The Tu San canyon is located at the foot of the Ma Pi Leng pass (Meo Vac district, Ha Giang), with the Nho Que river winding around the curve of the Hanh Phuc road, which is a canyon located in the valley with the most unique geological tectonics in Vietnam. This is also considered the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia.
Ma Pi Leng pass. Photo: Nguyen Manh Linh
Tu San canyon is the magic of creation millions of years ago. When this place was still immersed in the ocean, during the change of the earth's crust, the water retreated, leaving a unique geological heritage to this day. With a cliff height of up to 700–800m and a length of up to 1.7km, it is considered a geomorphological heritage, as well as an archaeological, stratigraphic, and environmental heritage. It was discovered in the area of 3 communes of Pai Lung, Pu Vi, and Xin Cai, Meo Vac district, Ha Giang province.
Only a few years ago, when the Nho Que stream had not been blocked in order to build a hydropower plant, very few people were able to approach the foot of the canyon due to the dangerous terrain. The houses closest to the site of the people of Ma Pi Leng are also hundreds of meters away. That is why visitors can only admire the majesty while riding on Ma Pi Leng pass. After the hydropower plant was built, the Nho Que stream was blocked and became a still lake. People quickly used motor boats to bring visitors who wanted to go down to the foot of the canyon, where the largest vertical cliffs in Vietnam were.
Nho Que river. Photo: Tuyet Mai
There are 2 paths down to the foot of the Tu San canyon: a 16 km/2-way motorbike path for which visitors have to pay 150,000 VND; and a walking path of nearly 2 km going down the cliff by stone steps. The price of a boat trip along the Nho Que river is around 100,000 VND/trip.
Currently, there are 23 cruise ships operating, each year bringing thousands of visitors to admire this majestic wonder.
Although it was opened later than other tourist destinations on the Dong Van Rock Plateau, the journey to discover the Nho Que river and Tu San canyon by boat has always had a strong attraction for tourists when they come to the Ha Giang Rock Plateau.
Thu Thao
