Nam Tra Falls

In Cao Bằng, a limestone mountain has a hole straight through its middle. The hole is almost round and about 50 meters across, according to the Cao Bằng tourism portal. The Tày call the mountain Phja Piót, which means the mountain with a hole through it. The Tày are one of the peoples of northern Vietnam. Seen from far off, the hole looks like a giant eye gazing out of the cliff, and that is why many people simply call the mountain Núi Mắt Thần.

Below the mountain lies Nặm Trá Lake. About 500 to 600 meters from the lake, along a footpath, are the Nặm Trá Falls.

This scenic spot lies in Bản Danh hamlet, in Cao Chương commune. That commune is in the Trùng Khánh area. It belongs to the Non Nước Cao Bằng UNESCO Global Geopark. A UNESCO Global Geopark is an area with landscapes of international geological importance, managed for protection, education and sustainable development. UNESCO values the area for the way its tropical karst, a limestone landscape, has evolved. It also names the underground rivers, the caves, and the Thang Hen lake system of 36 natural lakes joined to one another. Nặm Trá Lake and the falls are part of that ecosystem.

The lake follows the seasons closely. From June to August, in the rainy season, water flows in and fills it, and it can spread to about 15 hectares. From September on, the water slowly drains away. The lake may turn into a wide valley of grass, where villagers bring their buffalo and cattle to graze. The same place shows two entirely different scenes in two seasons.

The way in runs from the direction of Thang Hen Lake. It passes through Bản Danh, a Tày village of stilt houses, yin-yang tile roofs, stone fences and rice fields. The Cao Bằng newspaper says it is about a kilometer and a half on foot, from the path at the foot of the mountain to the Mắt Thần area. From there, the walk continues along the right side of the lake for another 500 to 600 meters. That is about ten minutes on foot, and it brings you to the falls.

These falls are not a single stream dropping straight down. Many threads of water wind between gray rocks. They form small steps, with nothing loud or grand about them. The beauty here is the meeting of water, limestone and the forest around.

Standing before the falls, you can see why the place is hard to put into words. Everything simply blends together so naturally. There is the sound of water running over each stone step, and the gray of the limestone under green moss. Far off, the giant round hole of Núi Mắt Thần is still looking down in silence, as it always has.