Around Chau Doc

Sam Mountain

A sacred destination for Buddhists, Sam Mountain (Nui Sam, 284m) and its environs are  crammed withmany pagodas and temples. A strong Chinese influence  makes it especially  popular with ethnic Chinese, yet Buddhists of all ethnicities  pay a visit this place. The views from the summit are awesome (weather permitting), ranging deep into Cambodia. There’s a military base  on the top, a legacy of the days when the Khmer Rouge made cross-border raids and massacred Vietnamese civilians.

With  the shrines and  tombs, the steep path to the  top is lined with the unholy clamour of commerce and there are plenty of cafes and stalls where to stop for a drink or a snack. Walking down is certainly easier than walking up (a 45-minute climb), as a result  if you would like  to cheat, get  a motorbike pick  you at the summit (about 20,000d from the base of the mountain). The road to the top is a pretty ride on the east side of the mountain. Veer left at the base of the mountain  and turn right after about 1km at which the road starts its climb. The mountain is open 24/7, with lights on the road for nocturnal climbs.

 Sights

Tay An Pagoda BUDDHIST TEMPLE

(Chua Tay An;  4am-10pm)  Even thoughbuilt in 1847 on the place of an earlier bamboo shrine, Tay An’s current structure dates from 1958. Aspects of its eclectic structure, particularly its domed tower, reflect Hindu and Islamic influences.

With a main gate of traditional Vietnamese model, on its roofline romp figures of lions and two dragons fighting for possession of pearls, chrysanthemums, apricot trees and lotus blossoms.

The temple itself is protected by statues of a black elephant with two tusks and a white elephant with six tusks. Inside are arrayed fine carvings of hundreds of religious figures, most made of wood and some blinged up with disco-light halos. Statues consist of Sakyamuni, the 18 a-la-han (arhat) and the 12 muoi hai ba mu (midwives). The temple’s name – Tay An – means ‘Western Peace’.

Coming from Chau Doc on Hwy 91, Tay An Pagoda is situated straight ahead at the foot of the mountain.

Temple of Lady Xu BUDDHIST TEMPLE

(Mieu Ba Chua Xu; 24hr)  Constructed  in the 1820s to house a statue that’s become the subject of a popular cult, this  vast  temple faces Sam Mountain, on the same road as Tay An Pagoda. Initially  a simple affair of bamboo and leaves, the temple has been reconstructed  many times, most  recently between 1972 and 1976, blending mid-20th-century design with Vietnamese Buddhist attractive models.

The statue itself is likely to be  a relic of the Oc-Eo culture, dating from the 6th century, and is also possibly that of a man – but don’t  suggest that to one of the faithful.

According to one of a lot of  legends, the statue of Lady Xu once standed  at the top  of Sam Mountain. In the early 19th century Siamese troops invaded the area and decided to take it back to Thailand. Butwhen  they carried the statue down the hill, it  became heavier and heavier, and they were pushed  to discard  it by the side of the path.

One day some locals  who were cutting wood came upon the statue and decided to take it back to their village  to construct  a temple for it;  but it weighed too much for them to budge it. Fortunately, a girl appeared who, possessed by a spirit, declared herself to be Lady Xu. She  announced to them that 9 virgins were to be brought and that they would be likely to transport the statue down the mountainside. The virgins were soon  summoned and  moved  the statue down the slope, yet when they reached the plain, it gotso heavy that they had to set it down. The people said that the  spot where the virgins halted had been selected by Lady Xu for the temple construction and it’s here that the Temple of Lady Xu stands to this day.

Offerings of roast whole pigs are  frequently presented to the statue, which is dressed in glittering robes and adorned with an excellent headdress. Once a month a creation of vegetables representing a dragon, tortoise, phoenix and qilin is also proffered to the effigy. The Chinese words in the portal where worshippers pray are 主处聖母, which mean ‘the main place of the sacred mother’. A further couplet reads 爲国爲民, which means ‘for the country and for the people’. The temple’s  most important festival  occurs from the 23rd to the 26th day of the fourth lunar month, usually late May or early June. During this time, pilgrims flock here, sleeping on mats in the  large rooms of the two-storey resthouse  next to the temple.

Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau TOMB

(Lang Thoai Ngoc Hau; 5am-10.30pm) A high-ranking official, Thoai Ngoc Hau (1761–1829) offered  the Nguyen Lords and, later, the Nguyen dynasty. In early 1829, Thoai Ngoc Hau ordered that a tomb be  constructed for himself at the foot of Sam Mountain. The site he chose is nearly opposite the Temple of Lady Xu.

The steps are made of red ‘beehive’ stone (da ong) brought from the southeastern part of Vietnam. In the middle of the platform is the tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau and those of his wives, Chau Thi Te and Truong Thi Miet. There’s a shrine at the rear and  several dozen  other tombs in the vicinity where his officials are buried.

Cavern Pagoda BUDDHIST TEMPLE

(Chua Hang; 4am-9pm) Also  known as Phuoc Dien Tu, this temple is halfway up the western (far) side of Sam Mountain, with  amazing views of the paddy fields. The lower part of the pagoda consists of  monks’ quarters and two hexagonal graves  in which the founder of the pagoda, a female tailor  named Le Thi Tho, and a former head monk  ,Thich Hue Thien, are buried.

The upper section has two parts: the main sanctuary, where  there are many statues of A Di Da (Buddha of the Past) and Thich Ca Buddha (Sakyamuni, the Historical Buddha); and an amazing construction  of caverns and grottoes consisting of  a host of deities, including a 1000-arm  and 1000-eye Quan Am. There’s also a mirror room of Buddhas and an effigy of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism.

According to legend, Le Thi Tho came from Tay An Pagoda to this  site half a century ago to lead a quiet, meditative life. When she arrived, she found two  enormous snakes, one white and the other dark green. Le Thi Tho soon converted the snakes, which thereafter led pious lives. Upon her death, the snakes disappeared.

  Sleeping& Eating

There is a busy  community at the base of Sam Mountain, along with  hotels (both aimed at visiting Buddhists and businesspeople), guesthouses and restaurants lining the street.

 Getting There & Away

 Most tourists  get here by rented motorbike or on the back of a xe om (about 40,000d one-way). There are also local buses heading this way from Chau Doc (5000d).

Phu Chau (Tan Chau) District

Traditional silk-making has made Phu Chau (Tan Chau) district – at this place  the market has a variety of reasonable  Thai and Cambodian products  – well-known  throughout southern Vietnam.

To reach  Phu Chau district from Chau Doc, you should take  a boat across the Hau Giang River from the Phu Hiep ferry landing, then catch a ride on the back of a xe om (about 60,000d) for the 18km trip.