Yang Bay in the central province of Khanh Hoa is famed forits pristine beauty, expansive forests, and glassy waterfalls – in factthe superlatives go on and on.
Duong Le Na, anoverseas Vietnamese from the US and her friends recently decided totravel to the site. When they arrived at Yang Bay she was besideherself with joy.
"On the stone steps of the gentleslope we started our journey to Yang Bay waterfall. The fresh airthe cool water, I'm in ecstasy," she wrote in an e-mail to a friend.
"The quite beatitude is broken by the roaring of the waterfall. Thewaterfall feeds into several small lakes below, of which the deepest is16m. My friends and I immediately drived into the water to enjoy thecoolness. We are all in agreement that this is the most beautiful placeon earth," Na wrote.
Yang Bay means "heaven'swaterfall" in the language of the Gia Rai people, one of the 53 ethnicgroups in Vietnam .
The river begins at a springsome 2km higher up in the mountains. It plunges down several waterfallsinto a one-metre deep crystal clear pool.
The twoother major waterfalls in the area are Yang Khang and Hocho. After arefreshing dip, visitors can relax in a natural hot spring.
Yang Bay waterfall is also famed for the "lithophone" thathas been erected – iron wires fastened to the cliff that play as thewater passes over it.
Gia Rai residents are proud oftheir musical ability and are only too happy to entertain visitors.They play traditional instruments such as the chapi, t'rung, tacungflute, taleploi clarinet and the dan da (stone instrument).
Situated in Khanh Vinh District's Khanh Phu Commune, Yang Baywaterfall forms part of the 57ha Yang Bay Tourism Park .
Locals put on a variety of activities to entertain tourists, such aspig racing and crossbow shooting. There is also a 4,500sq. m bear farm.Visitors can also feed crocodiles.
Na's friend KenJones was particularly taken by the crocodile farm. "Feeding thecrocodiles was fun but terrifying," he said.
Na meanwhile fell in love with the orchid gardens.
"I have lived far from my homeland for more than 30 years. I can'tbelieve how beautiful and pristine this place is," she said.
After the orchid gardens Na and her friends listened to locals playingthe dan da and t'rung, which consists of five to seven pieces of bambooof varying length that are tied together with two parallel cords. Itcan be rolled up. When played it is hung from a metal frame. Themusician strikes the bamboo with two to four rods. The sound of thet'rung is reminiscent of running water.
"At the endof the evening, we relaxed by a campfire and sampled local culinarydelicacies such as grilled crocodile and steamed bamboo filled withminced pork. Ostrich is another popular local dish," said Na.
To get to Yang Bay from Nha Trang City you must pass through Dien Khanh town and several villages.
Yang Bay reserve occupies 570ha and is famed for its virginforest. It is known as Gia Rai in the local language.
Entrance tickets cost 30,000 VND for adults and 15,000 VND forchildren. English speaking tour guides cost 100,000 VND per hour, whileVietnamese language guided cost 50,000 VND per hour, said tourismofficial Hoang Van Khanh, who works for Khotoco Co.
The 800m tree-lined path to the centre is a festooned with flowers andcreepers. The foot weary can catch an electric bus for 10,000 VND.
For those wanting to take a dip in Yang Khang Waterfall, swimmingcostumes can be hired for 60,000 VND to 70,000 VND. Floats cost 5,000VND.
Just under a kilometre away is the Hocho Waterfall.
Yang Bay welcomes thousands of visitors each year.
"We plan to invest billions of dong in Yang Bay . We wantto build a mud bath and a high-end resort," Khanh said with a smilesurveying the beautiful countryside. "Then more people will be able toenjoy the nature and the loveliness of the reserve./.
Duong Le Na, anoverseas Vietnamese from the US and her friends recently decided totravel to the site. When they arrived at Yang Bay she was besideherself with joy.
"On the stone steps of the gentleslope we started our journey to Yang Bay waterfall. The fresh airthe cool water, I'm in ecstasy," she wrote in an e-mail to a friend.
"The quite beatitude is broken by the roaring of the waterfall. Thewaterfall feeds into several small lakes below, of which the deepest is16m. My friends and I immediately drived into the water to enjoy thecoolness. We are all in agreement that this is the most beautiful placeon earth," Na wrote.
Yang Bay means "heaven'swaterfall" in the language of the Gia Rai people, one of the 53 ethnicgroups in Vietnam .
The river begins at a springsome 2km higher up in the mountains. It plunges down several waterfallsinto a one-metre deep crystal clear pool.
The twoother major waterfalls in the area are Yang Khang and Hocho. After arefreshing dip, visitors can relax in a natural hot spring.
Yang Bay waterfall is also famed for the "lithophone" thathas been erected – iron wires fastened to the cliff that play as thewater passes over it.
Gia Rai residents are proud oftheir musical ability and are only too happy to entertain visitors.They play traditional instruments such as the chapi, t'rung, tacungflute, taleploi clarinet and the dan da (stone instrument).
Situated in Khanh Vinh District's Khanh Phu Commune, Yang Baywaterfall forms part of the 57ha Yang Bay Tourism Park .
Locals put on a variety of activities to entertain tourists, such aspig racing and crossbow shooting. There is also a 4,500sq. m bear farm.Visitors can also feed crocodiles.
Na's friend KenJones was particularly taken by the crocodile farm. "Feeding thecrocodiles was fun but terrifying," he said.
Na meanwhile fell in love with the orchid gardens.
"I have lived far from my homeland for more than 30 years. I can'tbelieve how beautiful and pristine this place is," she said.
After the orchid gardens Na and her friends listened to locals playingthe dan da and t'rung, which consists of five to seven pieces of bambooof varying length that are tied together with two parallel cords. Itcan be rolled up. When played it is hung from a metal frame. Themusician strikes the bamboo with two to four rods. The sound of thet'rung is reminiscent of running water.
"At the endof the evening, we relaxed by a campfire and sampled local culinarydelicacies such as grilled crocodile and steamed bamboo filled withminced pork. Ostrich is another popular local dish," said Na.
To get to Yang Bay from Nha Trang City you must pass through Dien Khanh town and several villages.
Yang Bay reserve occupies 570ha and is famed for its virginforest. It is known as Gia Rai in the local language.
Entrance tickets cost 30,000 VND for adults and 15,000 VND forchildren. English speaking tour guides cost 100,000 VND per hour, whileVietnamese language guided cost 50,000 VND per hour, said tourismofficial Hoang Van Khanh, who works for Khotoco Co.
The 800m tree-lined path to the centre is a festooned with flowers andcreepers. The foot weary can catch an electric bus for 10,000 VND.
For those wanting to take a dip in Yang Khang Waterfall, swimmingcostumes can be hired for 60,000 VND to 70,000 VND. Floats cost 5,000VND.
Just under a kilometre away is the Hocho Waterfall.
Yang Bay welcomes thousands of visitors each year.
"We plan to invest billions of dong in Yang Bay . We wantto build a mud bath and a high-end resort," Khanh said with a smilesurveying the beautiful countryside. "Then more people will be able toenjoy the nature and the loveliness of the reserve./.
