The opening ceremony of the Bà Đen Mountain Spring Festival 2026 on February 20 attracted more than one million visitors. — VNA/VNS Photo Giang Phương

TÂY NINH — Tây Ninh Province targets to welcome 10 million visitors this year, including 200,000 international tourists, according to the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Tourism revenue is expected to reach VNĐ8 trillion (US$305.8 million).

Trần Anh Minh, the department’s director, said Tây Ninh is focused on developing sustainable, modern tourism imbued with national identity, making it into the province’s key economic sector.

He added that the province’s priority is to strengthen culture–tourism linkage and value chains, and to promote mobilisation of social resources.

Minh said that Tây Ninh will boost investment in spiritual tourism, aiming to develop into a must-visit spiritual and ecosystem tourism centre in the southern region.

The province is most known for the Bà Đen Mountain, located at an altitude of 986m, known as the roof of the South.

It is famous for its majestic natural landscapes, historical relics, sacred pagodas and temples, and giant Buddha statues at the top of the mountain.

The Bà Đen Mountain Spring Festival, annually beginning on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, attracts millions of local and international visitors.

The month-long festival features a series of festivities and music and dance performances by artists from famous troupes in Tây Ninh and HCM City. It also highlights ngũ âm (five tones) or Pinpeat, the Khmer traditional musical ensemble who perform ceremonial music at temples, and chhay-dăm drum dance, a unique folk dance of the Khmer people.

During the festival, the mountain is decorated with around 20,000 tulips in different colours, together with various types of flowers such as roses, chrysanthemums, and peonies.

Sokha Ly, a tourist from Cambodia, said the atmosphere at the festival was both solemn and joyful, and added that she was impressed by the friendly and professional services.

The Four Sacred Animals Dance, featuring dragon, kylin, tortoise and phoenix, is highlighted at the Đại lễ vía Đức Chí Tôn, or commemoration ceremony of God the Father, held on February 24 at the Cao Đài Holy See, the headquarters of Caodaism. — VNA/VNS Photo Giang Phương

Alongside Bà Đen Mountain, the Cao Đài Holy See, the headquarters of the Cao Đài religion known as Caodaism, is a unique religious architectural work in Tây Ninh.

The commemoration ceremony of Đức Chí Tôn (the Supreme Being) on the 9th day of the first lunar month is one of the largest festivals of the Caodaism, attracting tens of thousands of followers and visitors.

The event highlights Four Sacred Animals Dance, a traditional performance featuring the dragon, the kylin, the tortoise and the phoenix, along with traditional music.

Tây Ninh is building new tours to connect spiritual destinations with historical and cultural sites such as the Central Office for the South Việt Nam Base relic site and Lò Gò – Xa Mát National Park.

The province also focuses on ecotourism and agricultural tourism, particularly the development of resort tourism in border areas with HCM City.

The province is enhancing linkages with provinces and cities in the Cửu Long Delta and HCM City, participating in domestic and international tourism fairs, and promoting cooperation with major partners such as Vietnam Airlines to bring Tây Ninh’s image closer to domestic and international tourists.

Tây Ninh plans to host its first Culture, Sports and Tourism Week and boost digital marketing to promote the province's image and brand identity. — VNS