Taking place from July 8th to July 13th (corresponding to June 14th-19th on the lunar calendar), the Commemoration of Quan The Am Bodhisattva's Enlightenment is an important festival at Ba Den Mountain for Buddhists and tourists to show their respect to Quan The Am Bodhisattva.
In Buddhist culture, the Commemoration of Quan The Am Bodhisattva's Enlightenment is one of the three important annual festivals for Buddhists to express their sincere respect to Quan The Am Bodhisattva – a symbol of compassion, selflessness, and the salvation of sentient beings. On June 19th of the lunar calendar each year, Buddhists worldwide turn to the Bodhisattva who cultivated compassion and attained enlightenment, relieving the suffering of sentient beings, and reminding each other to live with compassion and kindness.
Ba Den Mountain peak with the majestic statue of Buddha Ba Tay Bo Da Son. Photo: Nguyen Minh Tu
For the people of Southern Vietnam in general, and Tay Ninh province in particular, the image of Quan The Am always holds an important position in spiritual life. At Ba Den Mountain, Buddhists and tourists can venerate the incarnations of Quan The Am Bodhisattva in the form of Linh Son Thanh Mau at the Ba Chua system of temples, and the majestic statue of Buddha Ba Tay Bo Da Son on the mountaintop. On the annual Commemoration of Quan The Am Bodhisattva's Enlightenment, a large number of Buddhists and pilgrims from all over the country come to this sacred mountain to seek a firm spiritual foundation before the Bodhisattva who is always ready to listen and save sentient beings.
Tourists pay homage before the Quan The Am Bodhisattva statue at Ba Chua Temple. Photo: Sun World Ba Den Mountain
This year's Commemoration of Quan The Am Bodhisattva at Ba Den Mountain, Buddhists and tourists will be immersed in the solemn atmosphere of the festival with many meaningful spiritual activities. The Ba Chua temple complex with the ancient Linh Son Tien Thach temple adorned with flags and the legendary Dien Ba will be where Buddhists and tourists turn to Quan The Am Bodhisattva with respectful incense offerings.
At the top of Ba Den Mountain, visitors can venerate and feel the compassion of the statue of Buddha Ba Tay Bo Da Son standing majestically on a bronze lotus pedestal at an altitude of 986m. The statue of Buddha Ba Tay Bo Da Son has high hair buns, wears a long scarf, and wears a crown in a solemn, gentle, and graceful manner, symbolizing the virtue and compassion of Quan The Am Bodhisattva.
The Goddess of Mercy statue atop Ba Den Mountain. Photo: Sun World Ba Den Mountain
Here, amidst the peaceful Buddhist exhibition space, visitors can admire the various forms of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, modeled after classic Buddhist works from around the world, such as the Southern Sea Guanyin (12th century, China), the Senju Kannon Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva (8th century, Japan), the Tara Bodhisattva (14th century, Nepal), and the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin (15th century, Nepal), etc.
Especially, on the evening of Saturday, July 12, 2025 (the 18th of the 6th lunar month), a grand offering of lights ceremony will be held in Tay Bo Da Son square to celebrate the Enlightenment of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. In the shimmering light of thousands of lanterns, Buddhists and visitors will participate in the offering and releasing of lanterns, with reverence for the great merits of the Bodhisattva.
For many years, the Saturday evening lantern offering ceremony has become a sacred ritual, a distinctive feature of Ba Den Mountain, and a reason for visitors from all over the country to return to the highest mountain in the South.
The lantern offering ceremony on Ba Den Mountain. Photo: Sun World Ba Den Mountain
To facilitate local people's participation in the spiritual and cultural activities at Ba Den Mountain, the Ba Den Mountain tourism area is implementing a discounted ticket policy for all residents of Tay Ninh province (new), applicable from July 1 to December 31, 2025. Accordingly, the cable car ticket (round trip) to Ba Chua Temple is only VND 200,000/adult, VND 120,000/child. The cable car ticket to the mountaintop is VND 350,000/adult, VND 250,000/child. The combo cable car ticket to the Temple and mountaintop costs VND 550,000/adult, VND 350,000/child. Visitors only need to bring their identification documents proving permanent residence in Tay Ninh according to Resolution 60-NQ/TW, where the Central Party has agreed to merge Tay Ninh and Long An provinces from July 1, 2025.
