Bac Giang (VNA) - Whenit comes to Luc Ngan district (Bac Giang province), people usually think aboutbunches of red lychees from garden to garden. Few people know that this midlandarea is home to a bewitching landscape – Khuon Than Lake. Maybe because KhuonThan Lake is far from national roads, it has received almost no attention.

Acorner of Khuon Than Lake

Notmany people have visited Khuon Than Lake, but whoever has, can see that itsattractiveness lies in its tranquility.

Weset foot in Khuon Than at the end of the lychee season, when Chu town becomesquieter. The road from Chu Street to the tourist site, about 10km long, wasempty. After moving along a road snaking through luxuriant gardens heavy withfruits and then up a long slope, Khuon Than Lake appeared. It was a deep greenlake surrounded by pine and lychee hills.

Theblue sky was reflected in the vast lake through which each pebble close to thewater surface could be seen. Some boats were moored in the shade of pinecanopies on the lake. The place was quiet, like it had been for centuries, asif it had never been touched by modern life. The mass of brown rocks on the lakesideand the road to the lake all seemed free of human footprints. Some localresidents were fishing leisurely on the lake.

Theforests and mountains around the lake were also tranquil. There was onlysunlight, wind and birdsong. We hungrily breathed in the pure and cool air. Themost exciting thing was that we could hear pine trees whisper and discover wildnature with trails crossing mountain slopes and pure springs.

Theroad to Khuon Than Lake
Inthe tranquil atmosphere, enchanting sli singing suddenly resounded throughKhuon Than village – a village of the Nung ethnic people. A man named Hien wholooks after the Khuon Than area said a wedding of a Nung couple was being heldin the village, and everyone gathered to congratulate the newly-weds. He saidthe sli singing shows Nung people’s skill, with lyrics full of allegories. Atfestivals, fairs, weddings or house-warming parties, the sli singing plays animportant role, like an invisible string connecting people. Generations of Nungpeople have practiced sli singing at different events. Folk songs have helpedmany young men and women convey their love and become life partners.

Althoughthere aren’t any luxury hotels or fully furnished restaurants and hostels,visitors can enjoy a comfortable home stay experience. About 15 families offer homestay services for tourists in Cam Vai village of the San Chi ethnic people andHa and Khuon Than villages of the Nung people. When in Khuon Than,holidaymakers can feel villagers’ hospitality, along with the pure atmosphereand cool climate.

Atthe stilt house we stayed in we could see farming tools, looms and hunting gearlike bows, crossbows and nets of the Nung people. The host, who was also ourguide, introduced us to agricultural activities of Nung residents in KhuonThan. We enjoyed joining locals in fishing in the lake, collecting ant eggs inthe forest, cultivating crops, and looking for herbs. In the evening, we hadsome drinks by the cooking fire and ate grilled “bong” fish caught in KhuonThan Lake.

Ripelychee season in Khuon Than
Atsunset, Khuon Than Lake is coloured red, then the water suddenly becomesbrilliantly yellow as if plated with gold. Khuon Than Lake extends 240ha and isabout 5m deep. Located in the middle of the lake are five islets full of pinetrees. Tu Ma Temple on the lakeside, dedicated to a famous general in the TranDynasty, is a cultural relic site. The area also boasts many traditionalcultural features of ethnic minority groups like San Chi, Cao Lan, Nung andTay.

Manypeople compare Khuon Than Lake with the lake of T’nung in the CentralHighlands. While T’nung Lake boasts an imposing and mysterious appearance,Khuon Than Lake is much more gentle and friendlier. However, it is not easy tokeep visitors here for a long time since the infrastructure remainsunderdeveloped. It’s a shame that local tourism potential is untapped.

*FromBac Giang city, visitors should go 40km towards the northeast (Chu Street) andthen turn left and continue for another 10km to reach the Khuon Than touristsite in Luc Ngan district of Bac Giang province. Khuon Than Lake and forest arethe highlights of the site. Khuon Than Lake spans 240ha of water surface andfeatures five islets covered with pine trees grown about 15-20 years ago.Sightseeing and fishing are popular activities in the lake.

KhuonThan forest stretches some 700ha of land, including 300ha of natural forest and400ha of pine trees. Here, tourists can make camps, enjoy lychees, bee honey,gecko liquor and chestnut, or experience the life in Nung, Tay, San Chi and CaoLan families.-VNA