Cam (Forbidden) Mountain

Location: Cam Mountain is located in An Hao Commune, Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province.
Characteristics: Cam Mountain, or Thien Cam Son (heaven’s forbidden mountain) is the highest and largest one belonging to the superb Mountains (That Son) in An Giang.
The majestic mountain places itself imposingly in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta on the altitude of 710m. The panoramic view of Great Buddha Pagoda (in An Binh, An Hao Commune) from Vo Bo Hong Peak presents a great valley surrounded by rolling mountains in the Thien Cam Son chain such as Vo Dau, Vo Bo Hong, Vo Thien Tue, etc. Endowed with such spectacular mountainous terrain, Cam Mountain is considered as a Dalat (a famous highland resort) in the Mekong Delta. The mountain has a year-round cool climate, original natural spots associated with interesting, heart-warming legends and myths that lure increasing numbers of tourists and vacationers. Why is it called Forbidden Mountain? According to a folk tale, Cam Mountain was once very rugged with many frightening beasts and invisible figures living there. As a result, the inhabitants in the area forbade themselves from coming there. However, another legend goes that Nguyen Anh sought refuge in the mountain from the chase of Tay Son insurgents and forbade anyone’s access to the mountain, hence its name “Forbidden Mountain”. Downhill in the east is 100-ha Lam Vien Tourist Park on Cam Mountain which offers a wide range of recreational services including Kaolin Restaurant featuring specialties of the Seven Mountains Region. Don’t miss the poetic Thanh Long (blue dragon) stream while following the trail from the park up the mountain. Resume your trip until you reach a fork, there you are in “Cam Mountain Highland”. Take the right-hand track for about 1km, you will see Vo Thien Tue peak. Then go back to your left hand up the sloping path to the Great Buddha Pagoda. On the way there, you can stop by Thuy Liem cavern, or admire Vo Bach Tuong (a grand white elephant-shaped rock on the side of the mountain) in O Cat. Then you can make a sightseeing tour of the Great Buddha Pagoda, Van Linh (holy) Pagoda, Vo Bo Lon (a grand bull-shaped rock), and finally Vo Bo Hong, the highest peak of Cam Mountain (and also of the Mekong Delta) from which you can see as far as Ha Tien sea waters if the weather is fine.