My Tet Moment: Spring Travel on Ngoan Muc Pass

A section of Ngoan Muc Pass - Photo: GIA TIEN

Leaving the poetic Da Lat, our car headed to D'Ran town, Don Duong district, Lam Dong province. Along the way, cherry blossoms competed to show off their pink color next to the rustling rows of old pine trees, along with the misty slopes typical of the highlands, incredibly beautiful.

In spring, the town puts on a new coat, with many bright red decorations and colorful flower pots.

Going a little further, Da Nhim Lake is vast in sight, with a dam stretching 1.5km. This is the confluence of the Krong Let River into the Da Nhim River. It is known that the lake has a 5km long hydro-pressure tunnel through the mountain, connecting to two alloy hydro-pressure pipes, more than 1m in diameter, more than 2,000m long, 45-degree slope, bringing water to the Da Nhim hydroelectric plant at the foot of the mountain, in Lam Son commune, Ninh Son district, Ninh Thuan province, creating a unique feature for Ngoan Muc pass.

The closer to the pass, the greener the landscape appears. Ngoan Muc Pass, also known as Song Pha Pass, connects Langbian Plateau with Ninh Son Valley, one side is deep green mountains, the other side is a valley with looming roofs.

Cherry blossoms mixed with pine trees on the road from Da Lat to Ngoan Muc Pass - Photo: HOANG NGOC THANH

Cherry blossoms in full bloom - Photo: HOANG NGOC THANH

The pass was winding with many hairpin bends, creating beautiful wavy curves, the road like a soft silk ribbon across the green hillside. My daughter looked at the cars in the distance, saying they were like tiny toys moving slowly.

The pass is about 18.5km long, with an average slope of more than 9 degrees, making it the steepest pass in the South. I felt the distinct change in climate and landscape along the road.

Ngoan Muc Pass is winding with many hairpin bends, creating beautiful wavy shapes - Photo: GIA TIEN

At the beginning of the pass on the Don Duong side, clouds drifted over the pine trees, the air was cool and pleasant, typical of the highland where the pine trees sang in the wind. The further down, the brighter the sun, bringing with it the dry heat of the South Central Coast, along with the oil tree forests and many other tropical plants.

At the Eo Gio bend, a sudden cold wind blew in, then quickly gave way to hot sunshine. It is not an exaggeration to say that when traveling on this pass, you will feel the convergence of four seasons.

The route has two sections going under this pipeline, the feeling is really exciting. Looking at the two water pipes towering vertically from the top to the foot of the mountain, I really admire the intelligence and strength of the people who built the project, to light up the electricity source for the highlands and coastal areas, and the irrigation system for the land of Ninh Thuan with year-round sunshine and wind.

The area at the foot of the pass is bustling with shops and restaurants, making it an interesting stopover while you are on the winding mountain pass. There are plenty of dishes for visitors to choose from, especially chicken rice, a specialty of the Pha River and Ninh Thuan.

Asking the locals, my family stopped at Phuoc restaurant, near the dam bank for lunch. The golden hill chicken, rice cooked with shiny chicken broth just looking at it made me crave, accompanied by a bowl of sour soup with giang leaves and some pickles to enhance the taste. When my family visited the restaurant, it was past 1 pm, but it was still packed with customers waiting in line, enough to see the attraction of this small restaurant.

Phan Rang Chicken Rice - Photo: HOANG NGOC THANH

The whole way was filled with traffic. This is the main route connecting the Central Highlands with the coastal gateway of the Central region. From Lam Dong, people flocked to the blue sea and white sand. In the opposite direction, people were escaping the hot sun, wanting to immerse themselves in the cool breeze of the foggy land.

At night, sitting in front of my relative’s house in Dong Me, along Highway 27, I saw many trucks moving busily. My relative, Ms. Mi, told me that those were two-way trips, carrying vegetables and fruits from Da Lat to Phan Rang, then carrying onions, garlic, perilla leaves, and seafood from the coastal areas to the mountainous areas.

Along both sides of Highway 27 are lush apple orchards. Along with grapevines, green apples are typical fruits of Ninh Thuan. I randomly stopped at a roadside apple stall. The owner introduced me to two varieties, small-fruited wind apples and double- or triple-sized bomb apples. She said that Tet apples and grapes are the best, sweet, crunchy, and cheap. I bought both to enjoy during the trip; they were really delicious, sweet, crunchy, and not hard.

The spring trip gave me many interesting things about the land and people of Ninh Thuan. Among them, Ngoan Muc Pass is a place that attracts many tourists, not only because of its gateway location but also because of the majestic nature stretching along the entire length of the road, worth experiencing once...

February 24 (full moon of the first lunar month) is the deadline for receiving entries for the contest "My Tet Moments"

My Tet Moments contest is an opportunity for readers to introduce the most beautiful moments and unforgettable experiences during Tet with relatives and friends.

Each article must be a maximum of 1,000 words in Vietnamese, and is encouraged to include photos, photo albums or videos .

Contest entries share ideal destinations and unique lands . Through your stories, you will help many people have the opportunity to know new lands and places that should not be missed when traveling during spring.

It could be an article recording the moments when friends and relatives gather, celebrate Tet and have fun together.

These are notes and recounts of personal experiences from trips and business trips away from home during Tet that you have experienced.

A photo contest that highlights the beauty of a place, place or region you have visited. This is an opportunity to tell about the vibrant colors and beautiful scenery of Vietnam or the countries you have visited.

From January 25 to February 24, readers can send their entries to khoangkhactet@tuoitre.com.vn.

The award ceremony and summary are expected to take place in March 2024. The prize structure includes 1 first prize (15 million VND in cash and gifts), 2 second prizes (7 million VND and gifts), 3 third prizes (5 million VND and gifts).

The program is sponsored by HDBank.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khoanh-khac-tet-cua-toi-du-xuan-tren-deo-ngoan-muc-20240222105544114.htm