O O Waterfall and the unique worship of Bach Ho

O O Waterfall is more than 7 km long, originating from the Bang Lim, Nong Cuom, and Cay Giay mountain ranges located to the West in Thanh Chau area of Tien Chau commune (Tien Phuoc district, old Quang Nam province, now Son Cam Ha commune, Da Nang city); flowing through Thanh Khe village to Thanh Boi village and merging with the Tien river flowing back to the West, merging with the Tranh river and flowing down to the sea.

Oh Oh Waterfall.

The waterfall is located in the middle of a wild and majestic mountain landscape, an ideal destination for tourists to escape the heat, find a peaceful space, and relax their souls. O O Waterfall was ranked as a provincial-level scenic spot by the People's Committee of Quang Nam province (old) in June 2025.

O O Waterfall has a basin area of about 13 ^km2 . Because it flows through a mountainous area with a large slope, it creates a fascinating landscape with many large and small waterfalls such as O Dieu, O O Waterfall, Ban Valley, Ong Hom Cave...; among which the most beautiful and majestic is O O Waterfall. According to the explanation of the elders, the reason the waterfall is called O O is probably because of the sound of the streams day and night flowing between the crevices of the rocks creating o o sounds. But it seems more reasonable that the reading according to the Quang Nam dialect rhymes "ao" with "o" so the "o o" waterfall is misread as "o o" waterfall...

Not only is it an attractive tourist destination, O O waterfall is also associated with many mysterious stories related to the phenomenon of sunny and rainy weather and the worship of the White Tiger god in the waterfall area. According to the local people, since ancient times, people around the O O waterfall area have experienced the strange natural phenomenon related to this waterfall, which is "O O calling for sunshine! O O calling for rain!". Because when the weather is dry and sunny for a long time and you hear the rumbling sound from the O O stream echoing in the quiet late night, it will rain the next day. On the contrary, when it rains heavily and persistently for many days and nights and you hear the rumbling sound coming from the O O stream, it will definitely stop raining and be sunny in the next few days. The elders in Thanh Khe village said that no one can explain this mysterious natural phenomenon. They only know through the traditions passed down from their grandparents and ancestors from ancient times until now. People rely on this folk experience to predict the weather to calculate the planting, harvesting, etc.

At O O waterfall, there is a small shrine with a screen in front of it embossed with a white tiger. The elders here said that the shrine was built nearly 100 years ago to worship Bach Ho (white tiger).

According to the relic profile proposing to rank O O waterfall as a provincial-level scenic spot (established by the Department of Culture, Science and Information of the old Tien Phuoc district in March 2025): The worship of Bach Ho is an important part of the cultural and spiritual life of many Vietnamese ethnic communities in general, in Quang Nam and Tien Phuoc in particular. According to legend, Bach Ho is the son of the Mountain God, with the ability to protect people from evil and bad luck. The image of Bach Ho is often associated with strength, bravery and territorial protection. This belief not only has personal value but also connects members of the community. Festivals and rituals of worshiping Bach Ho often create solidarity, sharing and connecting many generations in the community to pray for favorable weather, all things grow and develop, for everyone to be healthy, peaceful, and for livestock and farming to be good and prosperous.

Every year on the 14th day of the second lunar month, Thanh Chau villagers join hands to prepare offerings to hold a ceremony at the Bach Ho shrine. The offerings include sticky rice, chicken, and pork. After the ceremony at the shrine, villagers make banana rafts, place offerings such as sticky rice, meat, rice, salt, cakes, incense, votive paper, and let them float down the O O stream. The ceremony committee prays before launching the rafts, hoping that all disasters, illnesses, and pains will drift away with the water to an unknown destination and that the village will be peaceful and happy...

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/du-lich/202511/thac-oo-va-tin-nguong-tho-bach-ho-doc-dao-d04101a/