Wild and wonderful Suoi Luong

If you want to immerse yourself in Vietnamese culture and discover the natural beauty of both mountains and forests, Suoi Luong near Da Nang City is the ideal destination.

Covering an area of six hectares, the ecological tourism site is located at the foot of Hai Van (Ocean Cloud) Pass, 15km (30 min by motorbike) north of the city.

The Suoi Luong stream, fed by mountain tributaries and feeding Da Nang Bay, is home to a diverse range of fauna and flora, says site director Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao.

The 30-year-old added that visiting the site is best during the November to August dry season.

"In peak periods, we welcome about 3,000 tourists."

Tran Thanh Binh, alongside fellow classmates from Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports, spent a Saturday at the stream.

"I am always blown away by the area's wild beauty. On hot days, wallowing in the cool stream is an additional treat," Binh said.

Rocks shaped like trees litter the riverbank and are ideal for picnics, he added.

According to Bao, visitors are allowed to overnight in guesthouses or the stilt houses of ethnic minorities such as the Dao, Muong, Tay and Co Tu.

Small huts along the stream offer additional vantage points from which to experience the natural surroundings.

"Stilt houses, capable of accommodating large groups, can be rented for about VND600,000-1 million per night each while huts cost VND150,000," the director explained.

Do Van Hung, a 40-year-old overseas Vietnamese from America, said he especially liked the ethnic museum, complete with original stilt houses, Hue City and Quang Nam Province homestead models alongside its ancient northern pagoda.

He added that the village market, including traditional Vietnamese food such as banh beo (bloating fern-shaped cake), banh duc (rice cake) and mi Quang (noodles), was an additional draw.

One of the area's most impressive features is its mortarless Cham tower, built by Le Van Chinh in 2003 to resemble a similar structure in Binh Dinh, Bao commented.

"I was very surprised to find out how the tower was built," Hung said, adding that he and his friends could not wait to return to the area.