Picturesque Thien Son and Suoi Nga

For travelers in Hanoi or the locals who want to spend their one-day weekend at a relaxing tourist attraction that is not too far away from the capital city, Thien Son-Suoi Nga ecotourism site may be their best choice.

It takes only one and a half hours by car to this site from Hanoi by taking National Highway 32 or Lang-Hoa Lac, passing by Son Tay Township, then turning left to the Ba Vi National Park.

Located on the eastern side of the Ba Vi mountain range in Ha Tay Province, the 450 -hectare ecotourism site will replace the noisy and dusty atmosphere of the city with the cool and fresh air of undulating mountains and forests. Thien Son - Suoi Nga is also surrounded by the historical legend of the competition between Son Tinh (Mountain Genie) and Thuy Tinh (Water Genie) to become the King Hung's son-in-law.

Thien Son is divided into three parts including Ha Son (lower), Trung Son (middle), and Ngoan Son (upper) mountains. The scenery there will certainty please any eco-tourist, with its mild and limpid streams pouring in from the Tan Vien range, forests along the mountain slopes and stilt houses nestled peacefully by ever-blue lakes.

Ha Son has the most poetic landscape with Tam Cap waterfall and many beautiful streams. Moreover, a valley on nearly six square kilometers formed by confluence of three streams and Oi (Guava) stream gives visitors a spectacular view of many small falls.

Trung Son has a culinary sector nestled along mountain slopes with caves decorated by colorful lights. In the afternoon, tourists can take a rest at a hotel complex under green leaf canopies or visit houses on stilts to enjoy rice cakes, roasted chicken, and many other specialties of Thien Son mountain. A small swimming pool is available for children after lunch time.

Tourists will be attracted by the diversified ecosystem of Thien Son and Suoi Nga covered by the forests with an area of up to 395 hectares. Here, one can learn about the rare and valuable plants of the Ba Vi National Park, like wild ironwood and fuchsia flower, thanks to name-tags on the tree-trunk.

Ngoan Son is the final destination in the park, with many outdoor activities such as mountain climbing, stream bathing, waterfall watching, boating and fishing. Travelers could stand at the foot of the Cong Troi (Heaven gate) to watch dazzling white spumes, or take  a leisurely walk on winding roads along mountain slopes.

There are many shallow bathing places here and there, but the one at the end of Suoi Nga is the largest and offers tourists a panoramic picture of the ecotourism site.

If possible, visitors should spend a night at the site to experience the forest fragrance, a fanciful foggy lake view and the cool air of the mountainous region in the huge and dark curtain of the night.

Tourists can organize their own journeys by calling the Thien Son - Suoi Nga ecotourism site on tel: (034) 321 9616, or book a one-day package tour at An Phat Travel, tel: (04) 984 5029, Saigontourist Travel Service, tel: (04) 825 0923, or Tan Anh Trang Tourist Co., tel: (04) 733 329.