Trekking Up Nui Chua From Vinh Hy Bay

In spite of the baking heat of Ninh Thuan in April, visitors do not flinch from touring Nui Chua National Park, including making a 10km trek to the lake on the mountain
Nui Chua National Park in Ninh Hai District, Ninh Thuan Province, occupies a total area of about 30,000ha, including 23,000ha of land and 7,000ha of sea, and is bounded by the sea. The highest peak is Co Tuy, also known as Chua Anh Peak, 1,039m above sea level. The attractions of Nui Chua are its terrain, climate, abundant and diverse biological elements, and tourism potential, especially for eco-tourism, discovery and adventure.
On the Nui Chua tour, a 45km-ride to Vinh Hy Bay from Saigon-Ninh Chu Resort, which is 7km from Phan Rang-Thap Cham City, is combined with a trek through the forest to reach the lake on the mountain and trek down to Thung Beach. A ride from Phan Rang-Thap Cham to Binh Tien Beach in Cam Ranh Peninsula is combined with a tour around Nai Lagoon by car.
The highlight of the tour is the trek up Nui Chua on the Vinh Huy-Thung Beach route. The easiest way to get there is to depart from the heart of Phan Rang-Thap Cham, head to Vinh Hy Bay then take a 10-km trek.
Si, a forest ranger of Nui Chua National Park, led our group to the lake on the mountain. Before embarking, Si warned that it took four hours to hike through the forest in order to enjoy the view of the lake before going on to watch the poetic beauty of Thung Beach.
Previously, if tourists wanted to reach the lake from Vinh Hy fishing village, they felt more exhausted after traveling along the narrow, bumpy forest paths. Recently, thanks to the new road linking Vinh Hy and Tien (Fairy) Beach, two of the most beautiful attractions in Ninh Thuan, the first three kilometers of the road are easy to travel.
However, walkers have to withstand the hot weather in Ninh Thuan. This is also the reason that some group members felt tired and looked for motorbike taxis to carry them the rest of the way.
Although there are motorbike taxis, it is not easy to continue the tour with them as they have to pass through narrow and unmarked paths. Tourists can hike through the forest under the shade of the trees and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the forest while listening to the birds singing. BR>
The road that tourists have just hiked opens onto a new road that slopes gently and is easy to travel. Halfway up the mountain, there is a view of a corner of Cam Ranh Peninsula with its blue seawater in harmony with the clouds, hills and mountains, creating an imposing and attractive natural picture.
Tourists may ask how attractive the lake on the mountain is. If they expect the scenery to be magnificent, they will be astonished and a little disappointed when they reach the lake. However, the lake features strange characteristics that are distinct from other tourist attractions. The diameter of the lake is 80m. Its water is blue, and, especially in rainy months, the lake amidst the immense forest creates a beautifully proportioned picture of a landscape in harmony between yin and yang. Around the lake there are a lot of old trees with roots hanging on to big stones. This is an attractive venue for eco-tourism and an exciting place to camp for the night.
Those who do not wish to visit the lake can followother roads to the sea to Vinh Hy Bay. Tourists will be amazed at the primal beauty of Nui Chua with its combination of trees and mountains, the white sands of Thung Beach and the blue water of the sea. At the beach, visitors can freely swim, or dive to directly touch the sand and see the coral at the bottom of the sea.
Tourists can escape the sunshine by staying at a cottage of a friendly local family near the seaside to enjoy the cool breeze from the East Sea. Then they can hop on a glass-bottom boat to begin the discovery of peaceful and poetic Vinh Hy, one of four bays in Vietnam, to view the coral.