Located at Ea Huar Commune, Buon Don District in the Central Highlands Dak Lak Province and just 36 kilometers from Buon Ma Thuot City, Thanh Ha tourist area is well-known as a home to many elephants and as the glorious land of the ancient elephant hunter kings, of whom Y Thu Knul is the most famous.

At dawn, when the dewdrops still lie on the leaves, tourists are welcomed to take an elephant ride along the river and into the forest and hear the folklore of the elephant hunter kings told by young local boys who serve as tour guides. They are as agile as monkeys and can scale the tallest trees to pick wild orchids for you. Taking a boat out on the Serepok River offers a smoother ride than the elephants and gives wonderful views of the landscape.

When night falls, the flickering of the campfire, the murmur of the waterfalls and the whisper of the wind through the trees are a nice background to the melodies of the local traditional artisans. Taking a gulp of ruou can (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes) and listening to boisterous rhythms from gongs, tourists surely are induced to stand up and hold hands with the villagers to dance and sing.

Moreover, tourists have a chance to glimpse ethnic culture via antique collections, musical instruments, daily utensils and manufacturing equipment. “Artifacts are souls of the highlands and they prove my love of traditional culture,” said Nguyen Tru, owner of an antique collection. “I hope traditional culture does not fade away with time and younger generations always respect traditional values.”

There is a house where tourists can enjoy ethnic tunes on string instruments and flutes by a seasoned couple named Y Gong and H’Uynh Bya.

VietNamNet/SGT