Thanh Thuy Hot Springs

In 1982, a geological team was drilling test holes in the area between Thanh Sơn and Thanh Thủy. The team was not looking for gold or coal. It was carrying out a hydrogeological survey of the groundwater. In the course of that work, Geological Team 303 found a hot mineral spring near Thượng Lộc hamlet, in Bảo Yên commune.

That was the first time this natural resource of Thanh Thủy was entered in the scientific record.

More than 40 years later, that stretch of land along the bank of the Đà River has become one of the holiday and rest areas most often mentioned in the northern midlands. The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism presents the Thanh Thủy hot mineral water resort as lying in La Phù commune. That is in Phú Thọ province, about 80 kilometers northwest of Hanoi.

The official tourism website of Phú Thọ describes the position more closely. The area lies on the left bank of the Đà River, facing the Ba Vì mountain range. There are not many places in the north that let a bather sit in warm water, look up, and see Ba Vì against the sky.

But before the visit itself comes the nature of this unusual water.

The Phú Thọ Department of Agriculture and Environment describes how it forms. Groundwater moves along tectonic cracks and faults and leaches layers of gypsum deep underground. It takes up heat from the earth and becomes hot mineral water, rich in minerals. Then it escapes upward through a system of deep faults tied to the river. Beneath the resort lies a whole geological system, joining the source of the water to the structure of the river valley.

At the point where it comes out at the surface, the water measures about 37 to 45 degrees Celsius, according to the province's specialist sources. Its mineral content is 2.5 to 3.5 grams per liter. This is radon water, which means that among its contents is the element radon, a naturally occurring noble gas.

As for what visitors actually do, the national authority describes the main activities as soaking in hot mineral water in covered outdoor pools, swimming in a mineral pool, soaking the feet, and staying in stilt houses beside a lake. The Phú Thọ tourism page also mentions mud baths and herbal mineral baths, depending on the place.

Thanh Thủy is not a single resort. Many separate establishments stand in the area, and each has its own style and its own prices.

After a mineral bath, when a tour includes a meal, the national authority mentions a few dishes tied to the Thanh Thủy region: goat from the rocky hills, fish from the Đà River, and sticky rice grown on upland fields.

Some groups also add cultural sites nearby, such as Đào Xá Communal House and Lăng Sương Temple. The local authorities present both as stops on a route for exploring this land.

What makes Thanh Thủy a destination that draws more and more attention is the combination, and the hot water is only one part of it. There is natural mineral water with a scientific basis, a riverside setting that looks across to Ba Vì, and a climate a little cooler than Hanoi. And the distance is short enough to go and return in a single day or to stay one weekend night.