One of the new places that make the northern Quang Ninh province attractive to tourists is Yen Trung lake, which has been added to package-tour itineraries. The scenary there is often compared to Da Lat in the South Central Highlands.

The tourist area located on National Highway 18 is 40 kilometers from Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO world-heritage site and one of the new tourist attractions the province is pushing in its "Visit Ha Long in 2003" programme.When travelling on the one-kilometer approach off the highway, one can hear the wind whistling through the pine trees at Yen Trung Lake. A winding concrete path and leads visitors through hills to a section where they can view the diversity of Viet Nam's culture, visit 20 houses on stilts, to listen to music, buy souvenirs and drinks, or just take a break.

The houses on stilts overlook the 100-hectare lake, which is the biggest in the northern province and nestled in hills of pine. Why not take a boat around the lake to look at pines in inhale their faint aroma? The first hour costs 30,000 VND but the rent for each additional hour is 20,000 VND. Trekking up and down hills is interesting because you can see the birds and learn how syrup is harvested from trees.

Tourists who want to stay overnight have to stake their own tents as Yen Trung has no guesthous yet. This accommodation problem will soon be corrected as work on construction of a 5 million USD project began in 2001, to develop nearly 50 ha into a resort. Nguyen Van Tuan, director of the Quang Ninh Service of Tourism, says expansion will be carried out in the hopes of turning Yen Trung Lake Tourist Area into a miniature Da Lat.

Vietnam Tourism