it weren't for the internet, I wouldn't even know who he was.

Thoai Ngoc Hau joined the army in 1777 at the age of 16. He was a military commander in 1802 at the beginning of the Nguyen Dynasty where he was instrumental in conquering the north. He also established several villages and canals in the area.

His tomb was enclosed inside a building that looked like every other shrine in the area. Atop a box was a sculpture of his head. Admirers came to give praise to the departed man.

Shrine and tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau.

Now it was time to find a way up the mountain. This was no normal mountain. Most of it was covered in thick growth, shrines, and shacks lived in by locals. Supposedly there was a “trail” that went to the top, but we didn't know if that trail was dirt or concrete. If there was a sign pointing toward the trail, we probably didn't understand it. We quickly learned this would be a game of trial and error.

We walked up a set of stone stairs past shrines and what appeared to be tiny tombs. The path twisted and turned and soon I had completely lost my bearings. 

The path was also a bit sketchy. Often we came startling close to someone's home and dogs would begin to bark. I worried we were entering someone's living space. Once we passed a pet monkey in a cage that looked very sickly.

Cluster of tombs as we hike up the hill. 

Roaming dogs.

At one point we could see the top of the hill, but our meager trail fizzled out. It was near here where I first caught a glimpse of the next ridge over and saw what appeared to be the face of a giant stone Buddha. The inadequate view left much to be desired and we hoped to catch a better view later.

From our dead-end we retraced our steps to the bottom of the hill and began anew along another path. Now on this new path the way felt better. The trail seemed wider and we didn't seem to enter any private spaces. There were several stands off to the side offering hammocks and refreshments. Nearly all were empty. This must not be a popular time for pilgrims. In fact, we were the only pilgrims we encountered the entire day.

Interesting roots of a tree on the way up.

I should add that the rain was off and on the entire time. We used umbrellas as needed. The pathway was constantly wet.

At one point near the top we passed an uncommon vendor. They spoke no English. We bought two bottles of Pepsi for 40,000 dong and poured them into ice-filled glasses. Then we lounged in hammocks while sipping our drinks and enjoying the view. It was one of the highlights of the day and worth every dong we paid!

Jordan in the rain. 

A well-appreciated Pepsi break.

We continued our way, passing other shrines. At last we reached the top, which ended up being the most beautiful shrine of the entire hike. The complex consisted of several buildings, each painted red with intricate designs. This Buddhist temple seemed to have more of a Japanese style to it. The grounds were finely manicured with lush gardens and quaint ponds.

I was, however, disappointed that there was no 360° panoramic view at the top. There were several views along the way that offered vistas in different directions, including some that pointed toward the mountains of Cambodia. These at the top pointed toward the town of Chau Doc and the Bassac River.

Beautiful temple at the top of Sam Mountain. 

A red bridge crosses a pond at this Buddhist temple. 

A bathroom with a breeze!

At this point we were uncertain with the weather. There were serious storm clouds in the distance. The previous night we had a massive monsoonal downpour and didn't want to get stuck in something like that. Taking that into consideration, we decided to take the gondola down.

The gondola cost 90,000 dong each and required no effort. Rain splatters on the glass blurred much of the view, but we could see well the red-tiled roofs of the temples, the settlement of Sam Mountain, and the rising mount. I also caught a confirming glance of the giant stone Buddha head carved in rock on the far side of the mountain.

When we made it to the bottom I was determined to continue to the back side of the mountain. My first goal was to find the large stone Buddha, which we did within fifteen minutes of walking. It appeared to be under construction and I couldn't tell if it was a new sculpture, or if they were repairing the old.

This was our view of this stone Buddha on the gondola ride.

Once on the street, this is what it looked like. 

Along the way we passed a cemetery. I didn't know who was buried here, or whether they were important people. I also didn't know if the entombed were cremated, or embalmed and buried whole as they are in the West.

Each grave consisted of an above-ground tomb with a memorial on the front. In front of each memorial was a little shelf where family could place offerings. We used our phone to translate one of them and got the following: From the mother's grave, BUI THI CUC, Sunflower: 49 years old, Died 25-8 lunar month, Year of the Dog 1970.

Little cemetery on Sam Mountain.

Walking just down the street, we arrived at the Chua Phuoc Dien Pagoda, a beautiful temple set back within the trees of the hillside. A long set of stairs led to the temple complex, including a lotus pond and shrine to the Maitreya Buddha. Near the pond was a patio area with statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, who are Buddhist gods watching over the four cardinal directions.

Higher into the complex was the main hall where a traditional statue of Buddha sat atop a pedestal. Beyond this room is where things got interesting. An archway on the back wall led inside a dark tunnel with two stone snakes guarding the entrance. These serpents had the appearance of fire coming from their eyes and mouth. Further inside the tunnel came the sound of tumbling water and the sight of a fountain coming down the walls. Part of the stone floor was puddled with water. At the end of the short, but dark puddle was a shrine to three Buddhist figurines. The name of this place was The Cavern of Green and White Snakes.

Chua Phuoc Dien Pagoda, a very beautiful temple complex.

A second archway from the main hall led to a more extensive network of tunnels. Walking through here we entered a dark corridor and a stone staircase that led deeper into the cave. Water dripped from the top of the tunnel and we had to be careful not to slip on the rock. (We had to remove our shoes and socks at the entrance of the temple, so this entire time we walked in bare feet.)

This obscure tunnel snaked inside the cavern and at one time made a fork. We thought for a moment we might become lost inside the maze. As we walked we passed small shrines housed within a small cavity. The tunnel then opened up into a larger cavern with several shrines. This section was lit up with lights. At last the dank tunnel system came to an end and we were again outside in the fresh air, but in a new, unfamiliar section of the temple complex.

Buddha inside Phuoc Dien Pagoda.  The entrance to the cave is the archway on the right.

There is a story associated with the Phuoc Dien Pagoda. Around the 1840's the pagoda was just a bamboo and leaf hermitage. It was built by a lady named Le Thi Tho, whose dharma name was Dieu Thien. (A dharma name is given by a Buddhist teacher to a student to symbolize his or her commitment to the Buddhist path.) She built it as a place to practice.

In 1836 she became a nun, and in 1839 she received the Bhikkhuni precepts, which are a set of rules, or code of conduct for Buddhist nuns. In 1845 she decided to live in seclusion, so she chose Sam Mountain as her place of practice.

Next to her hermitage was a deep mountain cave where there lived two pythons. These snakes were known to be fierce, but when Dieu Thien moved in, they did not harm her. Instead they came next to her, lied still, and listened to her recite sutras.

After her death the local people donated money and rebuilt the pagoda. Over the many years that followed there were several renovations and improvements until the temple complex became what it is today.

We finished our visit and found several more beautiful gardens, statues, and shrines. Being that we were on a hill, there were amazing views across rice paddy fields and mountains, both of Vietnam and Cambodia. Jordan and I both agreed that this temple was probably the most fascinating thing we had seen up to that point on our trip.

More beautiful gardens and ponds at the temple complex.

Looking toward Cambodia and flooded ground from monsoon rains.

By this time we were starving. Next to the cemetery was a nice little outdoor eating place with aluminum tables and plastic chairs. Only one other family was eating there.

I told Jordan we were going to order the dish advertised. A picture with a name was posted on the wall: Vit Nau Chao. Once again, the lady trying to help us knew no English. We figured things out and sat at a table.

Twenty minutes later she brought a large ceramic pot of Vit Nau Chao on a small propane stove. This would be a hot pot. She also served a large plate of angel hair noodles and another of greens. She gave us chili sauce and small bowls. We figured things out and finished nearly everything except most of the greens.

Soon we were stopped by a motorcyclist, asking if we wanted a ride. After five minutes of charades and pointing to places on Google Maps, the two of us hopped on the back of his bike and sped back to Chau Doc. ♠

Vit Nou Chou, served via hot pot.