Tay Ninh province

Best know as the birthplace of the Cao Dai religion, Tay Ninh province sits to the northwest of Ho Chi Minh City and is bordered by Cambodia to the west and north, with its eastern border formed by the Saigon River as it empties out of Dai Tieng lake. As with pretty much all the surrounds, the landscape is primarily flat farmland with just the occasional hillock popping up here and there. The exception is Nui Ba Den which reaches almost 1,000m and sits around a dozen kilometres north of the same-named capital.

Tay Ninh town lies at the centre of the province and is around 90km from Ho Chi Minh City, taking around two hours to reach by bus. Most travellers tend to visit here either to see the Cao Dai temple or as a part of a day-tour out of Saigon which includes a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels which lie within Ho Chi Minh City's boundaries.

The province is also home to the most popular border crossing between Vietnam and Cambodia -- the Moc Bai / Bavet border crossing -- it is via here that the Saigon to Phnom Penh express buses pass. If you're planning on using this border crossing, note the turn off for it is well short of Tay Ninh town -- and the Cao Dai temple.

During both the French and American Wars Tay Ninh saw considerable activity. The Viet Minh and the Viet Cong saw the strategic value of Nui Ba Den -- as did the Americans. Throughout the conflicts the Cao Daists and their 20,000+ private army put their lot in with the South -- refusing to support the VC. This decision saw the faith harshly punished following the victory of North Vietnam, with land and temples confiscated -- not to be returned till the mid 1980s.