Rocky Gardens on the Plateau

As Dong Van Plateau has high geological diversity and suffers from climate change, karst evolution process has created various "rocky gardens and forests”. The illustrations include Khau Vai (Meo Vac) rocky garden which has flower-shaped, flower bud-shaped rocky pyramid and Lung Pu (Meo Vac) garden which is characterised by dragon-roll-shaped, tiger-sit-shaped rock pyramid along with lichens and orchids, making the garden extremely attractive and impressive. Van Chai rocky garden is home to the overlapping round-shape rocks which look like a thousand black seals leaning against each other on the beach, giving the viewer a surprise. Among these, pyramid-shaped mountains following each other giving the feeling reaching the sky are the most popular, making the plateau a majestic grandeur. Cave and cavern system in Dong Van Plateau is the product of karst evolution process and has become the tourist attractions including Dragon Cave in Sang Tung (Dong Van), Kho My cave in Tung Vai (Quan Ba), and En cavern in Van Chai (Dong Van).

 

Dong Van plateau is highly appreciated by scientists for its unique and diverse ecological system. Primary forest remains relatively intact with many kinds of timber, forest products and other valuable medicinal species such as rocky pine, chestnut, bean, cardamom and mushroom. Especially, on the rocky deserts of Dong Van plateau, there are as many as 40 orchid species. Dong Van plateau is also home to over 50 species of mammals, birds and reptiles such as chamois, langur, wild boar, civet, squirrel, and forest chicken which create the lively beauty in the plateau.

 

Besides the value of geology, geomorphology and landscape, Dong Van Plateau also contains the traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities namely Hmong, Dao, Lot Lot, and the Pu Peo. People in Dong Van Plateau live among the rocks, moving rocks to build houses, carving rocks to find fresh water. Rocks are made into fences surrounding villages. Rock is used to retain water and soil for terraces and made into citadels to protect the country's borders. In this very place, when bending down we can see cat-ear rocks and looking up the sky, we enjoy the space covered with the gray rocks.

 

Mixed with the gray of rocks are the green of the cornfields and the yellow of paddy fields. Corn planted on the rock, closely clinging to the rock to churn out its products. The mighty rocky mountains and the endless stretches of fields mixing the fresh colours of corn and other crops constitute the mysterious attractive vitality of nature and culture which brings tourists from far away todiscover this remote northern area.