Where to Go: the 15 Best Ho Chi Minh City Temple Tours

1.Small-Group Mekong Delta Day Trip: Boat Ride, Cottages & Pagoda

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,327 reviews · from $48Our pick

Spend 9 to 10 hours from Ho Chi Minh City exploring My Tho, Ben Tre, and the Mekong waterways. Expect a small group of up to 12, motorboat and hand-rowed boat rides, coconut candy, honey tea, tropical fruit, a five-course lunch, village cycling, music, and Vinh Trang Pagoda. Guides such as James, Nam, and Manh are known for lively local insight.

“Great trip for a full day, we had amazing time with James Vo as our tour guide, he was very informative and fun. We learned a lot about the locals live and admired the nature.”

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2.Tay Ninh – Cao Dai & Ba Den Mountain + Optional Cu Chi Tunnels

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 275 reviews · from $38

Leave Ho Chi Minh City for Tay Ninh, where you’ll visit Ba Den Mountain, the colorful Cao Dai Temple, and, on the longer option, the Cu Chi Tunnels. An English-speaking guide, lunch, water, and transport are included. The cable car costs extra, and the full day can run 11 to 12 hours.

“Our trip was very good, our guide Sam was very professional and knowledgeable and the sights were amazing . We would recommend to others”

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3.Small-Group 1-day: Cao Dai Temple & Ba Den Mountain

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 249 reviews · from $99

Spend 11 to 12 hours outside Ho Chi Minh City with an English-speaking guide such as Stark, Tuyen, Tom, or Phat. Visit Cao Dai Temple, ride the cable car up Ba Den Mountain, explore the Cu Chi Tunnels, and eat lunch at a local restaurant. Hotel pickup, bottled water, transport, and entrance fees are included.

“Fantastic tour. Phat is a phenomenal guide. Very personable knowledgeable and speaks excellent English”

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4.HCM: Cu Chi Tunnels, Cao Dai Temple, Black Virgin Mountain

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 176 reviews · from $47

See the Cu Chi Tunnels, watch the noon prayer at Cao Dai Temple, and ride a cable car up Ba Den Mountain. Pickup is available in central Ho Chi Minh City, with English-speaking guides such as Sam, Anna, Tom, and Lan assigned according to the day. Expect a full day, long drives, and a packed mix of war history, religion, food, and mountain scenery.

“Fully recommend the trip. Succinct information, small groups that form connections through shared activities, and a good timing execution with both free and intense times. Worth the money!”

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5.1-Day Tour of Black Virgin Mountain – Cao Dai Temple – Cu Chi Tunnels from HCMC

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 167 reviews · from $62

Travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Black Virgin Mountain, Cao Dai Temple, and the Cu Chi Tunnels in a small group of up to 15 people. You’ll ride a return cable car, eat lunch at a local restaurant, and learn about Cao Dai faith and wartime tunnel life. Guides such as Khanh, Thanh, and King Cong have earned praise, but English quality can vary.

“I wanted to see the Cu Chi Tunnels and take advantage of the journey to see other nearby attractions but didn't want to be subjected to all the vendors at the Mekong Delta, so this was the perfect tour for me. The amount of time spent at each venue was perfect and the lunch had a variety of choices and was delicious. Our tour guide "King" Cong was fantastic sharing not only information about the locations but also photos and background information via WhatsApp. My only complaint was the discrepancy in the estimated return time. Several people were told 8pm and others (including me) were told 6pm.”

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6.Black Virgin Peak, Cu Chi Tunnels & Cao Dai Temple – Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 66 reviews · from $125

Leave Ho Chi Minh City early for Black Virgin Mountain, Cao Dai Temple, and the Cu Chi Tunnels. You get private transport, an English-speaking guide, lunch, entrance fees, bottled water, and a round-trip cable car. Guides such as Bin and Max are praised for clear explanations, though traffic can stretch the day to 11 hours.

“We booked a day tour with Bin and it was the highlight of our trip to Vietnam! Bin was so friendly and made the entire day a wonderful experience. He picked us up from our hotel in the morning and explained to us what was planned for thRead more”

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7.HCM: Tay Ninh, Black Virgin Mountain, & Cao Dai Temple Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 31 reviews · from $50

Travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh for Cao Dai worship and Black Virgin Mountain. Your English-speaking guide explains the local religion, leads you through the mountain complex, and serves a local lunch. The 400,000 VND cable car is optional, and guides such as Duy, Tham, Justin, and Binh have earned praise for clear explanations and smooth organization.

“Tham was brilliant! She is very knowledgable and was keen to explain history and the local culture to us. It was a brilliant tour and would definitely recommend her.”

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8.Ho Chi Minh: Black Virgin Mountain & Cao Dai Temple Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 19 reviews · from $110

Spend a full day in Tay Ninh with an English-speaking guide, visiting Cao Dai Temple for its midday prayer service, riding a cable car up Ba Den Mountain, exploring temples and caves, eating a vegan lunch, and tasting local vineyard produce. Guide names reported for this tour include Shane and Caroline. Allow for an early pickup and late return through traffic.

“We loved Shane! He was extremely helpful and very knowledgeable.”

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9.Black Virgin Mountain, Cao Đài Temples & Củ Chi Tunnels Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 17 reviews · from $135

Spend a full day with an English-speaking guide, traveling by private car from Ho Chi Minh City to Tây Ninh. See the unusual Cao Đài temples, ride a cable car to Bà Đen Temple, hear local legends, and explore the Bến Dược Củ Chi Tunnels. Guide Thao, also called Tina, is praised for clear explanations and cultural stories.

“Tunnels excellent, mountain unbelievable, guide was excellent. Great trip”

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10.Cu Chi Tunnels, Cao Dai Temple and the Black Virgin Mountain

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 9 reviews · from $108

Leave central Ho Chi Minh City at 7:00 a.m. for the Cu Chi Tunnels, Cao Dai Temple, and Tay Ninh’s Black Virgin Mountain. You’ll hear about guerrilla life, taste tapioca and tea, see Cao Dai’s unusual religious blend, and ride a cable car toward the 986-meter summit. Guide Jacky receives especially warm praise, but confirm which sights fit your selected option.

“Très belle expérience que notre guide Jacky a su rendre magique ! Je conseille à 100%”

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11.Ho Chi Minh: Black Virgin Mountain Cable Car &Cao Dai Temple

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 7 reviews · from $90

Leave Ho Chi Minh City for Tây Ninh, where a 20-minute cable-car ride leads to Black Virgin Mountain, pagodas, Buddha statues, war-time tunnels, and wide views over orchards. After a Vietnamese lunch, visit Cao Dai Holy See for its colorful architecture and midday chanting service. English is included, with other languages available for a surcharge.

“Bellissima giornata immersi nella storia e cultura del paese”

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12.Black Virgin Moutain, Cu chi tunnels & Cao dai temple 1 day

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 6 reviews · from $88

Travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Tây Ninh by private vehicle with an English, Chinese, or French-speaking guide. Visit Cao Dai temples, ride the cable car to Bà Đen Temple, enjoy mountain and orchard views, eat lunch, then explore the Củ Chi tunnels. Guide Sam is noted for clear, informative commentary.

“We loved the whole tour. Timing and mini bus excellent. Lunch was very enjoyable. Sam was a very informative guide”

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13.Trang An Scenic Landscape & Bai Dinh Pagoda Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $52

Travel from Hanoi to Ninh Binh by limousine bus for a full day of temples, caves, local food, and countryside views. You will visit Bai Dinh Pagoda, take a 2.5-hour rowing boat through Trang An, and climb nearly 500 steps at Mua Cave. English guidance, hotel pickup, lunch, water, Wi-Fi, and electric-car rides are included.

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14.From Ho Chi Minh: Black Virgin Mountain& Cao Dai Temple tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · from $75

Leave Ho Chi Minh City early for Tay Ninh, where you take a cable car up Black Virgin Mountain to temples, caves, gardens, and a large bronze Buddha statue. After lunch, visit Cao Dai Temple during its striking midday service. An optional Cu Chi Tunnels visit may be available, but the cable car costs extra.

“It’ was good, everywhere we went was amazing. I felt safe the whole time no major issues. The lunch was great. I would book again. I was basically just looking for transportation to all the places anyways. 2 issues; 1) they messaged me after I booked and made me pay for my cable car ride up black mountain so that’s no included in the price. 2) The guide, although a friendly guy was a little annoying he wasn’t super knowledgeable he basically told us the stuff we could read on the signs and I was genuinely embarrassed to be in his group. He would walk up right next to other…”

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15.From HCMC: Explore Black Virgin Mount and Cao Dai Temple

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 4 reviews · from $100

Spend 12 hours traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh, where you’ll visit the colorful Cao Dai Temple, ride cable cars up Ba Den Mountain, see high-altitude Buddhist statues, and enjoy Trang Bang noodle soup. English, French, Japanese, and Chinese guides are available, with private and small-group options.

“Amazing Tour and Day. Perfect Itinerary. James was a great guide and companion. Beautiful sites. A must see and do. Highly recommend.”

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