A section of Ngoan Muc Pass - Photo: GIA TIEN
Leaving the poetic Da Lat, our car headed to D'Ran town, Don Duong district, Lam Dong province. Along the way, cherry blossoms competed to show off their pink color next to rows of rustling old pine trees, along with the misty slopes typical of the highlands, incredibly beautiful.
In spring, the town puts on a new coat, with many bright red decorations and colorful flower pots.
Going a little further, Da Nhim Lake is vast in sight, with a dam stretching 1.5km. This is the confluence of the Krong Let River and the Da Nhim River. It is known that the lake has a 5km long hydro-pressure tunnel through the mountain, connecting to two alloy hydro-pressure pipes, more than 1m in diameter, more than 2,000m long, 45-degree slope, bringing water to the Da Nhim hydroelectric plant at the foot of the mountain, in Lam Son commune, Ninh Son district, Ninh Thuan province, creating a unique feature for Ngoan Muc pass.
The closer you get to the pass, the greener the scenery becomes. Ngoan Muc Pass, also known as Song Pha Pass, connects Langbian Plateau with Ninh Son Valley, with deep green mountains on one side and a valley with looming roofs on the other.
Cherry blossoms mixed with pine trees on the road from Da Lat to Ngoan Muc Pass - Photo: HOANG NGOC THANH
Cherry blossoms in full bloom - Photo: HOANG NGOC THANH
The pass is winding with many hairpin bends, creating beautiful wavy shapes, the road is like a soft silk strip across the green hillside. My daughter looked at the cars in the distance, saying they looked like tiny toys moving slowly.
The pass is about 18.5km long, with an average slope of more than 9 degrees, making it the steepest pass in the South. I felt the distinct change in climate and landscape along the road.
Ngoan Muc Pass is winding with many hairpin bends, creating beautiful wavy shapes - Photo: GIA TIEN
At the beginning of the pass on the Don Duong side, clouds drifted over the pine trees, the air was cool and pleasant, typical of the highland land where the pine trees sang in the wind. The further down, the brighter the sun was, bringing with it the dry heat of the South Central Coast, along with the oil tree forests and many other types of trees typical of the tropics.
At the Eo Gio bend, a sudden cold wind blew in, then gave way to a hot sun. It is not an exaggeration to say that traveling on this pass, you will feel the convergence of four seasons.
The route has two sections going under this pipeline, the feeling is really exciting. Looking at the two water pipes towering vertically from the top to the foot of the mountain, I really admire the intelligence and strength of the people who built the project, to light up the electricity source for the highlands and coastal areas, along with the irrigation system for the land of Ninh Thuan with year-round sunshine and wind.
The area at the foot of the pass is bustling with shops and restaurants, making it an interesting stopover while you are swaying on the winding pass. There are plenty of dishes for visitors to choose from, especially chicken rice, a specialty of the Pha River and Ninh Thuan.
Asking the locals, my family stopped at Phuoc restaurant, near the dam for lunch. The golden hill chicken, rice cooked with shiny chicken broth just looked so delicious, accompanied by a bowl of sour soup with giang leaves and some pickles to enhance the taste. When my family visited the restaurant, it was past 1pm, but there was still a line of customers waiting, enough to see the attraction of this small restaurant.
Phan Rang Chicken Rice - Photo: HOANG NGOC THANH
The whole way, vehicles were bustling. This is the main route connecting the Central Highlands with the coastal gateway of the Central region. From Lam Dong, people were looking for the blue sea and white sand. In the opposite direction, people were escaping the hot sun, wanting to immerse themselves in the cool breeze of the foggy land.
At night, sitting in front of my relative’s house in Dong Me, along Highway 27, I saw many trucks moving busily. My relative, Ms. Mi, told me that these were two-way trips, carrying vegetables and fruits from Da Lat to Phan Rang, then carrying onions, garlic, perilla leaves, and seafood from the coastal areas to the mountainous areas.
Along both sides of Highway 27 are lush apple orchards. Along with grapevines, green apples are typical fruits of Ninh Thuan. I randomly stopped at a roadside apple stand. The owner introduced me to two types, small-fruited wind apples and double- or triple-fruited bomb apples. She said that Tet apples and grapes are the best, sweet, crunchy and cheap. I bought both types to enjoy during the trip, they were really delicious, sweet and crunchy but not hard.
The spring trip gave me many interesting things about the land and people of Ninh Thuan. Among them, Ngoan Muc Pass is a place that attracts many tourists, not only because of its gateway location but also because of the majestic nature stretching along the entire length of the road, worth experiencing once...
February 24 (full moon of the first lunar month) is the deadline for receiving entries for the contest "My Tet Moments"
My Tet Moments contest is an opportunity for readers to introduce the most beautiful moments and unforgettable experiences during Tet with relatives and friends.
Each article should be a maximum of 1,000 words in Vietnamese, and should include photos, photo albums or videos.
Contest entries share ideal destinations and unique lands . Through your stories, you will help many people have the opportunity to know new lands and places not to be missed when traveling during spring.
It could be an article recording the moments when friends and relatives gather, celebrate Tet and have fun together.
These are notes and recounts of personal experiences from trips and business trips away from home during Tet that you have experienced.
The photo contest highlights the beauty of the landscape, place or land you have visited. This is an opportunity to recount the vibrant colors and beautiful scenery of Vietnam or the countries you have visited.
From January 25 to February 24, readers can send their entries to [email protected].
The award ceremony and summary are expected to take place in March 2024. The prize structure includes 1 first prize (15 million VND in cash and gifts), 2 second prizes (7 million VND and gifts), 3 third prizes (5 million VND and gifts).
The program is sponsored by HDBank.
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