A tourist destination right near Hanoi has charming scenery, but having the name is startling

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It takes about 2 hours to drive from Hanoi capital, visitors will come to a place that sounds a bit creepy but the scenery is very charming.

Not only the capital of Hanoi with thousands of years of civilization, the North of Vietnam also has many other tourist attractions, attracting visitors by its distinct beauty. Among them can be mentioned Thai Nguyen, a locality that is considered to be close to Hanoi, about 100km away, equivalent to 2 hours by car. 

Referring to this place, visitors will immediately remember the green tea hills stretching to the horizon, or Nui Coc lake – one of the outstanding artificial freshwater lakes with diverse ecosystems. However, the land of Thai Nguyen is not only that. 45km from the city center, there is a place possessing pristine beauty with nature of mountains and forests, flowing streams, but still not known by many people. In addition, its name also evokes a somewhat creepy feeling. That is Cua Tu stream. 

A tourist destination right near Hanoi has charming scenery, but the name alone makes me shiver - Photo 1.

Cua Tu Stream, a charming place of mountain water in Thai Nguyen (Picture Phuong Go Where)

The stream belongs to Hoang Nong commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen, is located on the east side of Tam Dao range, originates from high mountains, flows through Hoang Nong commune and then flows into Cong river. Cua Tu stream is nestled in the forest, weaving through the cliffs, including 7 waterfalls. Therefore, the scenery of the stream area has a wonderful natural landscape. In addition, there are populations of hills and old forests. Most of them are still unspoiled, without much human intervention. 

A tourist destination right near Hanoi has charming scenery, but the name alone makes me shiver - Photo 2.

The clear water at Cua Tu stream, you can see the bottom (Picture of Phuong Go)

The special name makes many people shiver

Many visitors wonder, why is a place so charming, but it has a name when it comes to making many people shudder, Cua Tu. Talking about this name, it is known that there is a legend that is passed down by folklore. Specifically, on the Thai Nguyen Provincial Portal, it was written that in the past, there was a young couple in the village, the husband was named Nui and the wife was named Ngan. When the enemy troops entered our country, the husband set out to fight the enemy to save the country. The wife is still at home with her parents to work in the fields, herding silkworms, weaving fabrics. 

Unfortunately, the border line was broken and the enemy invaded. They looted, burned villages, destroyed villages, and slaughtered people. People in the area were afraid to pull into the mountains to run away from the enemy. Just reached the door of the forest, the enemy caught up, the patriarch at this time called on the healthy people to use all their strength to block the laundry. The battle took place fiercely, both the enemy and I had sacrifices, including the wife of Ngan and his parents. From there, the forest or stream area, where the battle took place, became known as Cua Tu. 

A tourist destination right near Hanoi has charming scenery, but the name alone makes me shiver - Photo 3.

There are many different stories and legends explaining the name Cua Tu (Picture Phuong Goes).

In addition to the above legend, there are many other stories and legends that are transmitted orally by indigenous people, explaining the name Cua Tu. Another version is that the local soldiers used the tactics of the ancients to lure the enemy to go upstream of Cai stream, the beautiful scenery of the mountains and forests where Cua Tu made the enemy distracted and forgot about their duties and soldiers. take the opportunity to destroy and establish many victories in this Cua Tu. 

Another story, for the dreamers, is about the faithful, romantic love of a couple from feudal times. They held hands, went upstream of Cai stream together, climbed over big rocks, walked forever into the wild mountains by the cool stream, despite the people’s objections and dissuades: “They fly in there, there is only way . death” …

Whatever the origin of the name, there is no denying its uniqueness. Along with the natural beauty, they have attracted the curiosity of tourists, who love discovering new things in each trip, each destination.

A tourist destination right near Hanoi has charming scenery, but the name alone makes me shiver - Photo 4.

The natural scenery attracts many tourists to Cua Tu stream (Picture of Phuong Go)

Cua Tu Stream – a suitable place for trekking trips

The terrain of Cua Tu stream is considered to be very suitable for trekking trips and adventurous trips. Because this place is mainly forests, rivers, streams and large rocks. All are pristine, without much human intervention. 

As mentioned above, the stream is formed by 7 waterfalls. These waterfalls are also “numbered”, respectively Cua Tu 1, 2,3 … and so on to Cua Tu 7. First, to get to Cua Tu 1, visitors need to walk all the way through the waterfalls. tea hill of Hoang Nong. It is known that this is also the only entrance in this area. Upon arrival, Cua Tu 1 appears in front of visitors as a long, deep puddle, cold and clear water, flowing between two cliffs. Many visitors commented that, although it is a walking path, the road to Cua Tu 1 is quite easy to go, suitable for the majority. 

Cua Tu stream trekking route will have both forests and streams (Photo Phuong Go Where)

Favorite experiences here can be mentioned as camping or waterfall bathing. Nguyen Hong Minh, a tourist from Hanoi shared about his trip: “I spent the afternoon of the first day in Cua Tu for door 1. I bathed in waterfalls, swam and had a snack right by the stream. Starting to return is around 4 pm, the sun begins to set, covering an orange-yellow color on the famous tea hills of Thai Nguyen, creating a very beautiful scene.

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Hong Minh tourists enjoy being immersed in nature at Cua Tu stream (Photo by Hong Minh – Hoang Nong Farm)

However, from Cua Tu 2 onwards, the terrain was somewhat rugged, challenging the more “intrepid” tourists. “Cua Tu is gentle, the stream is clear, lying between the mountains. But the deeper you go in, the faster the water flows, the rocks also become more slippery,” commented Hong Minh visitor . 

“Step to door 2, appearing in front of my eyes is a deep, blue lake and a whispering waterfall right next to it. At this time, I still think it’s easy to go, because I have a life jacket. But standing on the top of the ground It’s really scary looking down at the lake.”

Between Cua Tu 2 and Cua Tu 3, there is an area called a stone slide, which is made up of water flowing over a long time, then gradually worn away by rocks, from which there is an interesting slide for visitors. 

Tourist Hong Minh shared, she spent the whole of the second day to experience the first time in her life at Cua Tu 2 and Cua Tu 3. It was waterfall jumping, slide or mermaid cosplay, watching Paradise Falls. White silver. Talking about the adventurous experience of waterfall jumping, the visitor said that she was very scared at first, spent 15 minutes standing trembling and hesitant, never daring to jump. In the end, she had to ask her tour guide to push her from behind to fall. “When you get down to the place to swim, to be immersed in the cool water, it feels so refreshing!” 

A tourist destination right near Hanoi has charming scenery, but the name alone makes me shiver - Photo 7.
A tourist destination right near Hanoi has charming scenery, but the name alone makes me shiver - Photo 8.

Visitors participate in the waterfall jumping experience (Photo by Hong Minh – Hoang Nong Farm)

And at Cua 3, visitors can experience lunch and drink coffee right on the stone surface lying on the stream. “Just eating, resting, listening to the stream and murmuring waterfall is an extremely relaxing feeling ,” said Hong Minh. 

To explore all 7 Cua Tu, visitors will need a longer time and a stronger, more resilient health, combined with the support of safety equipment. And don’t forget when leaving, visitors will need to clean up all the garbage, keeping the freshest and most pristine look for nature here. Some tourists, after experiencing stream trekking, rent a homestay nearby for convenience as well as continue to explore the local beauty here. 

After eating, visitors need to make sure to clean up the trash before leaving (Photo Hong Minh – Hoang Nong Farm)

The most suitable time for exploring the Cua Tu stream is in the summer months, from May to the end of November to avoid the rainy and cold seasons. According to the share of many tourists who have experienced, with a place near, not too far away, the cost is only about 2 – 3 million VND/individual, ($1=24,000 VND)depending on the length of stay, hiring a guide is available. With or without food, this is an experience worth trying once in a lifetime, especially for those who are passionate about exploring nature. 

Photo: Internet (Vinlove.net)

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