Strolling in the highlands

Ta Gu Waterfall (in Ta Gu village, Khanh Son commune) - famous tourist destination.

Cloud hunting on Ba Cum peak

After the call, Mr. Le Ngoc Thuan - a "local" in Khanh Son commune welcomed us at the top of the pass (Dong Khanh Son commune) with all the warmth and friendliness of a highland person. He is a person who always aspires to bring the beautiful and prosperous image of Khanh Son highland to friends everywhere. "Khanh Son highland is in the most beautiful season of the year. Tourists can hunt clouds throughout To Hap valley, enjoy the specialties of durian, mangosteen, rambutan... at their sweetest...!" - Mr. Thuan excitedly took us to the Nha San homestay owned by him. This is one of the most favorite cloud hunting spots in Khanh Son for young people. “The cloud hunting journey will start the evening before, with the activities of setting up tents, lighting a campfire, enjoying Khanh Son specialties such as grilled sticky rice with black pork on hot coals, floating in the Taibai yeast - traditional Raglai wine, immersing ourselves in the deep Khanh Son stone guitar melody as if echoing from the old forest... Waking up in the morning in a camping tent, in the cold of the early morning, the faint aroma of Khanh Son coffee wafts in with the chirping of birds welcoming the new day, then we will hunt for clouds” - Mr. Thuan said.

Dong Khanh Son commune in the floating sea of clouds in the early morning.

In the cold morning, far away towards Ba Cum valley, To Hap, Hon Dung peak, Ta Giang mountain... are seas of clouds floating gently in the breeze. Clouds hover over the mountain tops, clouds hover over the hillsides, clouds hang over the fruit orchards that are full of fruit. The clouds welcome the rays of the dawn, creating many emotional colors. The clouds keep changing shape and color, and we are absorbed in watching, absorbed in recording beautiful moments with the clouds.

Amidst the sounds of the mountains and forests

Absorbed in chasing the clouds, we just followed the To Hap River all the way west. Standing on the suspension bridge of Hon Dung village (Khanh Son commune), looking at the To Hap River, we met old man Mau Hong Thai in Hon Dung village, who said: “That river has been associated with the Raglai people for generations. The river carries echoes that have echoed for thousands of years. When it is gentle, the river provides irrigation water, nurturing the greenness and prosperity of the fruit gardens on both banks. When the rainy season comes, the river becomes fierce, reminding people to know how to preserve and cherish what nature has given them.”

Then the old man invited us to visit the Hon Dung Village Community Tourism Village - this is the only community tourism village in the Khanh Son highlands today. On the porch of the traditional long house, the Thai elder performed for us the sound of the Chapi - a traditional musical instrument of the Raglai people that he made himself. Following the sound of the instrument, the Thai elder recalled his youth, the clear moonlit nights when the boys and girls in the village sat together in front of the porch of the long house. In the Chapi language, the young girls sang soulful epic melodies. Or in the golden rice seasons on the fields, the Chapi instrument resounded with the Raglai people to sing songs of good harvests... And now, the Chapi sound filled with the soul of the Raglai people has been brought to serve tourists every time they visit the Hon Dung Village Community Tourism Village.

Old Mau Hong Thai performs Raglai musical instruments under the long house.

The atmosphere at the Hon Dung Community Tourism Village became even more joyful when a group of tourists from Ho Chi Minh City came to visit. The tour guide that day was Ms. Mau Thi Bach - Head of Hon Dung Village. Although she was not very familiar with the role of a tour guide, Ms. Bach had a thorough understanding of the traditions of her people and was very enthusiastic. She sang a song to call the girls and boys in the village: "Today is a good harvest/The corn is full of the warehouse/Hey village/Let's gather/Sing and dance/Celebrate the new rice season...".

In the excitement of Taibai, Mr. Bo Bo Hung - a lithophone artist in Khanh Son commune enthusiastically performed, while we attentively listened to the melody, sometimes resounding like the sound of the forest; sometimes melodious like a song, captivating people's hearts. "The lithophone is the "sacred soul" of the Raglai people. The sound of the lithophone is a means of connecting the underworld with the living world, between humans and heaven and earth, gods, between the present and the past. Therefore, in Raglai ceremonies and festivals such as: Tomb-leaving ceremony, new rice celebration or happy occasions of the village, the lithophone is always performed first" - Ms. Mau Thi Bach shared with tourists.

Stopping at the Hon Dung Community Tourism Village, we not only learned about the unique traditional culture of the Raglai people, but also visited the scenic Ta Gu waterfall (in Ta Gu village, Khanh Son commune), enjoyed the fresh nature of the highlands and enjoyed the traditional specialties of the Raglai people right next to the pristine waterfall.

Sweet fruit tour

One of the things that makes tourists fascinated when coming to Khanh Son highland this season is the lush fruit gardens that are full of fruit. Visiting the 3-hectare durian garden of Mr. Nguyen Quoc De's family, which is open to tourists, we weaved through the durian trees laden with fruit on the branches, in the corner of the garden there was the scent of ripe durian. "At its peak, there are days when my garden welcomes 200 to 300 tourists from all over the place to visit, experience harvesting, and enjoy durian in the garden. Not only domestic tourists, many foreign tourists when coming to Bai Dai Tourist Area (Cam Lam commune) also contact me to come to Khanh Son to explore nature, learn about the unique cultural traditions of the Raglai people and enjoy Khanh Son fruit specialties" - Mr. De shared.

Nha Trang tourists check-in at durian garden in Dong Khanh Son commune.

Wandering around the sweet fruit region, we encountered groups of tourists visiting durian gardens in Tay Khanh Son commune. Mr. Pham Nguyen Vu - a tourist from Da Nang city expressed: “I have heard that Khanh Son durian is famous for its deliciousness, but this is the first time I have come here to both explore and experience the newly discovered land on the Khanh Hoa tourism map, and enjoy the specialty fruit of the garden. All members of the group were excited when carrying baskets to pick up fallen durian, taking very “chill” photos with durian on the branches and enjoying delicious durian in the garden. Of course, we did not forget to pack durian to bring back as gifts for relatives. During the two days here, we also stayed in very beautiful homestays, close to nature. We got to hunt clouds, immerse ourselves in the cultural space of gongs and ma la, explore traditional long houses, enjoy rustic dishes and learn about the unique customs and practices of the local people... This trip was very interesting!”.

Talking to the owners of durian gardens, we learned that nature has favored the land of the communes of Tay Khanh Son, Khanh Son and Dong Khanh Son with favorable soil and climate conditions to produce durian with yellow flesh and small seeds of special quality, becoming the "green gold" of this highland region. Not only do large gardeners harvest from several billion to tens of billions of VND per crop, but there are also ethnic minority households in the area who have "food and savings", rising to become well-off with incomes of hundreds of millions to billions of VND per year thanks to growing durian. The garden owners told us that the highlands of Khanh Son are in the season of delicious fruit and always invite visitors from far and wide to visit. Not only is durian famous as the Golden Brand of Vietnamese agriculture, Khanh Son also has mangosteen, avocado, grapefruit, rambutan, purple sugarcane... all of which are famous products far and wide.

Wandering through Khanh Son, we learned more about the cultural and historical values of this land. New vitality has covered the sweet fruit land - where there is the sincerity and warmth of the highland people.

Currently, in Tay Khanh Son commune, there are 1,058 hectares of durian, of which about 70% is in the business period; the estimated yield is about 12 tons/ha. In Dong Khanh Son commune, there are 577 hectares of durian, of which 343 hectares are bearing fruit, with an average yield of about 11 tons/ha. In Khanh Son commune, there are 1,279 hectares of durian, of which 780 hectares are bearing fruit, with an average yield of about 11.5 tons/ha. Although the price of durian this year is not as high as last year, many durian growers still make a good profit.

HAI LANG - HONG DANG

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/phong-su/202508/dao-choi-tren-mien-non-cao-4df3be3/