The landscape of Nhan mountain

Traveling along the country, across Tuy Hoa city (Phu Yen province), visitors can see majesticrelic-cluster of Nhan mountain by Da Rang bridge.

 The bustling scene of Nguyen Tieu night at Nhan tower

As stated in some documents, Nhan mountain is 64m high above the sea level, the perimeter around the mountain is about more than 1 km long. The majority of different understanding-ways is the imagination of a winging-swallow image as viewed from a long distance, so the name NhanMountain was called. For ages, the relic-creature cluster in the mountain has been cared, restored and strictly conserved. Tourists visiting the mountain can feel a very nice, cool, friendly charming sight through the cool-clean-winding road leading to the mountain peak and the populations of ornamental creatures and ruins in the mountain.

In addition to the scenery and wonderful climate, up to Nhan Mountain, one will be able to visit the ancient Nhan tower located in the Cham-tower relics in Central region. Nhan tower, located at Nhan mountain peak, was built by Cham people in around the 12^th century. Overall, Nhan tower represents Cham people’s architectural art in the ancient Phu Yen land.

Besides, Nhan tower is a unique architecture, monument. The monument, located beside the road up the mountain, was inaugurated on April 1^st, 2007. This is a cultural construction invested and elaborately built by Phu Yen People’s government. The work includes a museum at the bottom, and white vertical bars above the rooftops, like foam waves and sails full of wind reaching far out to sea, and also like winging swallow from far away viewing.

Today, the scenic cluster of Nhan mountain, Da river become a symbol for Phu Yen province and Nhan tower has been recognized as an art-architecture monument at national level by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Standing on the mountain-top, tourists can easily see Tuy Hoa city’s panorama with blue sea, vast rice-fields, Da Rang river and majestic Chop Chai mountain or Da Bia peak from a long distance.

Source: Thanh Nien Online

It's Worth Visiting Ancient Loc Vung forest of Quang Binh

A village in the central province of Quang Binh has thousands of Loc Vung Barringtonia acutangula trees worth hundreds of billions of VND in total.

The forest is located in Phu Tho Village, An Thuy Commune, Le Thuy District.
Local residents, including the elders, have no idea about the age of the forest. They only know that it has been there throughout living memory. They say that the forest has protected the village from storms, hidden them during wartime and provided shelter for the people.

This forest has been preserved over many generations even though the price of this kind of wood has increased sharply. Some traders in the village were willing to buy trees around the village at tens of billions of VND. Estimates of the value of the wood contained in the forest are in the hundreds of billions of VND. But the villagers decided not to exploit it, as they consider it their treasure and their “lung”.

Under the village regulation, anyone who damages the forest will be strictly dealt with. The village security force recently caught an illegal logger, who was imprisoned. The man’s family was obliged to find another tree from somewhere else to replace the one he had cut down.

 

Road to the forest

Green duckweeds

Resemblance to a lying buffalo?

Large Loc Vung trees

Dtinews

Endless Beauty of Nui Doi

Those who have been on the Highland of Ha Giang can enjoy a masterpiece of nature bestowed on this place. That is Nui doi. Legends are legends forever; however, anyone who contemplates Nui Doi without hearing the story about the fairy`s breasts may associate the fully and sexy breasts of a young lady.

With an odds shape connected with a legendary story, Nui Doi Quan Ba called Co Tien Moutain is regarded as an important destination in the tours to Dong Van rocky highland, an attractive place for professional photographers to come.

Standing alone in a small valley nearby Tam Son highland city of Quang Ba District, Ha Giang Province, surrounded with terraced rice fields and spotted with the houses made of soil in dark brown, typical for the scenery encountered in the rocky highland, Nui Doi looks so fascinating.

The best time to visit Nui Doi and contemplate these amazing sceneries of the site is the spring and the summer, when the grass and plants cover " the fairy`s breasts" in freshly green or rice fills out Tam Son terraced rice fields in brightly yellow.

Nui Doi is so beautiful and fascinating that local ethnic people have adored and preserved the legend of the fairy for many generations, it has become a part of their subconscious

As told by the legend, there was a young Hmong boy in Quang Ba, the misty highland, who had talent for performing musical sound by his lips; the sound was so melodious like stream flowing and bird singing, so tuneful like the wind spreading our everywhere to the sky that many young female highlanders were softhearted. A beautiful fairy from heaven named Hoa Dao occasionally encountered the music and looked for performer. They fell in love afterwards and she could not return to heaven. The marriage between the human and fairy was made finally. The couple had one son.

The Lord knew Hoa Dao escaped from heaven and married with the human. He angrily recalled her back to heaven. Before leaving, she left her breasts to her husband to feed the baby with her breasts milk. The breasts gradually grew up and became the twin mountain like the mother `s breasts fully strain with milk. That twin mountain was named Nui Doi or Nui Co Tien

According to the legend, thanks to “the fairy`s breasts milk”, the weather at the site is cool and thus fruits grown there give wonderful taste, such as peach, apricot, persimmon.., rice and vegetable harvests are always successful. The fairy`s tear became the Mien River covering the rocky mountain area. 

Thanks to the fascinating beauty of Nui Doi and is value in terms of geology and natural scenery, the site was recognized the national famous landscape in 2010. In combination with the global geological park of Dong Van Rocky Highland, Nui Doi is the symbol, an atractive and important of this unique highland.

Travel.org.vn

Conquering the peak of Hon Ba Mountain

Hon Ba Mountain is considered “Da Lat of the Beach City” when endowed by nature with a cool climate all year round. After a long trek on the winding and misty path, tourists reach the peak of the mountain at an altitude of 1,500m where they have a panoramic view of the magnificent and imposing scenery of the region.

Hon Ba Mountain is located in Cam Lam District, Khanh Hoa Province, 60km north of Nha Trang. The area has a temperate climate and boasts primitive forests hundreds of years old so it is an ideal place for those who want to discover wild, natural beauty. Allured by the charm of the area, we decided to make a trip to Hon Ba Mountain.

 Hon Ba Mountain is like a  sleeping fairy in the forest.
Da Giang Stream is located near the road leading to Hon Ba Mountain.
The wild beauty on the mountain.
The road to Hon Ba Mountain.
The abundant eco-system on Hon Ba Mountain.
The diversified eco-system on Hon Ba Moutain. 
A panoramic view of Nha Trang Bay seen from the peak of Hon Ba Mountain.

At 6:30a.m, we started our trip to the peak of the mountain. On the way, we stopped at Suoi Nguon Tourist Area at a height of 300m where we had a delicious meal of grilled chicken, while listening to the murmur of streams running through banana and durian forests and looking at the view of Nha Trang in the distance. We all experienced an interesting feeling when we sometimes walked through floating clouds during our trip. We also visited Hon Ba Nature Reserve. According to statistics, the reserve boasts 529 varieties of vascular plants (tracheophyta) under 401 branches and 120 families, including 43 precious and rare varieties listed in the Red Book, such as Krempt’s Pine (Pinus Krempfii), Fokienia and Rhodoleia Championii. At present, a nursery is being built in the reserve with the aim of breeding and preserving rare plants which are then planted in a 70ha garden.

At 10:30a.m, we were at the middle of the mountain at a height of 900m. Below was the scenery of the land of Cam Lam and above were dense primitive forests with thousands of old trees in clouds, creating a romantic picture.

At 12p.m., we finally reached the peak of the mountain at an altitude of 1,500m. All of us felt very excited and discovered the place where there stands a wooden house of the famous French doctor, Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) who opened the path to the peak of the mountain 100 years ago. The doctor spent his youth discovering Da Lat, conducting scientific research, establishing monitoring stations and finding many rare varieties of herbal plants.

The house of doctor Alexandre Yersin at the peak of Hon Ba Mountain.
Inside the house of Doctor A.Yersin.
The bedroom of Doctor A.Yersin.
Doctor Alexandre Yersin's nursery tray.
The scenery from Doctor A.Yersin’s house.

The two-floor wooden house covering a total area of 100m2 was restored in 2004. Now it is a library with many objects of great historical value, such as a stone table, chair and bed. However, we were mostly impressed by the garden of medicinal herbs with two hundred-year-old green tea trees (camellia sinensis).
At 1p.m., we left the peak of the mountain during a sudden rain and all of us will surely never forget the memories of this beautiful place.

Source: VNP

Dong Van Karst Plateau Geo-park - Ha Giang

Location: Covering the entirety of the four mountainous districts of Ha Giang Province, including: Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac and Dong Van. 

Characteristic: Dong Van Karst Plateau is the first geological park of Viet Nam recognized as a member of the Global Geo-parks Network by GGN.  

From Ha Giang City, visitors travel on National Highway 4C for 43km to Quan Ba. Continuing on this highway through Can Ty Pass, pine forests, steep drops, deep ravines, and razor sharp turns, visitors will reach to the karst plateau.

Located on an altitude of 1,000m-1,600m, the 2,350km - Dong Van Karst Plateau is one of Viet Nam's special limestone areas, housing prominent imprints that depict the development of the earth's crust. Up to 80% of the karst formations of Dong Van Plateau are limestone formed by environment conditions and different development stages of nature. 

A survey conducted by scientists from the Viet Nam Institute of Geosciences and Natural Resources revealed the finding of 11 fossil - geological formations in Dong Van, including Chang Pung, Lutxia, Sika, Lang Xang, Si Phai, Toc Tat, Lung Nam, Bac Son, Dong Dang, Song Hien and Hong Ngai. Of which, Chang Pung is the oldest one with date of 545 millions years. In addition, 17 paleontology groups were also discovered in Dong Van, including Brachiopoda (Tay cuon), Trilobita (Bo ba thuy), Gastropoda (Chan bung), Foraminifera (Trung lo), Cephalopoda (Chan dau), Crinoidea (Hue bien), Tentaculies (Vo non), Conodonta (Rang non), Tabulata (San ho vach day), Tetracoralla (San ho bon tia), Stromatoporoidea (Lo tang), Spirulina (Tao), Bryozoans (Dong vat dang reu), Bivalvia (Hai manh vo), Hydrilla verticillata (Thuc vat thuy sinh), Sclerotesta (Vo cung), Polybranchiaspis liaojiaoshanensis (Ca co). The paleontology groups have helped scientists draw a complete picture of development history in terms of geology of Dong Van Karst Plateau in particular and northeast Viet Nam and south China in general. 

Thanks to weather changes and Dong Van's geo-diversity, the karst evolution has created "rock gardens" and "rock forests" of diverse forms in the area, such as Khau Vai rock garden (Meo Vac) where you can contemplate the peaks of rocks in the shape of different kinds of flowers, Lung Pu rock garden (Meo Vac) with animal-shaped rocks such as tiger and dragon, Van Chai rock garden (Dong Van) with round flagstones arranged like thousands of black sea lions leaning one another getting some rest on the beach. However, found commonly here are ranges of mountains running one after another to form pyramids heading up to skies. A system of caves and grottos found in the Dong Van Plateau provides a proof of the evolution of karst with Rong Cave in Sang Tung (Dong Van), Kho My Cave in Tung Vai (Quan Ba), En Grotto in Van Chai (Dong Van)...

The scientists have evaluated Dong Van Plateau as having a unique and diverse mountainous geo-ecosystem. Primitive forests here have been rather undamaged, habiting many rare floral species, including Burretiodendron hsienmu (Nghien), Taxus Wallichiana Zucc (Thong do), Amentotaxus hatuyenensis (De tung soc nau), Cephalotaxus hainanensis (Dinh tung), Podocarpus pilgeri Foxw (Thong tre la ngan), Cupressus funebris (Hoang dan ru).., especially over 40 species of orchids. Dong Van Plateau also has a rich diversity of habitat for fauna as scientists have spotted over 50 species of wild animals, birds and reptiles in the site such as Capri conrnis sumatresis (Son duong), Rhinopithecus avunculus (Vooc mui hech), Sus cristatus (Lon rung), Garrulax canorus canorus (Hoa mi)...

Besides geological, geomorphology and scenic values, Dong Van Karst Plateau reflects traditional cultural richness of 17 ethnic minority groups, such as Mong, Dao, Lo Lo, Tay, Nung... These ethnic minorities have lived with the rocks. Here, the rock gardens dotted with green corn fields and golden rice fields. In addition Pho Bang, Dong Van, Lung Cu, Sa Phin markets coupled with time-honoured ethnic festivals, rituals, customs and culture of local inhabitants weight the plateau's unique charm.

Visiting Dong Van Plateau in the spring, you are hit by wonderful landscapes composed by yellow cai (kale) flowers and pink peach flowers in full blossom, mossy tiled roofs of stilt houses, dark green rocks and blue skies. Far in deep valleys covered by pure white plum flowers in full blossom hear remote sounds of khen (pan-flutes) of Mong people. The season covers rugged rocks and mountain peaks with its bright colors.

On October 3, 2010, in Lesvos (Greece), Dong Van Karst Plateau was recognized as official member of Global Geo-parks Network (GGN) for its prominent values on landscape, palaeobiology, geology, geomorphology and local culture. Dong Van Karst Plateau has become the first geo-park of Viet Nam and the second one in Southeast Asia (after Langkawi Geo-park in Malaysia).   

 

Fansipan Mountain - Lao Cai

Location: Fansipan Mountain is located 9km south-west of Sapa Townlet in the Hoang Lien Mountain Range. 

Characteristics: Fansipan is branded "the Roof of Indochina" at the height of 3,143m; Fansipan is to be approved as one of the very few eco-tourist spots of Vietnam, with about 2,024 floral varieties and 327 faunal species.

The topography of Fansipan is varied. Muong Hoa Valley, at the lowest altitude (950-1,000m), is created by a narrow strip of land at the base on the east side of the mountain.

Geologists say the Hoang Lien Mountain Range, with Fansipan as its highest peak, did not emerge in the mountainous North West of Vietnam until the neozoic period (circ. 100 million years ago). Fansipan, a rough pronunciation of the local name "Hua Xi Pan" means "the tottery giant rock". The French came to Vietnam and in 1905 planted a landmark telling Fansipan's height of 3,143m and branded it "the Roof of Indochina". Very few people climbed to the top of Fansipan at the time. Then came the long years of war and Fansipan was left deserted for hunting and savaging. The trail blazed by the French was quickly overgrown by the underbrush. 

It takes six or seven days to reach the 3,143m summit, the highest peak of the Indochina Peninsula.

In 1991, Nguyen Thien Hung, an army man returned to the district town and decided to conquer Fansipan. Only on the 13th attempt did Hung, with a H'Mong boy as his guide, conquer the high peak by following the foot steps of the mountain goats. Scaling the height was meant to satisfy his eager will and aspiration to conquer the mountain without expecting that his name would be put down in the travel guidebook. After that the Sapa Tourism Agency started a new package tour there. It seemed the Fansipan Tour was meant only for those who wished to test their muscular power.
The summit of Fansipan is accessible all year round, but the best time to make the ascent is from mid-October to mid-November, and again in March.

Foreigners like best to book Fansipan tours between October and December, as this period is more often than not free from the heavy rains that obstruct the jaunt. But the Vietnamese prefer their tours to the peak of the mountain from February to April, as it is not so cold then. However, the best time for the trek to the mountain is from the end of February to the start of March, when the flowers all flourish and the climbers may behold the carpets of brilliant blossoms, violets and orchids, rhododendrons and aglaias.