Go to Hon Ba to see flowers and grass

Hon Ba is just one of the places where Dr. Yersin stayed, leaving us with beautiful memories. There is no document showing how long he stayed at Hon Ba, but the fact that he chose this place to study medicinal plants has become a mark.

In 2001, when there was no road up the mountain, my brothers and I searched for a trail to climb. I had to stop halfway because of exhaustion. That trip made me imagine the hardships that Dr. Yersin had gone through: How could he transport goods and even bring horses up the mountain as a means of transportation?

In 2004, the province opened a road from Suoi Dau to Hon Ba peak, 37km long, winding and tortuous but with a beauty that challenges everyone to conquer. At the same time, Dr. Yersin's working house was restored according to original documents. When the road opened, I was determined to go back by motorbike. The new road was covered with red soil at that time, still unfinished, but Hon Ba appeared amidst drifting clouds, sudden rains, bringing a bit of romance to a wanderer. The old wooden house still had traces: the horse stable floor, the bushes of medicine growing among the weeds, the cement tray to catch water for sowing plants, the rock where he planted tea trees... At that time, no one had thought of planting flowers on the mountain top.

Time passed, I went to Hon Ba again, not as excited as before, but more to contemplate. I imagined every morning, the kind doctor stepping out of the wooden house, in the mist, laughing happily. That is why tourists to Khanh Hoa often want to go to Hon Ba once.

At one point, the road to the top of Hon Ba was closed due to landslides. By August 2025, a tourism unit had repaired and reopened the tour, with regulations on following the route to ensure safety and protect the forest.

This time, I followed Kong Forest's convertible to Hon Ba. From the stop 17km from the top, the shuttle bus took us on a newly rebuilt road, smooth and beautiful. Hon Ba is still surrounded by clouds, chilly in the hot season of Khanh Hoa . Besides the restored house of Dr. Yersin, what surprised me were the flowers! Around the house, purple sim flowers were blooming, with large canopies, big flowers and cool. There were familiar hydrangeas of Da Lat, blooming sparklingly in the early morning sun. There were purple penta-colored flowers, creating a gentle atmosphere. On the top, three-leaf pine trees were also planted, lush green, promising to expand into a forest.

The most impressive are the ruby roses that grow in bushes, large clusters hanging from the leaf axils. Beneath the flowers, the green carpet of pennywort is pleasing to the eye. The most prominent is the orange-red flower that people call saffron, Japanese gladiolus. The flowers bloom all year round, have a sweet fragrance, and a lot of nectar, attracting butterflies.

A newly paved stone path leads to the rock where Dr. Yersin used to do his astronomical observations. The path passes through grass and flowers, allowing visitors to see the vast mountains, where a few quinquina trees he planted still remain, now blended into the vast forest.

Life never stops. Many people come and go, leaving no trace. But Dr. Yersin chose to live and work for 50 years in Nha Trang, leaving his scientific legacy and mark on a mountain named Hon Ba.

Hon Ba is now different from the past: Flowers bloom, butterflies fly, the road is widened. Because of their love for Dr. Yersin, later generations have extended the path where he used to trek through forests and climb mountains. Perhaps, in the midst of that vastness, he sometimes sang a few songs, as the way people remember him forever.

KHUE VIET TRUONG

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/sang-tac/202512/len-hon-ba-bat-gap-co-hoa-12f5f84/