Looking to stretch your legs and skills beyond the gym with some top roping within easy reach of Saigon and at a price to put a smile on your face?   Then Buu Long is your baby.

Buu Long temple got a boost recently when Nat Geo named it as one of the most beautiful Buddhist monuments in the world.  For PushPeeps it has a beauty all of its own, out of sight of the main temple itself – brilliant boulders, within 40 mins of Saigon.

“There are two big boulders at Buu Long that you can climb” muses PushPeep Paul Massad, “they’re there in front of the temple itself, one pitch high, say twenty metres of sandstone.” To climb you pay the entry to the park, and announce yourself at the gate and sign a waiver.

“Just be sure to get there early to avoid the beating sun as there’s not a lot of canopy cover. You pay the entry, then walk to the left of the park, where a small trail leads to the pagoda.  Before the stairs the trail splits and you head right and go underneath the pagoda where there are two big boulders in a garden. One is flat faced with harder routes, and the other has a more rugged face. You can walk around the boulder and up to set your ropes for top roping.”

It’s not bolted, except for a top rope anchor.  “When I first started I found gear left there but those bolts were old and rusted and they’re gone.” Remember with old bots if it looks nasty it probably is nasty so if there are any survivors from the bad old days you’d best ignore them.

AND THE CLIMBING?

“It’s fun with small, crimpy routes and around the corner there are a couple of arêtes and a rock protrusion like a stalactite so you need to lay back into that one, hold on and pull up.  There are some stemming possibilities too. You get a half day of climbing fun for less than a million Dong – cheap cheap, good good.”

Don’t forget your harness, shoes, chalk, rope, and of course a belay buddy* – all of which are available from Push.  *we don’t sell these. You have to play nice and find one.

Words by Steve Shipside.