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"Two days in Binh Duong? That industrial place?" My friends were skeptical when I said I’d spent that much time in the southern province neighboring Ho Chi Minh City.

Well, it does have well-known tourism spots as well, like the Ba Thien Hau Pagoda and the Dai Nam theme park, but I was after other “prey.” And believe it or not, I felt the trip was too short, given the number of places in the province worth discovering.

My first stop was at the Hoi Khanh Pagoda in Thu Dau Mot Town. Originally built in 1741, the pagoda was destroyed by French troops in 1860. It was reconstructed by a monk named Chanh Dac in 1868.