Adventure hike in Cat Tien

The Viet Adventure crew climb to the top of Green Hill Photo: Thai Hang

Only 170 kilometers from HCMC, Cat Tien is an ideal piece of the wild for an adventure trip.

At more than 71,000 hectares, Cat Tien National Park has plenty of untamed places that are off the beaten track.

Hiking or biking are the best ways to travel on the forest tracks. The park has important conservation value because of the rainforest, mountains, river and rich biodiversity that attracts thousands of tourists and scientists from all over the world.

Instead of risking it alone, the team at Viet Adventure, organizes hiking and biking trips into the Cat Tien jungle with a back-up crew to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Catch the bus from HCMC in the afternoon to the national park in Tan Phu Commune, Dong Nai Province, arriving in plenty of time for a good night’s sleep in accommodation at the park headquarters. The hike starts early the next day to avoid the mid-day heat and jungle humidity.

The destination is Green Hill; to get there the track goes past ethnic
minority Ma and S’Tieng villages then continues through a thick bamboo jungle following one of the local tribe’s tracks. It’s likely to pass some of the minorities as they go about their business in the forest and see some deer and birdlife but the going is not easy. The tour arrives at the top of Green Hill, an inactive volcano over 300 meters above sea level in time for lunch. Before getting to the top, there’s a cave containing thousands of bats.

Another village path is taken for the trip down, which is a scramble over the loose red basalt soil. The scenery is different with streams, tall grass and bamboo.

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Adventure hike in Cat Tien

The Viet Adventure crew climb to the top of Green Hill Photo: Thai Hang

Only 170 kilometers from HCMC, Cat Tien is an ideal piece of the wild for an adventure trip.

At more than 71,000 hectares, Cat Tien National Park has plenty of untamed places that are off the beaten track.

Hiking or biking are the best ways to travel on the forest tracks. The park has important conservation value because of the rainforest, mountains, river and rich biodiversity that attracts thousands of tourists and scientists from all over the world.

Instead of risking it alone, the team at Viet Adventure, organizes hiking and biking trips into the Cat Tien jungle with a back-up crew to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Catch the bus from HCMC in the afternoon to the national park in Tan Phu Commune, Dong Nai Province, arriving in plenty of time for a good night’s sleep in accommodation at the park headquarters. The hike starts early the next day to avoid the mid-day heat and jungle humidity.

The destination is Green Hill; to get there the track goes past ethnic
minority Ma and S’Tieng villages then continues through a thick bamboo jungle following one of the local tribe’s tracks. It’s likely to pass some of the minorities as they go about their business in the forest and see some deer and birdlife but the going is not easy. The tour arrives at the top of Green Hill, an inactive volcano over 300 meters above sea level in time for lunch. Before getting to the top, there’s a cave containing thousands of bats.

Another village path is taken for the trip down, which is a scramble over the loose red basalt soil. The scenery is different with streams, tall grass and bamboo.

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Adventure hike in Cat Tien

The Viet Adventure crew climb to the top of Green Hill Photo: Thai Hang

Only 170 kilometers from HCMC, Cat Tien is an ideal piece of the wild for an adventure trip.

At more than 71,000 hectares, Cat Tien National Park has plenty of untamed places that are off the beaten track.

Hiking or biking are the best ways to travel on the forest tracks. The park has important conservation value because of the rainforest, mountains, river and rich biodiversity that attracts thousands of tourists and scientists from all over the world.

Instead of risking it alone, the team at Viet Adventure, organizes hiking and biking trips into the Cat Tien jungle with a back-up crew to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Catch the bus from HCMC in the afternoon to the national park in Tan Phu Commune, Dong Nai Province, arriving in plenty of time for a good night’s sleep in accommodation at the park headquarters. The hike starts early the next day to avoid the mid-day heat and jungle humidity.

The destination is Green Hill; to get there the track goes past ethnic
minority Ma and S’Tieng villages then continues through a thick bamboo jungle following one of the local tribe’s tracks. It’s likely to pass some of the minorities as they go about their business in the forest and see some deer and birdlife but the going is not easy. The tour arrives at the top of Green Hill, an inactive volcano over 300 meters above sea level in time for lunch. Before getting to the top, there’s a cave containing thousands of bats.

Another village path is taken for the trip down, which is a scramble over the loose red basalt soil. The scenery is different with streams, tall grass and bamboo.

Related Articles

• Australia wants stronger cooperation to vocational education
• Adventure hike in Cat Tien
• PM launches news channel
• Delayed floods disappoint farmers
• Wrong diagnoses almost kill two in delta hospital

Adventure hike in Cat Tien

The Viet Adventure crew climb to the top of Green Hill Photo: Thai Hang

Only 170 kilometers from HCMC, Cat Tien is an ideal piece of the wild for an adventure trip.

At more than 71,000 hectares, Cat Tien National Park has plenty of untamed places that are off the beaten track.

Hiking or biking are the best ways to travel on the forest tracks. The park has important conservation value because of the rainforest, mountains, river and rich biodiversity that attracts thousands of tourists and scientists from all over the world.

Instead of risking it alone, the team at Viet Adventure, organizes hiking and biking trips into the Cat Tien jungle with a back-up crew to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Catch the bus from HCMC in the afternoon to the national park in Tan Phu Commune, Dong Nai Province, arriving in plenty of time for a good night’s sleep in accommodation at the park headquarters. The hike starts early the next day to avoid the mid-day heat and jungle humidity.

The destination is Green Hill; to get there the track goes past ethnic
minority Ma and S’Tieng villages then continues through a thick bamboo jungle following one of the local tribe’s tracks. It’s likely to pass some of the minorities as they go about their business in the forest and see some deer and birdlife but the going is not easy. The tour arrives at the top of Green Hill, an inactive volcano over 300 meters above sea level in time for lunch. Before getting to the top, there’s a cave containing thousands of bats.

Another village path is taken for the trip down, which is a scramble over the loose red basalt soil. The scenery is different with streams, tall grass and bamboo.

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• Australia wants stronger cooperation to vocational education
• Adventure hike in Cat Tien
• PM launches news channel
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Lurking excitement

Streams and waterfalls give romantic Da Lat a ‘tough’ reputation

Visitors go kayaking on the La Ba River, a new thrilling adventure in Da Lat

Da Lat evokes the leisure of a hillside resort, the romance of lakes, flowers and misty mornings, but it has a dangerous and thrilling undercurrent as well.

The Central Highlands town in Lam Dong Province is a veritable paradise for a series of adventure sports - rock climbing, abseiling, parachuting or biking on rough terrain.

Attesting to the growing popularity of these sports and of Da Lat as an adventure-sports destination are nearly 10 service providers at the end of the sloping Truong Cong Dinh Street. These establishments have professional trainers and instructors, some trained abroad.

For the young and strong at heart, riding elephants, biking up Lang Biang Mountain or climbing down cliffs of the Prenn Falls and overnight stays in the forest are “relaxing” activities.

Among the most adventurous activities on offer is an exploration of the seven-storied Datanla Falls.

On the third floor of the fall is a cliff 20 meters tall that stands almost upright. Passing it is a challenge that is rewarded by gently flowing water on the fourth floor, but the real adventure awaits on the sixth floor with a 25-meter high cliff and a whirlpool. Its decision time... do you accept yet another challenge?

The magnificent seventh floor of the waterfall is sometimes referred to as the “washing machine” because of its crazy, whirling waters.

HOW TO GET THERE

By motorbike: Take National Highway 1A from Ho Chi Minh City. Turn to National Highway No. 20 at Dau Giay T-junction. Da Lat is 306 kilometers from HCMC. By bus or car: From the Mien Dong Bus Station in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District. It takes 7-8 hours and costs around VND100,000 (US$5.14) a ticket. Call (08) 3 836 9859 to book one with Dalattoserco or (08) 3 837 5570 with Phuong Trang, which also drives tourists to Da Lat from Nha Trang (call (058) 3 524 315 – 3 524 945) and Da Nang (call (0511) 3 899 899) By plane: A 45-minute flight takes off from HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 11:10 a.m. every day. There is an additional flight departing at 3 p.m. every Thursday and Saturday. Two flights leave for Da Lat from the Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi every day. Crossing the Tuyen Lam Lake on a rope

If you want a quick way down, a roller-coaster like contraption has been rigged up, adding to the excitement.

All these thrills and danger does not mean safety is not given priority. It is. Trainers will cancel the whole tour at the slightest hint of something unusual, weather-wise.

Vo Duc Trung, director of one of the units, said international schools from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Thailand and several foreign-invested companies have in recent years been sending students and employees on these tours as a way to build up their courage, creativity and adaptation skills, not to mention to confront and solve problems.

Ngo Anh Tuan, a manager and trainer with Da Lat Discovery Travel, told the Lam Dong newspaper that their new tour – crossing the La Ba River on a rubber dinghy – led tourists to feel proud of their own courage and survival skills.

The tour begins with around 45 minutes of warm-up exercises after which they can enjoy the Hang Cop (Tiger Cave) Waterfall and a walk through a pine forest, pass several hills and walk down to the La Ba River.

Here, rubber dinghies wait. Trainers distribute lifejackets and instructions on rowing it through rough waters and tell you not to panic even when the boat capsizes.

This adventure takes about three hours, during which a seven-kilometer stretch of the river and eleven rocky waterfalls are navigated. After a well-deserved rest, there is another sixty-minute walk through forests to reach National Highway No. 20 before heading back to downtown Da Lat.

The rowing journey costs US$60 a person.

Tuan recalled that a US tourist named Justin had emailed him after returning home, saying he keeps missing the adventure that was “full of joy and excitement.”

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Lurking excitement

Streams and waterfalls give romantic Da Lat a ‘tough’ reputation

Visitors go kayaking on the La Ba River, a new thrilling adventure in Da Lat

Da Lat evokes the leisure of a hillside resort, the romance of lakes, flowers and misty mornings, but it has a dangerous and thrilling undercurrent as well.

The Central Highlands town in Lam Dong Province is a veritable paradise for a series of adventure sports - rock climbing, abseiling, parachuting or biking on rough terrain.

Attesting to the growing popularity of these sports and of Da Lat as an adventure-sports destination are nearly 10 service providers at the end of the sloping Truong Cong Dinh Street. These establishments have professional trainers and instructors, some trained abroad.

For the young and strong at heart, riding elephants, biking up Lang Biang Mountain or climbing down cliffs of the Prenn Falls and overnight stays in the forest are “relaxing” activities.

Among the most adventurous activities on offer is an exploration of the seven-storied Datanla Falls.

On the third floor of the fall is a cliff 20 meters tall that stands almost upright. Passing it is a challenge that is rewarded by gently flowing water on the fourth floor, but the real adventure awaits on the sixth floor with a 25-meter high cliff and a whirlpool. Its decision time... do you accept yet another challenge?

The magnificent seventh floor of the waterfall is sometimes referred to as the “washing machine” because of its crazy, whirling waters.

HOW TO GET THERE

By motorbike: Take National Highway 1A from Ho Chi Minh City. Turn to National Highway No. 20 at Dau Giay T-junction. Da Lat is 306 kilometers from HCMC. By bus or car: From the Mien Dong Bus Station in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District. It takes 7-8 hours and costs around VND100,000 (US$5.14) a ticket. Call (08) 3 836 9859 to book one with Dalattoserco or (08) 3 837 5570 with Phuong Trang, which also drives tourists to Da Lat from Nha Trang (call (058) 3 524 315 – 3 524 945) and Da Nang (call (0511) 3 899 899) By plane: A 45-minute flight takes off from HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 11:10 a.m. every day. There is an additional flight departing at 3 p.m. every Thursday and Saturday. Two flights leave for Da Lat from the Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi every day. Crossing the Tuyen Lam Lake on a rope

If you want a quick way down, a roller-coaster like contraption has been rigged up, adding to the excitement.

All these thrills and danger does not mean safety is not given priority. It is. Trainers will cancel the whole tour at the slightest hint of something unusual, weather-wise.

Vo Duc Trung, director of one of the units, said international schools from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Thailand and several foreign-invested companies have in recent years been sending students and employees on these tours as a way to build up their courage, creativity and adaptation skills, not to mention to confront and solve problems.

Ngo Anh Tuan, a manager and trainer with Da Lat Discovery Travel, told the Lam Dong newspaper that their new tour – crossing the La Ba River on a rubber dinghy – led tourists to feel proud of their own courage and survival skills.

The tour begins with around 45 minutes of warm-up exercises after which they can enjoy the Hang Cop (Tiger Cave) Waterfall and a walk through a pine forest, pass several hills and walk down to the La Ba River.

Here, rubber dinghies wait. Trainers distribute lifejackets and instructions on rowing it through rough waters and tell you not to panic even when the boat capsizes.

This adventure takes about three hours, during which a seven-kilometer stretch of the river and eleven rocky waterfalls are navigated. After a well-deserved rest, there is another sixty-minute walk through forests to reach National Highway No. 20 before heading back to downtown Da Lat.

The rowing journey costs US$60 a person.

Tuan recalled that a US tourist named Justin had emailed him after returning home, saying he keeps missing the adventure that was “full of joy and excitement.”

Related Articles

• Lurking excitement
• HCMC Oktoberfest offers more than just beer

Lurking excitement

Streams and waterfalls give romantic Da Lat a ‘tough’ reputation

Visitors go kayaking on the La Ba River, a new thrilling adventure in Da Lat

Da Lat evokes the leisure of a hillside resort, the romance of lakes, flowers and misty mornings, but it has a dangerous and thrilling undercurrent as well.

The Central Highlands town in Lam Dong Province is a veritable paradise for a series of adventure sports - rock climbing, abseiling, parachuting or biking on rough terrain.

Attesting to the growing popularity of these sports and of Da Lat as an adventure-sports destination are nearly 10 service providers at the end of the sloping Truong Cong Dinh Street. These establishments have professional trainers and instructors, some trained abroad.

For the young and strong at heart, riding elephants, biking up Lang Biang Mountain or climbing down cliffs of the Prenn Falls and overnight stays in the forest are “relaxing” activities.

Among the most adventurous activities on offer is an exploration of the seven-storied Datanla Falls.

On the third floor of the fall is a cliff 20 meters tall that stands almost upright. Passing it is a challenge that is rewarded by gently flowing water on the fourth floor, but the real adventure awaits on the sixth floor with a 25-meter high cliff and a whirlpool. Its decision time... do you accept yet another challenge?

The magnificent seventh floor of the waterfall is sometimes referred to as the “washing machine” because of its crazy, whirling waters.

HOW TO GET THERE

By motorbike: Take National Highway 1A from Ho Chi Minh City. Turn to National Highway No. 20 at Dau Giay T-junction. Da Lat is 306 kilometers from HCMC. By bus or car: From the Mien Dong Bus Station in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District. It takes 7-8 hours and costs around VND100,000 (US$5.14) a ticket. Call (08) 3 836 9859 to book one with Dalattoserco or (08) 3 837 5570 with Phuong Trang, which also drives tourists to Da Lat from Nha Trang (call (058) 3 524 315 – 3 524 945) and Da Nang (call (0511) 3 899 899) By plane: A 45-minute flight takes off from HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 11:10 a.m. every day. There is an additional flight departing at 3 p.m. every Thursday and Saturday. Two flights leave for Da Lat from the Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi every day. Crossing the Tuyen Lam Lake on a rope

If you want a quick way down, a roller-coaster like contraption has been rigged up, adding to the excitement.

All these thrills and danger does not mean safety is not given priority. It is. Trainers will cancel the whole tour at the slightest hint of something unusual, weather-wise.

Vo Duc Trung, director of one of the units, said international schools from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Thailand and several foreign-invested companies have in recent years been sending students and employees on these tours as a way to build up their courage, creativity and adaptation skills, not to mention to confront and solve problems.

Ngo Anh Tuan, a manager and trainer with Da Lat Discovery Travel, told the Lam Dong newspaper that their new tour – crossing the La Ba River on a rubber dinghy – led tourists to feel proud of their own courage and survival skills.

The tour begins with around 45 minutes of warm-up exercises after which they can enjoy the Hang Cop (Tiger Cave) Waterfall and a walk through a pine forest, pass several hills and walk down to the La Ba River.

Here, rubber dinghies wait. Trainers distribute lifejackets and instructions on rowing it through rough waters and tell you not to panic even when the boat capsizes.

This adventure takes about three hours, during which a seven-kilometer stretch of the river and eleven rocky waterfalls are navigated. After a well-deserved rest, there is another sixty-minute walk through forests to reach National Highway No. 20 before heading back to downtown Da Lat.

The rowing journey costs US$60 a person.

Tuan recalled that a US tourist named Justin had emailed him after returning home, saying he keeps missing the adventure that was “full of joy and excitement.”

Related Articles

• Lurking excitement

Lurking excitement

Streams and waterfalls give romantic Da Lat a ‘tough’ reputation

Visitors go kayaking on the La Ba River, a new thrilling adventure in Da Lat

Da Lat evokes the leisure of a hillside resort, the romance of lakes, flowers and misty mornings, but it has a dangerous and thrilling undercurrent as well.

The Central Highlands town in Lam Dong Province is a veritable paradise for a series of adventure sports - rock climbing, abseiling, parachuting or biking on rough terrain.

Attesting to the growing popularity of these sports and of Da Lat as an adventure-sports destination are nearly 10 service providers at the end of the sloping Truong Cong Dinh Street. These establishments have professional trainers and instructors, some trained abroad.

For the young and strong at heart, riding elephants, biking up Lang Biang Mountain or climbing down cliffs of the Prenn Falls and overnight stays in the forest are “relaxing” activities.

Among the most adventurous activities on offer is an exploration of the seven-storied Datanla Falls.

On the third floor of the fall is a cliff 20 meters tall that stands almost upright. Passing it is a challenge that is rewarded by gently flowing water on the fourth floor, but the real adventure awaits on the sixth floor with a 25-meter high cliff and a whirlpool. Its decision time... do you accept yet another challenge?

The magnificent seventh floor of the waterfall is sometimes referred to as the “washing machine” because of its crazy, whirling waters.

HOW TO GET THERE

By motorbike: Take National Highway 1A from Ho Chi Minh City. Turn to National Highway No. 20 at Dau Giay T-junction. Da Lat is 306 kilometers from HCMC. By bus or car: From the Mien Dong Bus Station in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District. It takes 7-8 hours and costs around VND100,000 (US$5.14) a ticket. Call (08) 3 836 9859 to book one with Dalattoserco or (08) 3 837 5570 with Phuong Trang, which also drives tourists to Da Lat from Nha Trang (call (058) 3 524 315 – 3 524 945) and Da Nang (call (0511) 3 899 899) By plane: A 45-minute flight takes off from HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 11:10 a.m. every day. There is an additional flight departing at 3 p.m. every Thursday and Saturday. Two flights leave for Da Lat from the Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi every day. Crossing the Tuyen Lam Lake on a rope

If you want a quick way down, a roller-coaster like contraption has been rigged up, adding to the excitement.

All these thrills and danger does not mean safety is not given priority. It is. Trainers will cancel the whole tour at the slightest hint of something unusual, weather-wise.

Vo Duc Trung, director of one of the units, said international schools from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Thailand and several foreign-invested companies have in recent years been sending students and employees on these tours as a way to build up their courage, creativity and adaptation skills, not to mention to confront and solve problems.

Ngo Anh Tuan, a manager and trainer with Da Lat Discovery Travel, told the Lam Dong newspaper that their new tour – crossing the La Ba River on a rubber dinghy – led tourists to feel proud of their own courage and survival skills.

The tour begins with around 45 minutes of warm-up exercises after which they can enjoy the Hang Cop (Tiger Cave) Waterfall and a walk through a pine forest, pass several hills and walk down to the La Ba River.

Here, rubber dinghies wait. Trainers distribute lifejackets and instructions on rowing it through rough waters and tell you not to panic even when the boat capsizes.

This adventure takes about three hours, during which a seven-kilometer stretch of the river and eleven rocky waterfalls are navigated. After a well-deserved rest, there is another sixty-minute walk through forests to reach National Highway No. 20 before heading back to downtown Da Lat.

The rowing journey costs US$60 a person.

Tuan recalled that a US tourist named Justin had emailed him after returning home, saying he keeps missing the adventure that was “full of joy and excitement.”

Related Articles

• Lurking excitement

A sunset adventure

Fishermen on Ke Ga Island prepare to go out to sea

"This is the life.” I thought to myself as I lay soaking in a honey and flower bath tub in the tropical garden of the Princess D’Annam Resort & Spa. “Things can’t get much better.”

I was soon to be proved wrong, however.

While I was taking tea, I saw an imposing and mysterious stone lighthouse standing tall on a rocky outlet, protecting all boats in the area. It was getting late but I couldn’t resist the idea of a sunset adventure to see Ke Ga lighthouse up close.

Ke Ga is a small village that lies on the coast. Under the water’s surface, the sea bed is dotted with rocks that pose dangers to boats out at sea. The French built the lighthouse from February 1897 to the end of 1898 to aid both local and foreign ships. It began operations in 1900.

“No one has ever wanted to visit the lighthouse at night.” the F&B manager of the resort, taken aback at my request, told me. “I will arrange for someone to accompany you.”

Before long, I was walking down the beach, my feet delighting in the soft sand, with Le Nam, the member of staff nominated to make my dream of adventure come true. I didn’t feel too sorry for him, though; he was grinning from ear to ear with the excitement of a newcomer that had just moved from Mui Ne (Ne Cape).

We reached the end of the bay where a fisherman took us across to the lighthouse in his basket boat. Waves attacked us from either side as the tiny boat bobbed up and down on the choppy waters.

After a fraught ten-minute journey, we reached a small island lined with large rocks into which waves crashed relentlessly, leaving in their wake white foam that swirled and frothed like a witch’s cauldron. Up above, the crescent-shaped bay took our breath away. Further in the distance stood white sand dunes dotted with trees while looming above us was the old lighthouse that stood proudly and silently at the edge of the sea.

HOW TO GET THERE

Ke Ga is around 35 km from Phan Thiet Town in Binh Thuan Province, which is four hours by car from Ho Chi Minh City. Sinh Café has buses from HCMC to Phan Thiet three times a day. Ke Ga Lighthouse, which was put into operation in 1900, is one of the oldest existing lighthouses in Vietnam

The wind was the only noise apart from the sound of the birds circling the top of the lighthouse

I wanted to spend more time watching the waves pound the rocks, but our tour guide hurried us along so as to see everything before it got dark. With the sun setting on the horizon, we passed the majestic frangipani (plumeria rubra) trees in full bloom, said to have been planted when the lighthouse was built.

Inside the lighthouse, it was cold and so dark that we couldn’t see our fingertips. There was a spiral staircase leading to the top. And on the way up were small windows, similar to those of a French chateau, which looked out onto a breathtaking landscape. At the top was a balcony that held panoramic views of the surrounding coastal area and the sea. From there, I could see all the way to Mui Ne with its white sands.

The climb and the excitement upon seeing the view soon took its toll. We couldn’t pass up the chance, however, to visit the only house on the island with its whitewashed walls and blue windows. We met Trung, one of the six people that take care of the lighthouse.

“I have lived here a long time and the weather has proved to be good for my health. Every day, I climb up to the top of the lighthouse at least once to check everything and to make sure the solar panels that run the lights are operational. Local and foreign boats pass by this area so it’s important that the lighthouse is always on at night.”

Trung was generous enough to invite me to come back and visit Ke Ga with my friends. “Next time, when you could come back with someone special please stay with us. It will be a night to remember.”

The way back seemed more fraught with danger. In the darkness, the sea was more threatening and unpredictable with waves going over our heads, it seemed.

Just as we were about to board the boat to go back to the resort, we were stopped by a fisherman who invited us to his boat for dinner. It turned out he was from Quy Nhon Town in central Binh Dinh Province and had come here to work. The dinner of green mango salad, dried fish and fried pork was simple but tasty. Inside, I missed the fresh sea breeze and began to feel sleepy. Before long, we said our goodbyes with our new friends and headed back to the resort for a good night’s sleep.

That was enough adventure for one day.

Related Articles

• A sunset adventure
• Blue seas and unspoiled beaches

A sunset adventure

Fishermen on Ke Ga Island prepare to go out to sea

"This is the life.” I thought to myself as I lay soaking in a honey and flower bath tub in the tropical garden of the Princess D’Annam Resort & Spa. “Things can’t get much better.”

I was soon to be proved wrong, however.

While I was taking tea, I saw an imposing and mysterious stone lighthouse standing tall on a rocky outlet, protecting all boats in the area. It was getting late but I couldn’t resist the idea of a sunset adventure to see Ke Ga lighthouse up close.

Ke Ga is a small village that lies on the coast. Under the water’s surface, the sea bed is dotted with rocks that pose dangers to boats out at sea. The French built the lighthouse from February 1897 to the end of 1898 to aid both local and foreign ships. It began operations in 1900.

“No one has ever wanted to visit the lighthouse at night.” the F&B manager of the resort, taken aback at my request, told me. “I will arrange for someone to accompany you.”

Before long, I was walking down the beach, my feet delighting in the soft sand, with Le Nam, the member of staff nominated to make my dream of adventure come true. I didn’t feel too sorry for him, though; he was grinning from ear to ear with the excitement of a newcomer that had just moved from Mui Ne (Ne Cape).

We reached the end of the bay where a fisherman took us across to the lighthouse in his basket boat. Waves attacked us from either side as the tiny boat bobbed up and down on the choppy waters.

After a fraught ten-minute journey, we reached a small island lined with large rocks into which waves crashed relentlessly, leaving in their wake white foam that swirled and frothed like a witch’s cauldron. Up above, the crescent-shaped bay took our breath away. Further in the distance stood white sand dunes dotted with trees while looming above us was the old lighthouse that stood proudly and silently at the edge of the sea.

HOW TO GET THERE

Ke Ga is around 35 km from Phan Thiet Town in Binh Thuan Province, which is four hours by car from Ho Chi Minh City. Sinh Café has buses from HCMC to Phan Thiet three times a day. Ke Ga Lighthouse, which was put into operation in 1900, is one of the oldest existing lighthouses in Vietnam

The wind was the only noise apart from the sound of the birds circling the top of the lighthouse

I wanted to spend more time watching the waves pound the rocks, but our tour guide hurried us along so as to see everything before it got dark. With the sun setting on the horizon, we passed the majestic frangipani (plumeria rubra) trees in full bloom, said to have been planted when the lighthouse was built.

Inside the lighthouse, it was cold and so dark that we couldn’t see our fingertips. There was a spiral staircase leading to the top. And on the way up were small windows, similar to those of a French chateau, which looked out onto a breathtaking landscape. At the top was a balcony that held panoramic views of the surrounding coastal area and the sea. From there, I could see all the way to Mui Ne with its white sands.

The climb and the excitement upon seeing the view soon took its toll. We couldn’t pass up the chance, however, to visit the only house on the island with its whitewashed walls and blue windows. We met Trung, one of the six people that take care of the lighthouse.

“I have lived here a long time and the weather has proved to be good for my health. Every day, I climb up to the top of the lighthouse at least once to check everything and to make sure the solar panels that run the lights are operational. Local and foreign boats pass by this area so it’s important that the lighthouse is always on at night.”

Trung was generous enough to invite me to come back and visit Ke Ga with my friends. “Next time, when you could come back with someone special please stay with us. It will be a night to remember.”

The way back seemed more fraught with danger. In the darkness, the sea was more threatening and unpredictable with waves going over our heads, it seemed.

Just as we were about to board the boat to go back to the resort, we were stopped by a fisherman who invited us to his boat for dinner. It turned out he was from Quy Nhon Town in central Binh Dinh Province and had come here to work. The dinner of green mango salad, dried fish and fried pork was simple but tasty. Inside, I missed the fresh sea breeze and began to feel sleepy. Before long, we said our goodbyes with our new friends and headed back to the resort for a good night’s sleep.

That was enough adventure for one day.

Related Articles

• A sunset adventure
• Blue seas and unspoiled beaches

A sunset adventure

Fishermen on Ke Ga Island prepare to go out to sea

"This is the life.” I thought to myself as I lay soaking in a honey and flower bath tub in the tropical garden of the Princess D’Annam Resort & Spa. “Things can’t get much better.”

I was soon to be proved wrong, however.

While I was taking tea, I saw an imposing and mysterious stone lighthouse standing tall on a rocky outlet, protecting all boats in the area. It was getting late but I couldn’t resist the idea of a sunset adventure to see Ke Ga lighthouse up close.

Ke Ga is a small village that lies on the coast. Under the water’s surface, the sea bed is dotted with rocks that pose dangers to boats out at sea. The French built the lighthouse from February 1897 to the end of 1898 to aid both local and foreign ships. It began operations in 1900.

“No one has ever wanted to visit the lighthouse at night.” the F&B manager of the resort, taken aback at my request, told me. “I will arrange for someone to accompany you.”

Before long, I was walking down the beach, my feet delighting in the soft sand, with Le Nam, the member of staff nominated to make my dream of adventure come true. I didn’t feel too sorry for him, though; he was grinning from ear to ear with the excitement of a newcomer that had just moved from Mui Ne (Ne Cape).

We reached the end of the bay where a fisherman took us across to the lighthouse in his basket boat. Waves attacked us from either side as the tiny boat bobbed up and down on the choppy waters.

After a fraught ten-minute journey, we reached a small island lined with large rocks into which waves crashed relentlessly, leaving in their wake white foam that swirled and frothed like a witch’s cauldron. Up above, the crescent-shaped bay took our breath away. Further in the distance stood white sand dunes dotted with trees while looming above us was the old lighthouse that stood proudly and silently at the edge of the sea.

HOW TO GET THERE

Ke Ga is around 35 km from Phan Thiet Town in Binh Thuan Province, which is four hours by car from Ho Chi Minh City. Sinh Café has buses from HCMC to Phan Thiet three times a day. Ke Ga Lighthouse, which was put into operation in 1900, is one of the oldest existing lighthouses in Vietnam

The wind was the only noise apart from the sound of the birds circling the top of the lighthouse

I wanted to spend more time watching the waves pound the rocks, but our tour guide hurried us along so as to see everything before it got dark. With the sun setting on the horizon, we passed the majestic frangipani (plumeria rubra) trees in full bloom, said to have been planted when the lighthouse was built.

Inside the lighthouse, it was cold and so dark that we couldn’t see our fingertips. There was a spiral staircase leading to the top. And on the way up were small windows, similar to those of a French chateau, which looked out onto a breathtaking landscape. At the top was a balcony that held panoramic views of the surrounding coastal area and the sea. From there, I could see all the way to Mui Ne with its white sands.

The climb and the excitement upon seeing the view soon took its toll. We couldn’t pass up the chance, however, to visit the only house on the island with its whitewashed walls and blue windows. We met Trung, one of the six people that take care of the lighthouse.

“I have lived here a long time and the weather has proved to be good for my health. Every day, I climb up to the top of the lighthouse at least once to check everything and to make sure the solar panels that run the lights are operational. Local and foreign boats pass by this area so it’s important that the lighthouse is always on at night.”

Trung was generous enough to invite me to come back and visit Ke Ga with my friends. “Next time, when you could come back with someone special please stay with us. It will be a night to remember.”

The way back seemed more fraught with danger. In the darkness, the sea was more threatening and unpredictable with waves going over our heads, it seemed.

Just as we were about to board the boat to go back to the resort, we were stopped by a fisherman who invited us to his boat for dinner. It turned out he was from Quy Nhon Town in central Binh Dinh Province and had come here to work. The dinner of green mango salad, dried fish and fried pork was simple but tasty. Inside, I missed the fresh sea breeze and began to feel sleepy. Before long, we said our goodbyes with our new friends and headed back to the resort for a good night’s sleep.

That was enough adventure for one day.

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A sunset adventure

Fishermen on Ke Ga Island prepare to go out to sea

"This is the life.” I thought to myself as I lay soaking in a honey and flower bath tub in the tropical garden of the Princess D’Annam Resort & Spa. “Things can’t get much better.”

I was soon to be proved wrong, however.

While I was taking tea, I saw an imposing and mysterious stone lighthouse standing tall on a rocky outlet, protecting all boats in the area. It was getting late but I couldn’t resist the idea of a sunset adventure to see Ke Ga lighthouse up close.

Ke Ga is a small village that lies on the coast. Under the water’s surface, the sea bed is dotted with rocks that pose dangers to boats out at sea. The French built the lighthouse from February 1897 to the end of 1898 to aid both local and foreign ships. It began operations in 1900.

“No one has ever wanted to visit the lighthouse at night.” the F&B manager of the resort, taken aback at my request, told me. “I will arrange for someone to accompany you.”

Before long, I was walking down the beach, my feet delighting in the soft sand, with Le Nam, the member of staff nominated to make my dream of adventure come true. I didn’t feel too sorry for him, though; he was grinning from ear to ear with the excitement of a newcomer that had just moved from Mui Ne (Ne Cape).

We reached the end of the bay where a fisherman took us across to the lighthouse in his basket boat. Waves attacked us from either side as the tiny boat bobbed up and down on the choppy waters.

After a fraught ten-minute journey, we reached a small island lined with large rocks into which waves crashed relentlessly, leaving in their wake white foam that swirled and frothed like a witch’s cauldron. Up above, the crescent-shaped bay took our breath away. Further in the distance stood white sand dunes dotted with trees while looming above us was the old lighthouse that stood proudly and silently at the edge of the sea.

HOW TO GET THERE

Ke Ga is around 35 km from Phan Thiet Town in Binh Thuan Province, which is four hours by car from Ho Chi Minh City. Sinh Café has buses from HCMC to Phan Thiet three times a day. Ke Ga Lighthouse, which was put into operation in 1900, is one of the oldest existing lighthouses in Vietnam

The wind was the only noise apart from the sound of the birds circling the top of the lighthouse

I wanted to spend more time watching the waves pound the rocks, but our tour guide hurried us along so as to see everything before it got dark. With the sun setting on the horizon, we passed the majestic frangipani (plumeria rubra) trees in full bloom, said to have been planted when the lighthouse was built.

Inside the lighthouse, it was cold and so dark that we couldn’t see our fingertips. There was a spiral staircase leading to the top. And on the way up were small windows, similar to those of a French chateau, which looked out onto a breathtaking landscape. At the top was a balcony that held panoramic views of the surrounding coastal area and the sea. From there, I could see all the way to Mui Ne with its white sands.

The climb and the excitement upon seeing the view soon took its toll. We couldn’t pass up the chance, however, to visit the only house on the island with its whitewashed walls and blue windows. We met Trung, one of the six people that take care of the lighthouse.

“I have lived here a long time and the weather has proved to be good for my health. Every day, I climb up to the top of the lighthouse at least once to check everything and to make sure the solar panels that run the lights are operational. Local and foreign boats pass by this area so it’s important that the lighthouse is always on at night.”

Trung was generous enough to invite me to come back and visit Ke Ga with my friends. “Next time, when you could come back with someone special please stay with us. It will be a night to remember.”

The way back seemed more fraught with danger. In the darkness, the sea was more threatening and unpredictable with waves going over our heads, it seemed.

Just as we were about to board the boat to go back to the resort, we were stopped by a fisherman who invited us to his boat for dinner. It turned out he was from Quy Nhon Town in central Binh Dinh Province and had come here to work. The dinner of green mango salad, dried fish and fried pork was simple but tasty. Inside, I missed the fresh sea breeze and began to feel sleepy. Before long, we said our goodbyes with our new friends and headed back to the resort for a good night’s sleep.

That was enough adventure for one day.

Related Articles

• A sunset adventure
• Blue seas and unspoiled beaches