We had the days of discovering the legendary Pleiku, meeting the gentle mountain town people and then “having a dearly loved plateau”, “having a Pleiku at heart” (Song: Pleiku not far away remember) in each of us! Do not anyone ask me what Gia Lai is beautiful, because it is impossible to describe the beauty here.
Belonging to Gia Lai province, Pleiku is the third largest city in the Central Highlands, after Da Lat and Buon Me Thuot. Referring to Pleiku, people immediately think of a rice field filled with beans, green pepper, green pepper, a tea hill hidden behind a mountain range, to “teary eyes” – The lake of the street Mountain,…. The beauty of Pleiku makes people think of a “mountain girl” in puberty!
1. Sea of Lake T ‘puff – The eyes of Pleiku
- Way to go: Located about 7 km northwest of Pleiku city center.
Lake T’nung is an important source of water for living in Pleiku. People consider Bien Ho to be a jade in the immense red soil of the Central Highlands, a “tearful eyes” of Pleiku mountain town and a place that inspires endless creative inspiration for artists. The name To Nung is also known as T’Nung or To Nuong in the local language, meaning “sea on the mountain” because this is a natural freshwater lake formed on the crater that has stopped erupting for hundreds of millions of years. When there are strong winds, the lake surface often creates waves, so it is called a sea of lakes.
People still pass on the legend of Bien Ho To Nung that in the past, this place was a busy village with clear water streams, gongs, drums, harmonics resounded into bustling music, resounding. all over the mountains and forests. Suddenly one day, a shaking volcano buried the village into a deep pool. The lucky ones who survived, cried for their villages and loved ones forever, and the tears streaked into the sea of T’nung lake.
The path to the Lake Sea with pine trees on either side and the stone steps brought us closer to the lake. At a close distance, I was able to see the clear blue water, calm in the magical sound of nature: the pine ringing in the wind, standing under the majestic ancient green trees reflected in the lake surface. Next afternoon, at the lake there are activities like fishing or if you want to buy souvenirs, you stop at the gate, there are very sophisticated carvings and very attractive fruit carts!
2. Sea of Tea Lake
- Directions: About 13 km from Pleiku city, located in Chu Pah district and the same way to T’nung lake.
Along with the name Ho T’nung, one cannot help but mention the famous Sea of Tea. This place goes along the way to T’nung Lake, so we combined explore 2 landmarks on the same day. The name of the lake of tea was born by the combination of an irrigation lake and an immense tea plantation located on the north bank of Bien Ho. To reach the tea hill, we not only cross the national highway, but also pass the dreamy small dirt roads or the yellow chrysanthemums in the sun.
We go deep into the tea hill, it is the fresh green color of the tea leaves and the faint scent of tea leaves crept into our hearts. All sorrows seem to disappear before the tea field stretches out of sight, it seems that the green color of tea leaves makes people overflowing with life. In the afternoon, a glimpse of a farmer goes to take tea. Under the sun, the sea of green tea seems to be more brilliant.
Especially on the way to the Lake of Tea, we also discovered lonely trees lying by the lake, just standing under the tree, you will have sparkling pictures right away! Your ears add another “virtual life” background in the Lake of Tea, which is a rope bridge across the road to T’nung!
3. Wat Buu Minh
- Way to go: Located from the city center. Pleiku is more than 15 km to the North, located in Nghia Hung commune (Chu Pah district).
In the middle of the tea hill, there is a sacred place of Buddha gate, which is Buu Minh pagoda. As one of Gia Lai’s earliest-born temples, the pagoda has been associated with tea hills for more than 50 years, rebuilt from a small temple and Buddhist temple. The temple brings the spirituality of generations of tea growers and tea crops. With the main hall of more than 500 m2, the height of nearly 50 m, Buu Minh pagoda is the pride of everyone in tea hills in particular and Pleiku people in general.
The entire temple is designed with reinforced concrete, with a harmonious combination between the wooden architecture and the ancient pagoda motif in the North and the Central of our country, and the design of Japanese and Taiwanese temples. The unique feature of Buu Minh Pagoda is that the roof of the pagoda is so tall and elegant like the roof of the Central Highlands. The space of the temple courtyard is also stylized by small towers placed next to each other with a bridge leading to where the reclining Buddha statue is located.
4. Tan Son Dam
- Way to go: Located from the city center. Pleiku is about 25 km to the North, belongs to Nghia Hung commune.
Last day in Pleiku city, we decided to explore Tan Son Dam. This irrigation dam is located on a crossroads of the road to Chu Dang Ya volcano. Not only is the man-made project important in the production life of the people here (storing water to nurture a large agricultural area during the months of the dry season of the Central Highlands) but Tan dam. Son is also a beautiful wild tourist destination not to be missed when coming to Gia Lai!
We stopped at Tan Son irrigation dam in the morning, when it rained a little. Children wearing raincoats walk the dike – an asphalt road to visit the dam. A strip of turquoise water stretches out the traveler eye. The two sides of the dam are long and pristine virgin forests. Leaning against the foot of Tien Son mountain, the reservoir catches the full source of “heavenly water” from hundreds of streams and canals flowing here.
The lake bed stands in red like an eel, the pine trees are slowly receding from the water surface, the few remaining branches of silver-gray pine remain after many days of soaking, making the lakeside scenery become “ghostly” like us. Straying in the middle of a Taiga forest…. I went to the dam in the rainy season, Tan Son at that time brought a different beauty, especially the “short trekking” trip deep into the forest, following the road to the lake, making us “burst” at the beauty of the dam. .
5. Suggest more places to eat delicious food in Pleiku city
Pho “2 bowls” – Pho Hong
- Address: 22-24 Nguyen Van Troi, Hoi Thuong Ward
- Price: 40,000 VND / bowl
Newmarket
Grilled pork – Piper lolot
- Address: Grilled Ms. Sau – 122 Cao Ba Quat
- Price: 3,000 VND / skewer
Hai Ba Trung dining area
This place is not recommended online, we took a walk near the resort and found out.
Surely people are no longer strangers to the bursting lyrics of “love” by musician Nguyen Cuong – who is heavy with the Central Highlands land: “You are so beautiful Pleiku / My heart wants to be broken / I don’t dare looking into those eyes / The eyes of Pleiku are filled with the ocean ” . Only now do I understand why people are so heavy with Gia Lai.
Author: Nguyen Thi Kim Chi