Buu Long Tourist Park covers some 84 hectares on the outskirts of Bien Hoa city, about 30 kilometers from HCM City. It is a landscape with mountains, pagodas and a large lake, that local people excessively call "a Ha Long Bay in miniature".
The tourist park embraces Long An lake, an artificial reservoir covering an area of more than 10 hectares. The crystal clear lake has plenty of large rocks that look like small islets.
Boats will carry visitors around the lake, and to an islet in the middle of the lake. Climbing 35 metres to the top of the islet, you will have a wonderful view of the scenery from different angles. Visitors can also relax by hiring pedalos to move around.
Close to the lake is Mount Buu Long, which reflects itself on the lake, creating a beautiful spot. Buu Phong Pagoda was built in the 17th century on the mountain in the form of a thatch-roofed hut. It was then renovated and enlarged in 1829 with nearly 100 steps to climb up to the top.
Many ancient artifacts are kept at the pagoda, including clothes dating back to the Nguyen dynasty, and lying Buddha statues. Around the pagoda are several towers, large rocks of strange shapes and very big Bodhi trees. The rocks and trees make the surroundings cool and pleasant for visitors to rest after a tough climb.
Near the pagoda is Long Son Thach meaning Grotto of Dragon Mount, which contains many stalactites of different shapes, sizes and colors. The entire grotto looks like a frog’s jaw.
Buu Long Tourist Park has been developed as a historical, cultural and religious site for traditional festivals. The path at the foot of the mount leads visitors to a place named Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) Tran Bien that was built on 20,000 square meters to preserve the cultural values of the Vietnamese people.
The top of Mount Buu Long provides you with a panorama of Bien Hoa City, which houses many factories of Vietnamese and foreign companies. Also from the top, visitors can see a green stretch of fields interwoven with branches of the Dong Nai River, all creating a mountain-river-country picture.
