BINH THUAN – Only 40 km from Phan Thiet City, Song Mon waterfall is still unfamiliar to most tourists.
Song Mon Waterfall has clear water, flowing all year round in the old forest in Ham Can commune (Ham Thuan Nam district). This is an area little known, only indigenous people and forest protection forces often enter.
To explore this landscape, from the coastal town of Phan Thiet, visitors travel by car or motorbike along the Phu Hoi – Muong Man route to Ham Can highland. Currently, the new asphalt road is quite convenient for vehicles to move. After a journey of 30 km, to village 3, Ham Can commune, you will see simple bamboo-walled houses, on the way there are local Rai women carrying baskets to the fields. At the end of the village, the green forest gradually appeared before the eyes.
Next to the My Thanh Forest Protection Station, there is a dirt road, where visitors can start into the forest by motorbike to explore the mysterious waterfall over a distance of more than ten kilometers. On both sides of the road, the trees are straight, the bamboo mats cover the shade, the forest birds call to the flock, following the mountain wind…
Mr. Trong, the Rai (Raglai) who lives in the village, the forest guard here said that the trail leading to the waterfall has existed since ancient times. In the past, villagers often followed this route to hunt animals, cut clouds, catch fish from streams… to make food. Every time it gets dark, they often cut bamboo to make shacks, and sleep by the stream. “This area has many mondo trees, so the ancients named this large stream Song Mon,” Mr. Trong explained the origin of the place.
From the entrance of the forest to the waterfall about 9 km, mainly the road is flat, less steep, easy to go. At the point where you can no longer pass, visitors park their car under an ancient cedar tree, wade for nearly a kilometer, and pass through some difficult rocky slopes. The more you go, the more clearly you can hear the sound of the waterfall.
Clinging to the forest rope, wading against the cliffs on the clear, cool water, soon visitors will see Song Mon waterfall appear in front of you. A strip of fresh water pours down from a height of more than 12 meters. The forest wind pushes the tiny water droplets out, cool. Under the Mon River waterfall, there are two other small waterfalls that, if looked up, look like three connecting silk sections that are flexible in the sunlight of the forest.
For those who are passionate about taking pristine photos of mountains and forests, this is probably the ideal place. The lake at the foot of the waterfall is about 40 m2 wide, not more than a person’s head deep, safe for urbanites who like to immerse themselves in the cool water.
On the cliffs around the waterfall, tree roots hang down and sway to the beat of the waterfall, mosses, ferns, and wild flowers also cling to the rock crevices to rise to new life. Under the forest canopy, there are flat lands that are very convenient for camping for lunch or overnight in the forest.
Coming here, visitors can also explore the old forests with all kinds of precious trees such as: rosewood, tapioca, mausoleum, crags, car spokes… are being protected. There are old trees 30 m high, big stumps that five people can’t hug.
Currently, Song Mon waterfall is located in the forest area of My Thanh Forest Protection Station of Nui Ong Nature Reserve. This is the most beautiful waterfall located in the core area bordering 3 districts of Ham Thuan Nam, Tanh Linh and Ham Tan.
Pham Tuan Anh, Head of My Thanh Forest Protection Station, said that last year, a group of tourists specializing in exploring the mountains and forests from Saigon happened to come here, they did not expect there was a waterfall near Mui Ne – Phan Thiet. Such a beautiful nature. “They said that if invested, this landscape will attract a lot of tourists because it is less than 20 km from the junction of the Dau Giay – Phan Thiet highway,” Mr. Tuan Anh said.
The head of the My Thanh forest protection station also said that he is proposing to make a plan to bring the scenic Song Mon waterfall into tourism exploitation in association with the protection and sustainable development of forests, creating livelihoods for local people.