2 Best Sights in Side Trips from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Completed in 1974, this pagoda at the base of Nho Mountain is considered one of Vung Tau's most beautiful. The serene garden in front of the pagoda represents Buddha achieving the state of Nirvana. The most famous part of the complex, however, is the 39-foot-long Reclining Buddha statue.

This Theravada Buddhism temple, built between 1961 and 1963, is on the northwestern face of Lon Mountain. The highlights are a 33-foot-high gleaming white Buddha statue and the climb up the steps to its base, through beautiful gardens and jungle. Alongside the steps is a series of statues depicting Buddha's life. Pilgrims from all over Vietnam visit the pagoda, which has a Zen Buddhist monastery on-site.