Fodor's Expert Review Ba Chua Xu Temple

This temple, located up the foot of Sam Mountain, is dedicated to Ba Chua Xu, the prosperity goddess of the Vietnamese folk religion Thanism. It was built in the early 1800s after, legend has it, villagers discovered in the forest a female statue dating to the 6th century. The temple is constructed in what is commonly thought of as Chinese style, with four levels, the tiled roofs green with age. Within is the statue of Ba Chua Xu, busy with visitors coming to ask for protection and prosperity; weekends can be very crowded. A festival in her honor is held the 23rd--27th of the fourth lunar month, with pilgrims performing dances and rites. Surrounding the temple are pleasant gardens and some small caves, and from up here there's a sweeping view of the countryside; on a clear day you can see neighboring Cambodia.