Waking up Khuon Than’s sleeping beauty

Few people know that this midland area is home to a bewitching landscape – Khuon Than Lake. Maybe because Khuon Than Lake is far from national roads, it has received almost no attention.

Not many people have visited Khuon Than Lake, but whoever has, can see that its attractiveness lies in its tranquility.

We set foot in Khuon Than at the end of the lychee season, when Chu town becomes quieter. The road from Chu Street to the tourist site, about 10km long, was empty. After moving along a road snaking through luxuriant gardens heavy with fruits and then up a long slope, Khuon Than Lake appeared. It was a deep green lake surrounded by pine and lychee hills. The blue sky was reflected in the vast lake through which each pebble close to the water surface could be seen. Some boats were moored in the shade of pine canopies on the lake. The place was quiet, like it had been for centuries, as if it had never been touched by modern life. The mass of brown rocks on the lakeside and the road to the lake all seemed free of human footprints. Some local residents were fishing leisurely on the lake.

The forests and mountains around the lake were also tranquil. There was only sunlight, wind and birdsong. We hungrily breathed in the pure and cool air. The most exciting thing was that we could hear pine trees whisper and discover wild nature with trails crossing mountain slopes and pure springs.