Khe Kem Falls

The Thái people call it Bổ Bố, a white silk ribbon. The Thái are one of Vietnam's ethnic groups, and Nghệ An is one of the provinces where they mainly live.

On a clear morning, the reason for the name is plain at once. A band of white water runs down the cliff, bright against the deep green of the primary forest on both sides. There are no power lines, no cement steps, no crowded stalls. There is only water and forest.

The Khe Kèm falls are in Pù Mát National Park. The park lies in Nghệ An Province. The commune is Lục Dạ, in Con Cuông. They are among the most pristine waterfalls in Vietnam today, and they belong to one of the most remarkable forest areas in central Vietnam.

Pù Mát is the core of the Western Nghệ An Biosphere Reserve. A biosphere reserve is a UNESCO-recognized area where nature is protected and the people living there keep working the land. UNESCO recognized this one in 2007.

The park is a large tropical primary forest. It is home to a globally important population of white-cheeked gibbons. It is also where scientists first photographed the saola in the wild. The falls are not a tourist stop apart from all this. They are a doorway into that living forest.

The path to the foot of the falls runs through open, quiet stretches of forest. The first thing to do there is to sit down and say nothing. Just listen. Water pouring from the high cliff makes a sound that no one can imitate. On a sunny morning, the spray rises, meets the light and forms a rainbow hanging in front of the falls. It is one of those moments that a camera sometimes cannot fully record.

Below the falls lies a clear, green pool. The rocks beside it are damp and covered in moss. After heavy rain, the water changes color and rises fast. This is real wild nature, not a made park.

Beyond the falls, the forest goes on. Two longer routes are also mentioned: one into Khe Bu, and a walking route up to the peak of Pu Loong, which takes about six to eight hours. For anyone who wants to go deeper into Pù Mát, the falls are only the beginning.

And standing there, hearing the water fall and watching the rainbow hang in the morning spray, you understand why the Thái call this place Bổ Bố. A white silk ribbon in the old forest, still there, still waiting.