Phu Ninh Lake

From the shore of Phú Ninh Lake, jade-green water runs all the way to the foot of the forest. Small islands covered in trees lie scattered across it like emeralds. People call this place "Hòn ngọc xanh xứ Quảng", the green jewel of the Quảng region. That is the tourism industry's way of describing the beauty of the lake. Young people often call it "Tuyệt Tình Cốc xứ Quảng" instead. That name is borrowed from the Chinese series "Anh hùng xạ điêu". It is not a traditional local name.

Phú Ninh is the second largest man-made lake in Vietnam, after Dầu Tiếng Lake in Tây Ninh. Its water covers about 3,433 hectares, roughly 34 square kilometers. Around it lies protected forest of 23,000 hectares. On the water there are about 30 islands, large and small, covered in natural forest.

The story of the lake belongs to an important period of history. Construction began in 1977, only two years after the war ended. At that time central Vietnam was facing a severe drought that hurt farming. Tens of thousands of workers, soldiers and young volunteers labored without a break for nine years. In 1986 the lake went into use. It was then the largest irrigation project in central Vietnam.

The lake waters 23,000 hectares of farmland in four areas. They are Quế Sơn and Thăng Bình, then Tam Kỳ and Núi Thành. It stands as a symbol of the years of building the country after the war, when people used shared labor to reshape the land for farming.

Today, besides irrigation, Phú Ninh has become the best-known eco-tourism area south of Da Nang. Four experiences stand out.

The first is a motorboat trip among the islands. Of the 30 or so islands, each has its own character. One has a stony beach, one a small cave, one a shrine, and one still has old-growth forest with wild animals. The boat weaves between them, and it feels like a small Ha Long Bay set far inland.

The second is a soak in the hot spring, which belongs to Phú Ninh alone. The spring is natural, and its water is about 70 degrees Celsius. It is pumped from more than 200 meters underground. The French discovered the spring and began using it in the late 19th century, nearly 150 years ago. After the lake was finished in 1986, the spring was made part of the tourist area. A soak after a long boat trip gives a very special feeling of relaxation.

The third is a walk in the protected forest around the lake. It is humid tropical forest of central Vietnam, with many birds and plants. Every step brings the sound of leaves, and from far away, the sound of water drifting in from the lake.

The fourth is cá tầm, the sturgeon of Phú Ninh. It is a local specialty farmed in the lake. Cá tầm is a cold-water fish that comes originally from Russia and China. It has been raised in the irrigation lakes of central Vietnam since the 2000s. The Phú Ninh fish are kept in cages on rafts on the water. Their flesh is firm and sweet, in a way particular to this lake.

Phú Ninh lies about 70 kilometers south of the old city of Da Nang. It is about 7 kilometers west of Tam Kỳ. Here human hands turned a valley into a lake, and the lake became a green paradise in the heart of the Quảng land.