Black Virgin Mountain (Núi Bà Đen)

Our journey into Vietnam began with a sense that the land itself was quietly guiding

us. Leaving behind the intensity of the southern city, we travelled north to the solitary

peak of Black Virgin Mountain (Núi Bà Đen), the highest mountain in southern Vietnam.

Vietnam and the opening node of the Dragon Spine, we have come to follow.

Rising abruptly from the plains, Núi Bà Đen feels like the root of a much larger living

structure. At its summit stands the revered figure of the Black Lady, a mountain

guardian whose legend speaks of devotion, integrity, and feminine strength. Every

day, thousands of pilgrims come here carrying flowers, incense, and offerings, moving

through the temple terraces and pagodas that climb the mountain’s slopes.

For us, this mountain marked the awakening of the first dragon egg — the root

ignition of the energetic current that travels through the length of Vietnam’s

mountains and landscapes.

Within one of the temple shrines, we encountered a sacred Sarira relic, believed to be one of the crystalline jewels discovered among the ashes of Gautama Buddha after his cremation. These relics are said to shimmer with many colours and are

considered indestructible symbols of awakened consciousness. Seeing one here

was already extraordinary — but what caught our attention immediately was its

shape.

The relic appeared as a jewel-like egg.

For us, it felt like a moment of unmistakable synchronicity: a quiet acknowledgement

that this mountain truly is the place where the dragon beneath the land begins to stir.

As part of our pilgrimage, we have been leaving small totems at significant sites

along the journey — beginning at Borobudur, continuing at Angkor Wat, and now

here on Black Lady Mountain. Each one is a small offering, a marker of gratitude and

intention as we move along the spine of the dragon.

This first node marks the root awakening — the moment when the current begins to

rise.

From here, the journey continues north through the highlands, waterfalls, and ancient

temples and cave systems of Vietnam, eventually reaching the karst seas of Ha

Long Bay, where the dragon is said to descend into the ocean.