Chua Chan mountain, the second highest mountain in southern Vietnam, is your perfect choice to hike. Here we go!
Introduction
So where is Chua Chan mountain, and why it is so special that become one of HCMC citizen’s most favorite mountain hiking spots?
Located in Dong Nai, Chua Chan mountain (aka núi Gia Lào) is about 100 km away from Saigon. As 837 m high, it is also the second-highest peak in the southeastern region of Vietnam, just after Black Virgin Mountain (núi Bà Đen) in Tay Ninh, whose height is 996 m. It was recognized as a national heritage site in 2012.
Read More: Black Virgin mountain trekking tips
It is interesting that Chua Chan used to be a volcano (so typical is the conical shape), and you may see it when taking a bus from Saigon to Phan Thiet as it is located close to the mainway.
In Vietnam, wherever there’s a mountain, there are temples or pagodas. Sharing the same fact, Chua Chan is home to three main pagodas: Buu Quang, Linh Son, Lam Son.
Pagodas at Chua Chan mountain
Linh Son pagoda (aka chùa Ông Ngộ) was initially a small altar in a stone cave back in 1952. More than a decade later, the official pagoda worshipping Buddha was constructed in 1965, just 150 m away from this spiritual site. The story around this stone cave is quite interesting but warning for dare hikers: it was actually connected to a larger cavern, which is housed to a multitude of little streams running toward a small pond. From this pond, a person could hike downward within 3 hours to the foot of the mountain at Ong Don (Ông Đồn). In the 2000s, there was an enthusiastic hiker traveling through the cave, unfortunately killed by rock falls. Since then, the cave mouth was closed to prevent any similar accidents. The facility of the pagoda is well comfortable for visitors sheltering overnight.
Sharing the same history as the aforementioned Linh Son, Lam Son pagoda (aka chùa Cô Ba) was built in 1955 as an altar in the case then developing into a full spiritual structure later. The interesting fact of this pagoda is that buddhist nuns have been at the helm of this temple since 1970. At the height of 250m altitude, Lam Son is also housed to various remarkable religious statues and a spectacular vista toward Gia Ray town far far away.
Located at the height of 600m altitude, Buu Quang (aka chùa Gia Lào) is the highest among the three pagoda at Chua Chan mountain. The history of this temple dates back to the early 18th century, when a zen master named Ngo Chan traveled to this mountain and set up a pagoda in a cave called “dragon cavern” (Long Cốc). Later, he moved to Dinh mountain, but the indigenous people thought he reached the peak of the way, so they closed the cave mouth. In 1845, a monk named Buu Chon came and opened the cave to lead a religious life in seclusion. Nearly a century later, two geologists Van Ngo and Sau Cao discovered the site, and have a monk at the helm of the pagoda, which has been succeeded by generations of monks up to now. The pagoda is conveniently approached, as located close to the cable car station.
Drive or Ride to Chua Chan mountain
There are 2 main routes, depending on your transportation: the fastest way is to ride a car/ bus following the expressway, while travelling by motorcycle to enjoy a ride of freedom on 1A highway is not a bad option. Compared to the Ba Den mountain motorbike route, the distance between HCMC and Chua Chan Mountain is shorter, saving more time when your ass is tortured on the motorbike.
Read more: The Pre-Ride Motobike Inspection For Your Safety
By the way, both hiking routes to the summit (tick off Saigon – Chua Chan transportation route to better navigate the Chua Chan hiking map integrated above) are also less heavy breathing than the famous summit of Tay Ninh province. So Chua Chan summit has recently been one of my favorite camping sites in the South.
Hiking route A: Starting from the cable car station – Pagoda complex
This route offers quite a comfortable experience, but less natural vibe. Moreover, you will have to pay an entrance fee of 15,000 VND when following this route (Fortunately, the other route B is a local trail and free of charge as no one owns the gate 😀 )
Instead of hiking, you can buy a ticket to go up by cable car! With 1 km in length, the cable car system hosts 72 cabins (8 pax /cabin), constructed by an Australian company. The surrounding is so colorful with flowers and plants neatly grown and well maintained on a daily basis. A return ticket costs 160,000 VND/ adult and 90,000 VND/ child (0.9m-1.2m) and free for under 0.9m but charged as an adult if s/he is taller than 1.2m.
Still decide to hike? You will travel through various pagodas, some of which are mentioned above. The rest stops are located from time to time to serve a multitude of pilgrims and visitors climbing uphill and down hundreds of stairs. As long as you have money, every comfort can be bought from the side vendors.
Vendors by the staircase
The stone staircase upward the pagoda is steep and fully occupied with stores and food stalls. Some vendors might ask you to buy some goods, especially incense and candles if you are Vietnamese or Asian as they think you come to pray.
Despite the fact that stores ruin the sacred atmosphere of a pilgrimage, they are beneficial somehow that provide travelling people with delicious food and cool drinks, along with clothes, shoes, souvenirs. Someone says it also hosts so-called “spiritual services” including palmistry and fortune telling cards. Entertaining in karaoke rooms and resting overnight in hostels are also available.
Yeah, I think the “very special village” plays very well a role of the dedicated food street in a manner of “staircase to heaven”
The trail
After leaving the cable car station behind, you start following a paved trail, which is lined with cajus and other lush trees. Be noticed that sometimes forks show no direction signs, and the general advice is to opt to the wider routes as they are likely towards the peak. If you go the wrong way then it is also a very short time to realize that situation and come back, which means, you may get lost, for a while, so no worry.
Upper cable car station
This station is very close to two points of interest: Buu Quang pagoda (I thought this transportation was built mainly to serve the pilgrims) and paragliding cloud base (I took off several times there, a very challenging spot for any rookie pilots for sure). You can buy bottled drinks and ice-cream by a vendor inside the station during the daytime for at least 15,000 VND for a 500ml bottle of coke. But for the first time hiking, my friends and I experienced pretty bad weather and finally decided to pitch tents here. How remarkable it was there!
Indeed, the station is hardly occupied by campers but we did it and enjoyed a wonderful night. The next morning, someone told us that the night watcher thought it was the devil as he heard our laughs but failed to see us. LoL! I will tell you the detailed story in the “night trekkers” part below.
For night trekkers
As we planned to camp at night, the experience was totally different from day hiking.
It was a little bit weird.
Starting at 10 PM at the foot of the mountain (10,000 parking fee/ night at a nearby house), we saw no one while taking step-by-step to the peak, but some prayers when we were close to the pagodas. Dogs were everywhere and they were barking fiercely but nicely without any bites.
The vendors were just resting on beds or hammocks but you hardly see them, little altar along with the smell of incense. After the pagoda, we experienced a complete darkness of the trail. It should have been one or two hours to hike uphill to the summit, while the weather turned worse and worse. That’s why we half-heartedly pitched camps in the upper cable car station.
If you don’t want to take risks (due to weather or so) then camping in the cable car station at night is pretty ideal but you may need a permit.
Chua Chan Paragliding Cloud Base
Flying games has so far become one of the most sought-after adrenaline activities for thrill seekers around the world. They don’t come at cheap price, but are frequently mentioned in the bucket list of most world travelers, say skydiving in Fiji, ballooning in Turkey, Laos, or bungee jumping in Macau, New Zealand. People are often willing to pay a fortune, even when they travel on a budget, for their once-in-a-lifetime experience: flying.
If you have ever wished to fly in Vietnam (of course, not by domestic airline), we have both good and bad news. The good news: there are paragliding services in which you will be a passenger, flying together with the experienced pilots. The bad news: There are very few “airfields” to take off in the S-shaped country.
Though the mountainous terrain of the North seems to offer more opportunities to paraglide, the situation in the South contrasts, due to the popular terrain is a vast delta dotted by several mountains once being volcanoes, one of which is Chua Chan. By the slope of this mountain, a small cloudbase airfield was established for the local paragliding community as well as curious visitors who would love a romantic flight accompanied by high-trained pilots.
As a rookie pilot years ago, I myself took off here for the first time and admired the majestic view from above. Trekking would not give you that experience. It is completely different. It’s high, fantastic, yet a bit scary when your feet are entirely up in the air, not heavily stuffy like in a closed cabin of a commercial plane with limited window-sided seats. Paragliding offers passengers a remarkable panoramic experience, no limited sight. Turn your head and you can freely admire the whole stunning landscape with the bird-view toward the surrounding regions, a train rolling far away, a green forest of cashew trees at the foot of the Chua Chan mountain. It is definitely a must for dare travelers who seek a high dose of adrenaline in extreme sports in Vietnam.
To book a seat on paragliding wings, you can contact via the fanpage of Chua Chan Paragliding.
Wooden house by the spectacular view
En route to the peak, you probably stop by a cottage hosting many hammocks for beautiful resting. Actually, when we came here in 2018, we saw a little garden full of baby pine so it is hopefully expected to be very green the following year. (I didn’t follow this route in my 2021 trip, so I have no idea how it has progressed so far).
You could set up camp and cook there, a lot of campfire traces on the ground and you can collect big stones nearby for a temporary campfire. From this cottage, it may take you one more hour (or less, depending on your stamina) to reach the summit, completing the hiking route A. Congratulations!
‘Electricity Pole’ Hiking Route B: Easy game, less vendors, more nature
This route takes about 2-3 hours trekking with a lot of short breaks to refresh on big stones, under green canopy with great views towards a small lake far far away. Less stamina required (and more time to rentertain at the summit).
There has been no commercial complex yet here (Ba Den summit now is occupied by the recreational park of Sun World – a significant property of Sun Group, the brand behind Fansipan Legend in Sapa, Lao Cai and Ba Na Hills in Da Nang). Last but not least, the service for camping in Chua Chan is excellent.
Like Ba Den, at the foot of the mountain, there are a couple of locals who provide rental service and rest stop, parking lots. You can simply bring along a load of money and rent everything, from tents (diverse sizes), mattress, sleeping bag, flashlight, campfire kits, and other popular outdoor gear. Travelers resting on hammocks here, chilled drinks in hand, chit-chatting with companions before/after a hike are frequent on the weekends and holidays here. You can even get showered with a little additional fee.
Often called “electricity pole route” of Chua Chan, the hike here bears a resemblance to that of Ba Den mountain, with a rock-stacked trail following the utility poles to the summit. The path is clear, lowering the risk of getting lost, while sometimes surrounded by a dense canopy of local trees, some of which are banana, cashew and bamboo.
A wide array of signs to raise the community’s awareness of environment protection are also erected or hung on trees and poles along the route, like the trekking in Ma Thien Lanh and Ong Rong of Hon Son Island, Kien Giang. So the path is kinda clear to navigate in the daytime, but the possibility of getting lost at night should be highly considered. I would recommend hikers to start climbing from around 4PM, as the sunset is great while you are on the slope, navigating everything easily.
You would also pass a water reservoir near the top. This essential supply is usually used by frequent hikers to refill water, which is absolutely a big plus compared to Ba Den mountain. Boiling this water with a camp kettle and you are no longer worried about dehydration in case the carried water is low.
Campsite at the summit of Chua Chan mountain
Depending on the season, the land is colored by green or yellowish brown look-like burnt grasses or lush plants. The breezes lure you into a calm nap with floating clouds rolling by near and far.
It also provides a spectacularly panoramic view downward the neighborhoods below. (This is absolutely different from camping by the beach, like the campsite in Ho Coc, Ba Ria-VungTau).
The campsite is pretty large, possibly hosting up to more than a hundred hikers without problem. The strong wind is definitely a great factor to consider where to pitch camps.
So if you travel in groups or family camping with more than three tents, erecting in the open is ideal, as the tents cover themself against the wind.
Only one to two canopies? Let’s set up among big rocks or behind a line of trees to protect your campfire better.
The fuel is often available, but requires some effort to seek after all. Wandering around and you may come across a few dry logs scattering here and there over the summit.
Note: The dry elephant grass is a super flammable material and should be used carefully, especially when your site is surrounded by the high density of grass. Any carelessness could set the accidental fire and the spread is rarely well controlled then, as the grass is FLAMMABLE!
At the highest rock there is a pyramid etched with the mountain name and altitude “Chứa Chan 837m“, attracting a multitude of hikers to check-in at dawn (and sunset).
Jump on this to pose and the panorama is such a well-deserved reward for the whole tiring trip uphill before.
Bringing home some souvenirs, why not!
If you go downhill on route A, some souvenirs for family at home (and colleagues in the office) would be great to celebrate after the trip. It’s definitely crunchy banana chips with ginger that is a specialty as you see many many of them on the way back and local vendors.
“What’s your plan”
A typical itinerary and time schedule for a day trekking should be like below:
5:00: Departing from Ho Chi Minh City
6:00: Have a breakfast (in Bien Hoa city)
9:00: Reach foot of the mountain, park your motorcycles (if any), prepare your backpacks and get ready to start the staircase journey.
9:30: Starting the hike, head to the pagodas
10:30: End of the staircases, reach the pagoda, take rest then start the mountain trekking
12:00: At the summit, have lunch, take nap
14:00: Start descending
15:30: At the foot of the mountain, have drink and relax
16:00: Ride back
17:00: Have dinner in Bien Hoa city
17:30: Continue riding back to HCMc
19:00: In HCMC
For the night hiking, generally share the time schedule, if you departs from HCMc at 16:00 then you’re likely to reach the peak at midnight and welcome the sunrise at dawn on the next day (luckily you see a stunning sea of cloud) and get back at 8:00 then arrive in HCMC at 14:00 same day.
What kind of outfit should be good for the hike?
Pants and long sleeves are better as the trail has a lot of tall grasses that makes you irritated, along with mosquitoes.
Weather does matter. We had a very bad rainy night and couldn’t make it to the summit, so, you’d better watch out for the weather forecast before departure. The dry season starts from December to April, and rainy season is between May and November. It’s safe to trek in the dry season but packing along a raincoat is usually a good idea.
The path is easy to go, and it may have a little muddy terrain in the rainy season that probably makes you fall.
It is extremely comfortable to wear sandals in the rainy season. Normally, trekking shoes play pretty well, too.
Wanna protect your skin? A sun cream is perfect, though mostly you are covered by the shade
If you plan to camp overnight then an extra clothes to change is advised as it keeps you dry while the cold and fog at night may make you get sick.
Hiking Chua Chan Mountain on a budget
100,000 VND Gasoline
35,000 VND/ a bow of Pho (good option)
10,000 VND/day parking fee (per motorcycle)
200,000 – 300,000 VND self-prepared meal for one person at peak/ camping
30,000 VND water (3.0L)
10,000 VND raincoat
320,000 VND in Total ($15)
Chua Chan mountain photos
2018
2021
Further Reading On Trekking & Camping
Stunning views, cozy campfire, friendly talks, we all love trekking and camping experience. I also list some selective stories and tips below for your further reading.
- Pleasure hiking in “Ông Rồng” mountain for a spectacular panorama and camping overnight in the pristine “paradise island” Hon Son, Kien Giang.
- Ba Den mountain is a must-try experience when you’re in HCMc. Here is The 5 Reasons Why!
- When you in Sapa, Lao Cai, don’t forget to trek the rooftop of Indochina – Fansipan summit, at the height of 3143m above sea level. Here is my Fansipan Travel Story – The Summit Of Sea Cloud, Sunshine And Strong Wills.
- Ma Thiên Lãnh Hiking is an extremely compelling experience awaits you on Hon Son, Kien Giang. Never leavr the isle without it!
- Watching the sunrise in Ba Den summit was stunning. All the color, landscape, and people are beautiful. Just less than 100km from HCMC.
- Few people camping in Hon Giao (Omega/Khanh Le) Pass and if you can be one of them, I can ensure that the experience is really awesome.
- These tips on choosing best sleeping bags for backpackers will give you a lot of essential information before making any decision.
- Creating a backpacking checklist is very important step before getting on road. This article will provide you necessary in-depth information about the essential must-bring items that will be in need for your daily activities as well as ensure for your safety during your trip in various situation.
