CHAU DOC - Sam Mountain

This pagoda-dotted mountain, 5km southwest of Chau Doc, appears from nowhere. The view from above looks over a banh xeo–flat landscape that only ends with the natural curvature of the earth. The pagodas are bright, some say ‘tacky’ affairs, less the sedate, somber experience than you find and wooden smoke-stained pagodas. But hugely popular with worshipers is the modern LADY XU TEMPLE (CHUA BA XU), built in 1972 with a glistening rooftop and ‘dandelion’ lights that (sometimes) blink at night. Thousands of Vietnamese come here to worship, and a lot of noodle shops and motels line the roads around it. It’s just right before the mountain, if approaching on the road from Chau Doc.

Walking up the mountain can be a grueling, sweat-stained experience, but it’s well worth being up there. Consider having a motorcycle taxi drop you off at the top of the mountain and meeting you by the Lady Xu; this way you can walk down to see some evocatively located hammock cafes in the unique rock formations. Victoria Hotel built a fine location on the back side of the mountain that never opened.

At night, the simple open-air restaurants around Lady Xu sometimes have more life than all of Chau Doc.

Other attractions:

BOAT TOURS
TRA SU BIRD SANCTUARY
TUP DUC HILL

→ CHAU DOC HOME
→ ACCOMMODATIONS
→ ATTRACTIONS
→ RESTAURANTS
→ BASICS
→ TRANSPORT