A wonderful tour of Tuyen Lam Lake

A view of Tuyen Lam Lake in Dalat City - Photo: Robert Bridgeman

Tuyen Lam is where water and trees meet each other. This lake was created by the construction of a dam between 1982 and 1987. It is fed by Tiau stream in the upstream of Na Tam River that flows from Elephant Mountain, creating a magnificent landscape. The crystal-clear lake has a total area of 32 sq.km surrounded by impressive mountains, and 4km southwest Dalat and 2km of National Road 20. Its deepest section is 23m.

The view offers beautiful sights of the forest that covers the hills. The lake is mysterious and we instinctively feel it doesn’t give its secrets away just like that. As our bus ascends the hills, we can see a lot of luxury houses loom in the lush green forest. Some resorts are underway there. We enter a resort called Dalat Edensee, which looks like a European village surrounded by pine trees and located between the hills and the bank of Tuyen Lam Lake.

The architecture of Dalat Edensee is perfectly harmonious with the surrounding nature. It consists of scattered groups of villas with a total of 129 rooms, where each hillside or lakefront villa constitutes a separate unit.

On a motor-boat gliding over the immense waters, we have a chance to admire the lake winding at the foot of mountains. Past each bent, the scenery seems to change miraculously and completely. It seems that nature is revealing her mysteries which make tourists unable to restrain a word of praise of her beauty. All try to rise up, cutting their outlines against the sky and reflecting themselves, flickeringly on the waters. It seems that, in this setting, the real and unreal mix with each other. One cannot make out where the one ends and where the other begins.

The lake looks breathtaking in the late afternoon when we arrive. The sun is low, the light gets dim and the chanting by the monks at Truc Lam Monastery on the other side of the lake makes the atmosphere even more mystical. The famous monastery is a 4-mile walk from Dalat Edensee. Along the road winding up the hill to the temple, the bell tower is clearly visible from afar. The tiled roof of the pagoda is also prominent, contrasting against the pine forests that surround it. The entrance of the temple is somewhat isolated, so there is a direct entrance to the temple with 61 steps for climbing. Visitors can also go directly past Tuyen Lam Lake and then climb 222 steps past the triple gated entrance to enter the main courtyard in front of the temple.  The monastery was founded by Zen Master Thich Thanh Tu. A monk shows us around. The buildings are traditional Vietnamese and the whole setting is amazing. Especially, standing at the monastery we can have a bird’s-eye view of the landscape below. We are invited to have lunch with the monks. The food is great. In the late afternoon we can hear the monks chanting.

This is a great experience. This is not the last time we see it. We will come back.