“Ha Long Bay on Land” in Vietnam Let's discovery the following destinations in Vietnam, which are dubbed "Ha Long Bay on Land". Duong Coc lake, Thanh Hoa province   It is also called Thach Minh lake, with an area of 57 hectares and a depth of up to 40 meters. The lake is located in Mang Den valley, surrounded by Nac moutains and Trau hill. The water is clean and green, and always full around the year even in dry season. Inside the lake, there are 3 small islands named Khang Cao, Giang Ruou, and Vit in the center, which make the shape of a triangle. The lake is the center of 3 sources of waters from the Den mountain stream, lake and the groundwater sources beneath the lake. The weather in Duong Coc is cool and fresh. Local people set fires to be warmer, creating a sparkling light. Coming here, visitors can sightsee and spend time with their family. They can go fishing and have a party on the bank of the lake but they need to be careful and clean all of the traps. The lake still remains pristine. Visitors will be surprised by the wonderful landscape and mysterious lake. Phu Ninh Lake, Quang Nam Province   Phu Ninh lake, 7 km from Tam Ky Town in the central province of Quang Nam, is a man-made reservoir constructed for storing water used mainly for irrigation with the capacity of nearly half a billion cubic meters of water. The water surface area of the lake is 3,433 hectares and there are 6,000 hectares of that surround the lake with 30 beautiful islets and peninsulas. Construction of the lake started in 1977 and was completed 10 years later. It has satisfied the old-age dream of the people of Tam Ky and the neighboring areas supplies enough water for daily use and irrigation to the local rice paddies. Besides the advantages of having irrigation, hydroelectric power, aqua- culture, forestry and the harmonization of ecological environment, the Phu Ninh Lake is also a promising area for future development of the tourist industry. During the hot summer months when the temperatures in Tam Ky sour into the low 30oC, the Phu Ninh Lake area remains cool because of the large water surface of the lake. The area contains many green "oasis" with various kinds of flora: 621 species belonging to 438 different branches, in which there are many valuable and rare species such as: erythrophloeum fordi, Southern Kingwood, and 170 species of pharmaceutical plants. The fauna of Phu Ninh area is also diverse with: 80 species of birds. 34 species of animals, 26 species of reptiles and some rare animals: Red-faced monkey, red wolf, horse bear, antelope, white head laughing thrush and dapple deer, pheasant... which are suitable for studies and ecological tourism. From the birds eyes view, the lake looks like a twinkling huge water frying pan. Visitors can go around the oasis by motor boat and enjoy the poetic beauty of the boundless sky and water along with the greenery of the mountains and forest. In Chap Tra Valley, in the middle of the quiet surface of the lake, there is an "open cast" mineral water spring. This pure water stimulates human digestion, elates one’s mind and is effective in the treatment of diseases relating to liver, bladder, muscle and joints. Tuy Lai, Hanoi   Tuy Lai commune in My Duc district, Hanoi, has interwoven limestone mountains, covering hundreds of hectares, which are connected to four lakes, creating romantic landscape. This place is called “small Ha Long Bay”. Around 40km from the centre of Hanoi, Tuy Lai lake covers hundreds of hectares and is surrounded by forest, mountains, dozens of small islands and hundreds of caves which create a romantic scenery. This is one of the rare places in the capital city that still preserves natural beauty. Buu Long, Dong Nai Province    Buu Long Park, which is about five kilometers from the center of Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai Province, is touted as a must-visit retreat for people who want to escape the noise in cities and shrug off their household chores on weekends after a week of hard work. The park on Huynh Van Nghe Street is home to Long An and Long Van lakes and other sites of serenity. Covering an area of 18.5ha, Long An Lake at the foot of Long An Mountain was formed after hundreds of years of stone exploitation by local people. Trees and large rocks in the clean-water lake create a romantic and picturesque scenery. This is why the lake is called a miniature of the UNESCO-recognized Halong Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh. Lying between Long An Mountain and Binh Dien Mountain, Long Van Lake is smaller but looks more peaceful than Long An Lake. In the center of Long An Lake is a bridge where visitors can take a voyage around the two lakes on a normal boat or a swan pedalboat. Thung Lung Tinh Yeu (Love Valley) is one of the must-see sites of Buu Long Park as it reminds visitors of a romantic valley of the same name in the hilly city of Dalat. Every year, the valley woos a large number of tourists to its beautiful flower gardens, winding roads, waterfalls and a lake where tourists can walk on flat rocks put inside it to feed fish. Buu Long Park has places for worshipping. Buddhists can visit Buu Phong Pagoda built in the 17th century on the peak of Binh Dien Mountain and Long Son Thach Dong Pagoda. There are restaurants for visitors to enjoy food delicacies of different regions and a hotel to rest after a day of exploring the lakes, a zoo and other interesting site of Buu Long Park. Tam Coc, Ninh Binh Province    Tam Coc known as Ha Long Bay on land, boasts a breathtaking scenery. While Ha Long Bay features huge rock formations jutting out of the sea, Tam Coc has them jutting out of its rice paddies. Tam Coc covers a system of caves, limestone rocks of karst formation, and relics from prehistoric times ... on an area of 350.3 hectares of 4 communes Ninh Hai, Ninh Xuan, Ha Son and Yen Son of Ninh Binh province, 100 km south of Hanoi. Tam Coc means three caves, including Hang Ca (Fish Cave), Hang Giua (Middle Cave) and Hang Cuoi (Last Cave). The boat trip to all three caves takes about two hours. If you are lucky, sometimes you can see mischievous monkeys or mountain goats. This is a peaceful and scenic trip... Landscapes like paintings are created by vast rice paddies and towering limestone mountains. Specifically, Tam Coc will leave deep impressions on   visitors in the autumn when the rice fields are yellow with the harvest extending from feet of the rocks until the river. Thung Nai, Hoa Binh Province    Located in Cao Phong district, Hoa Binh province, just about 110km north-east of Hanoi center, Thung Nai is a popular destination for a weekend retreat. Once upon a time, Thung Nai was a great valley covered by the vast forest, which is home to numerous deer. Hence, the local people call it “Thung Nai” means “the Valley of deer”. Since the 1980s when the Da River hydropower plant was built, Thung Nai has become a huge lake containingwater used for the operation of the hydropower plant. All initial surrounding high mountains are now floating green islands and create poetic and magnificent scenery. Thung Nai is called “the second Ha Long Bay on land” in the North of Vietnam (the first position was taken by Tam Coc Bich Dong in Ninh Binh province). Waking up in the morning, tourists can refresh themselves by breathing the fresh air and enjoying the natural beauty. A boat tour to discover sites around the lake in Thung Nai like Ba Chua Thac Bo temple, Thac Bo grotto (with a lot of stalactite in various shapes), Ngoi Hoa village of Muong people is also a good option.Tourists who come here on Sunday morning can drop by Thac Bo floating market, just 20 minutes by boat from the Windmill, where they can buy fresh fish, shrimp caught by local people. Thung Nai is said to be most beautiful in the autumn, when the water level reaches the highest and the valley is filled with the romantic lake water. Try visiting Thung Nai this time to best enjoy the landscape. Hon Nghe Island, Kien Giang Province   Hon Nghe Island is located in Hon Nghe commune, Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province. This island is known as “the elliptical paradise” by backpackers (because it has oval shape on the map). It was made of sandstone, with peaks over 300m. Hon Nghe Island is in cool weather all year-round with an ecosystem of sea, mountain, forest, etc. This is considered an ideal relaxing place. The highlight of Hon Nghe island is on Lau Chuong mountain which has a giant Buddha statue of 20 meters. It was built in 1974 and is compared toa lighthouse for boats and ships. Hon Nghe Island is called “Ha Long bay of the south”. Compiled by Pha Le, VNN