Exploring the west of Yen Tu Mountain

Mo Stream flows down slippery rocks - PHOTO: HAI DUONG

The west of Yen Tu is in Nghia Phuong Commune, Luc Nam District. To get there, you can start the journey from Hanoi and travel more than 80 kilometers on National Highway 31 and Provincial Road 293.

We made a trip to Mo Stream on the foot of Huyen Dinh Mountain to see how it is. After a long journey on a hot summer day, we felt relaxed and enjoyed looking at the stream, which flows through lots of rocks.

A female vendor of drinks and snacks in the area, who identified herself as Mai, said: “The area around the stream is very slippery. You should be watchful when walking on the rocks. The surfaces of the rocks are so greasy that the stream is called “mo” (which means fat). It is as if the area were covered with fat.”

Aside from the breathtaking landscape with a lot of trees, the site is ideal for those practicing Zen. Along the stream are many temples such as Ha, Trung, Thuong, Tran and Quan built to worship people who had contributed to reclaiming the region and kings who had helped protect and develop the country.

The area behind Ha temple has a large orchid tree. Claimed to be more than 200 years old, the tree aromatizes the whole area thanks to its pleasant fragrance when in bloom.

After a sightseeing tour of Mo Stream area, we continued our trip by exploring Thum Thum Waterfall in the upstream of Mo Stream.

To get to the top of the waterfall, we negotiated a seven-kilometer sloping path.

Located on the peak of Huyen Dinh Mountain, Thum Thum Waterfall pours down into the low-lying area, creating natural pools for tourists to enjoy themselves in the cool and clear water.

It is quite easy to climb from the first level to the second level of the waterfall, which comprises four levels. However, it becomes more difficult to reach higher levels.

From the second level, we climbed a rope ladder which is around ten meters long to reach the third level, a perfect spot with shades of big trees and puddles of crystal-clear water. Those who want to stand on the top of the waterfall will have to climb on a giant rock which is around four meters high.