The central highlands of Vietnam embrace many mysterious charms. Tourists willing to get off the beaten path will discover pristine lakes and rivers, vast swathes of old-growth jungle, and isolated ethnic minority villages.
Any journey from Pleiku to Kontum should include a stop at T’nung Lake; the flooded cater of a millions of years-old volcano which now serves as the city’s reservoir.
T’nung Lake, also known as Ia Nueng, is located in Bien Ho Commune in the north of Gia Lai Province, about 7 kilometers from the heart of Pleiku City. The lake, surrounded by pine forests and mountain, is 230 hectares wide, expanding up to 400 hectares in the rainy season, and about 30 meters deep. In the early morning when the sun is still low in the sky the sun-beam reflect like a silver band on the lake.
T’nung is the name of the village. According to local folklore T’nung Lake was named after an ethnic village named where everyone lived happily together. One day a fierce quake erupted and destroyed the village, turning it into ash. When the fire was finally doused all that remained was a deep hole. The survivors stood besides the deep hole and cried, filling the hole with their tears and turning it into a lake.
The road to T’nung Lake is through a green canopy of pine trees. To satisfy curiosity, if contemplating the charms of the lake is not enough, tourist can take a thuyen doc moc (hollowed – tree boat or a dugout canoe) trip to explore hidden charms of the lake, to see their shadows on the pure and sparkling surface of the lake and to delve into the forest to discover magnificence of exotic lifestyles in harmony with wild nature. Here tourists will see the abundant and varied fauna and flora. Meandering around the lake, tourists can add to their fun with some fishing, and turtle watching.
The village is home to friendly ethnic people such as Bahnar and Jarai…, so tourists may stroll around the village to discover traditional customs and stay overnight to make a camp-fire and enjoy grilled fish that was caught in the lake with ruou can (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes) to experience the flavor and the soul of the uplands. T’nung Lake or Bien Ho (Sea Lake) was recognized as a national landscape by the Ministry of Culture and Information (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism now) in 1988. The lake remains unchanged, with a primitive charm that appeals to tourists.