Climbing all night to welcome the sunrise on Vong Phu island

Nguyen Kaio, living in Nha Trang, climbed Chu Mu mountain alone at night to catch the sunrise on Vong Phu island, located on the border of Dak Lak - Khanh Hoa.

Chu Mu Mountain is famous for Vong Phu Islet, attracting trekkers because of its majestic, wild beauty, the path has waterfalls and wild flowers blooming in spring.

The mountain belongs to Ea M'Doal commune, M'Drak district, bordering Khanh Hoa province, at an altitude of about 2,000 m. On the mountain range, there are two high peaks called by locals as Hon Vong Phu (or "mother and child mountain"). Here, visitors can admire the majestic beauty of Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, and Dak Lak provinces.

At around 7:30 p.m., Mr. Nguyen rode his motorbike more than 70 km from Nha Trang City to the edge of the forest in Ea M'Doal village. After finding a place to park his motorbike, he started walking, moving up the mountain at 9:30 p.m.

Dawn on Vong Phu Islet in Chu Mu Mountain, the border area between Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa provinces. Photo: Nguyen Kaio

The journey to the top of the mountain takes about 30 km of walking through the forest. Because he traveled at night and entered an area with no signal, Mr. Nguyen had to carefully prepare many items such as dry food, instant noodles, flashlights and some personal items, weighing about 13 kg.

"I have conquered the mountain many times so I know the way and am not worried, the only difference is that this is the first time I go into the forest alone at night," said the 32-year-old tourist.

Mr. Nguyen chose to go at night because "he only had one day to go out on the weekend". In addition, climbing the mountain at night "will be faster" because of the cool weather, taking only 5 hours. During the day, the travel time can take all day because it is hot, easy to lose energy and need to rest a lot.

Mr. Nguyen assessed that the 30 km of forest road has trails, but requires good health to climb the slopes and pay attention to obstacles to ensure safety. Traveling at night, the beauty of the mountain forest "takes on a different look", with the flickering lights of fireflies.

Sometimes, Mr. Nguyen had to stop at some intersections to choose a direction. "If I feel lost, I will return to some of the initial points that I marked to get going again," Mr. Nguyen said.

The first 500m, the road is quite pleasant and flat. However, when reaching the section with Bay waterfall, the trekking is "more difficult" because of the continuous uphill climb. But the road "is not difficult for him" because he has more than 5 years of experience climbing mountains. He calculates the distribution of his strength, when tired, he finds a safe place along the way to rest.

Visitors bring tools to make coffee and watch the sunrise.

Spring flowers bloom along the mountain path.

Mr. Nguyen said that first-time visitors to the mountain "absolutely should not go alone" and need someone experienced or a local to guide them. Visitors can form a small group, hire a local guide for about 400,000-500,000 VND - for a day trip; or join a 3-day, 2-night trekking tour on the mountain at a cost of about 4-5 million VND for a group of 4-5 people.

After about 5 hours, Mr. Nguyen reached the top of the mountain. Because it was dark, he chose to camp in a corner of the forest, lit a fire to warm himself, and waited for dawn to "hunt clouds". Here, another group of people were also camping, "waiting for the most beautiful moment when reaching the top of the mountain".

At 5am, as the sun was about to rise, Mr. Nguyen saw a large strip of cloud covering the mountain top, with rays of sunlight shining through the clouds. "The image of the clouds, layer by layer, continuously rolling around the mountain top, was indescribably beautiful," Mr. Nguyen said.

After that, he took souvenir photos at the two peaks of Vong Phu, made coffee, and sat enjoying the scenery for about an hour before going down the mountain.

"This trip, I hardly slept, because I often climb mountains so I'm not too tired," he said.

At 1:00 p.m., the male tourist reached the foot of the mountain and rode his motorbike back to Nha Trang.

Although he has climbed Chu Mu Mountain and conquered Vong Phu Peak many times, Mr. Nguyen said that each time he reached the top of the mountain, the scenery was different. Sometimes the sky was clear, other times it was covered in fog or the clouds rolled in layers.

"Each time I go up the mountain, there is a different beauty, stimulating me to continue exploring the mountain top next time," said Mr. Nguyen.

He suggests that tourists should conquer Chu Mu mountain in March and April because the weather is dry and many wild flowers such as rhododendrons, bell-shaped peaches and wild orchids bloom.

"For trekking enthusiasts, conquering Chu Mu mountain peak is something not to be missed," said Mr. Nguyen.

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