1. Why choose Tay Ninh for a Tet holiday trip
Tay Ninh is a suitable destination for short spring trips thanks to its location near Ho Chi Minh City, with a travel time of only about 2-3 hours, convenient for both families and friends. Not having to travel far helps tourists save time, reduce fatigue, and easily proactively arrange sightseeing plans. This factor makes building a Tay Ninh Tet travel itinerary flexible, allowing for day trips or combining with a 1-2 night stay while still visiting many outstanding attractions.
Not only convenient in terms of distance, Tay Ninh also boasts a harmonious blend of spiritual tourism and natural landscapes. Tourists can go on a pilgrimage at the beginning of the year at Ba Den Mountain, Cao Dai Holy See to pray for peace, then continue to explore green destinations like Dau Tieng Lake or Ma Thien Lanh to relax and enjoy the fresh air. This diversity helps the Tay Ninh Tet travel itinerary suit various needs, from gentle spring trips and relaxation to exploration experiences.
Lively festival atmosphere in Tay Ninh during Lunar New Year (Source: Collected)
Besides, the Lunar New Year is also a time when Tay Ninh hosts many traditional festivals and unique cultural programs, especially in the Ba Den Mountain area and the city center. The bustling atmosphere, vibrantly decorated landscapes, and New Year rituals bring visitors a distinct sense of the Southern spring. Therefore, a Tay Ninh Tet travel itinerary is not just a sightseeing trip but also a journey to experience the Tet atmosphere, helping to start the new year with a relaxed mindset and lots of positive energy.
2. Suggested 2-day, 1-night Tay Ninh Tet Travel Itinerary
2.1. Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – Ba Den Mountain – visit spiritual complex – Tay Ninh night market
In the morning, visitors depart from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh early to avoid crowds and make full use of their sightseeing time. After arriving at the Ba Den Mountain tourist area, visitors travel by modern cable car system to the mountaintop, saving energy while being able to admire the panoramic view of the mountains and Tay Ninh city from above. This is an important highlight in the Tay Ninh Tet travel itinerary, especially suitable for families with elderly members.
Overview of the Buddha statues on Ba Den Mountain (Source: Collected)
On the mountaintop, visitors spend time visiting the spiritual complex with highlights such as the cluster of 3 Cau Na Ham Mu Ni Buddha statues, Tay Bo Da Son Buddha statue, Di Lac Bodhisattva statue, Vo Nga garden, and the Buddhist exhibition center. The vast, airy space and impressive architecture help the early year pilgrimage journey become solemn yet relaxing. After visiting, guests have a buffet lunch at the Van Son restaurant right in the tourist area, conveniently resting before continuing their itinerary.
In the afternoon, visitors can continue to explore the remaining areas at Ba Den Mountain such as Hang Pagoda, Trung Pagoda, Quan Am Pagoda, or travel to Tay Ninh city center to check in and rest briefly. As night falls, Tay Ninh night market is an ideal place to stroll, enjoy local specialties such as mixed rice paper, Trang Bang noodle soup, Tay Ninh shrimp salt, and buy souvenirs. This activity helps the Tay Ninh Tet travel itinerary balance spiritual sightseeing with experiencing local life on the first day.
2.2. Day 2: Dau Tieng Lake – ecological sightseeing – return to Ho Chi Minh City
On the morning of the second day, visitors leave the city center to travel to Dau Tieng Lake, one of the largest artificial lakes in Vietnam with its airy landscape and fresh air. The morning is very suitable for strolling along the lake, taking check-in photos, and enjoying the peaceful space, separate from the hustle and bustle of crowded tourist areas. This is a time that helps the trip in the Tay Ninh Tet travel itinerary become more gentle and relaxing.
Tourists experience camping in the Dau Tieng Lake area (Source: Collected)
Tourists can bring snacks for a picnic by the lake or choose restaurants on the way back to the city for lunch. After resting and eating, the group starts moving back to Ho Chi Minh City (TP.HCM), concluding the 2-day, 1-night journey with a sufficient itinerary, not too rushed, but still experiencing the typical destinations of Tay Ninh at the beginning of the year.
3. Suggested Tay Ninh Tet 3-day 2-night Travel Itinerary
3.1. Day 1: Travel – Visit Ba Den Mountain – Early Year Spring Festival
On the first day, tourists depart from Ho Chi Minh City (TP.HCM) to Tay Ninh in the morning to avoid traffic jams and manage sightseeing time. The main destination of the day is the Ba Den Mountain tourist area with a modern cable car system that takes tourists to the mountaintop quickly and safely. On the mountaintop, tourists can visit the prominent spiritual complex such as the Buddha statue cluster, pagoda systems like Hang Pagoda, Trung Pagoda, Vo Nga Garden, the Buddhist exhibition center, and large worship spaces, suitable for early year pilgrimages to pray for peace.
A large number of visitors come to Nui Ba Den during the Hoi Xuan Nui Ba (Source: Collected)
If you visit during the spring festival, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the festive atmosphere with many traditional rituals and special cultural performance programs. This is a highlight that makes the Tay Ninh Tet travel itinerary more vibrant and culturally rich. In the evening, visitors can return to their hotel to rest or stroll through the Tay Ninh night market to enjoy local cuisine and feel the city's rhythm of life in early spring.
3.2. Day 2: Toa Thanh Cao Dai – Trang Bang rice paper craft village – Ecological tourist area
On the morning of the second day, visitors travel to the Tay Ninh Cao Dai Holy See to admire the unique architecture and learn about the Cao Dai religion – a characteristic cultural feature of the locality. The serene space, colorful architecture, and religious rituals create a visiting experience that is both solemn and novel in the Tay Ninh Tet travel itinerary journey.
Visiting traditional craft villages is an interesting experience in your journey (Source: Collection)
Leaving the Holy See, visitors continue to Trang Bang to visit the Banh Trang Pho Suong craft village, learn about the traditional cake-making process, and enjoy famous specialties such as pork rolled rice paper and Trang Bang noodle soup. In the afternoon, visitors can combine visiting an ecological tourist area or a gentle entertainment area for relaxation, suitable for families or tourists who want to balance cultural sightseeing and rest during the trip.
3.3. Day 3: Ma Thien Lanh – Rest – Return to Ho Chi Minh City
On the last day of the itinerary, visitors spend time exploring Ma Thien Lanh – a valley nestled between three mountains with wild scenery and fresh air. This place is suitable for gentle activities such as walking, taking photos, admiring streams, and enjoying the quiet natural space before ending the trip. This is a destination that makes the Tây Ninh Tet travel itinerary more complete with a nature experience different from crowded tourist areas.
After sightseeing and resting, visitors return to Tây Ninh city for lunch, buy more local specialties as gifts, and then depart for Ho Chi Minh City in the early afternoon to avoid traffic jams. Concluding the 3-day 2-night trip, visitors have time for early year pilgrimages, relaxation in nature, and a complete experience of local culture.
4. Experience Arranging a Reasonable Tây Ninh Travel Itinerary for Tet
4.1. Should Go Early in the Day to Avoid Crowds and Save Time
Tet is a time when many tourists flock to major attractions in Tây Ninh, especially Nui Ba Den and the Cao Dai Holy See. Therefore, starting early from Ho Chi Minh City and beginning sightseeing in the morning will help visitors avoid long queues at parking lots, cable car ticket counters, and pilgrimage areas. Going early not only saves time but also helps the Tây Ninh Tet travel itinerary proceed as planned, limiting the need to cut short attractions due to overcrowding.
Visitors should start their tour early in the morning to avoid crowds (Source: Collected)
Additionally, the morning weather is cooler, convenient for outdoor activities and visiting large areas. This is especially suitable for families with elderly people or young children, making the trip lighter and more comfortable.
4.2. Prioritize nearby attractions to reduce travel time
One of the important factors when building a Tet Tay Ninh travel itinerary is to arrange attractions by cluster, avoiding traveling too far in the same day. For example, visitors can combine Nui Ba Den Mountain with the Tay Ninh night market on the first day, or group the Cao Dai Holy See with Trang Bang and nearby eco-tourism areas along the same route. This arrangement helps save travel time, reduce fatigue, and be more proactive if encountering traffic jams during the holidays.
Grouping attractions by area also helps visitors flexibly adjust their itinerary when an attraction is too crowded, making it easy to switch to a nearby one instead of traveling far or waiting for a long time.
4.3. Balance between sightseeing and rest during the holidays
Many visitors tend to want to visit many places in a short time, but this can make the trip rushed and tiring, especially during the crowded Tet holiday. Therefore, when building a Tet Tay Ninh travel itinerary, visitors should allocate reasonable time for rest, meals, and relaxation between sightseeing stops. Alternating natural spots like Dau Tieng Lake or Ma Thien Lanh after days of crowded spiritual sightseeing will help the body recover and the spirit relax.
A reasonable itinerary does not need to be too packed but should prioritize the quality of experience, helping visitors both visit typical attractions and have time to fully enjoy the New Year atmosphere.
With its advantageous location, diverse landscapes, and bustling festive atmosphere at the beginning of the year, Tay Ninh is a suitable destination for short spring trips that are still rich in experience. Whether choosing a 2-day 1-night or 3-day 2-night itinerary, the important thing is to balance sightseeing, rest, and local cultural experiences so that the trip is not too rushed. If you plan early, choose a suitable travel time, and prioritize attractions along a route, visitors can fully enjoy a light, joyful spring trip and start the new year full of energy with the Tet Tay Ninh travel itinerary.
