Ban Than Cliffs

Nui Thanh District of central coast Quang Nam Province has two tourist sites that always attract visitors, i.e. Rang beach in Tam Quang Village and Ban Than cliffs in Tam Hai Village. These two sites are less than 6km away from each other, and both are about 10km to the east of Nui Thanh.

«           Ban Than cliffs are one of many magnificent rock slabs in Vietnam’s central coastal Quang Nam Province. The cliffs are more than 40 meters high, and in strange, unique shapes.                   »

Unlike other beaches which are normally crowded with people, Rang is quiet, romantic and fanciful. The name of the beach (brilliant) reflects its beauty particularly when the first rays of sunrise mirror the sea. Along the beach, young couples enjoy bathing in the blue water or sitting on the rocks for sight-seeing.

To get to Tam Hai fishing village where the Ban Than cliffs are, we had to depart Rang by ferry in the early morning. The village is located near the coast, with a coconut forest on the right, and rock grounds on the left.

In that wild, coastal village, we met Thu Duyen, a native of this fishing village, who was on a camping trip, with her colleagues who are doctors and nurses from Quang Nam Province’s general hospital.

“I love looking at the scenery in my native place with a wild, natural environment, particularly the rock cliffs with spectacular shapes and sizes, including the Ban Than cliffs,” Duyen said, adding that she used to invite her friends to come here, where they would stay for the whole day enjoying camping, bathing and climbing the cliffs to discover their beauty.

Ong Dun and Ba Che are the most famous peaks of the Ban Than cliffs.  Rock cliffs at Rang beach. A wild beach in Tam Hai. The unique beauty of the Ban Than cliffs attracts a large number of visitors. The imprint of nature on the cliffs at Rang beach. Rocks with unique shapes. Ban Than cliffs are located in Tam Hai Village, about 40km from Tam Ky City. Sunrise on the Rang Beach. Most of the rocks in this place are black. The locals catch seafood at the foot of Ban Than cliffs where there is a 10km long coral reef  with many species of seafood, especially larva of lobster.

We joined Duyen and her friends to visit the Ban Than cliffs, and were so surprised when learning that the tour guides are local villagers, like Duyen. According to the senior villagers, Duyen told us, “Ban” means table, and “Than” means black (as coal). So Ban Than means a black flat table.

Along the coast, there are many black stone slabs. When the sunshine falls on them, the stone slabs become as black as coal, not a grey color like those in other places.

At Ban Than cliffs, there are many huge rocks with strange shapes like a fish, a whale, or the sea monster, which were endowed by nature and all make up a natural beautiful painting besides the blue sea. The cliffs reach out to the sea, under which there is a layer of dark green moss. Ban Than cliffs are truly a natural landscape painting.

Besides Ban Than cliffs, there are two other slabs, namely Bac and Nom, each having its own beauty. The Nom slab is more beautiful in the sunrise, while the Nom slab is so brilliant at sunset.

We were so mesmerized by the magnificent beauty of the cliffs that we almost forgot the time and that it was going to be dark soon.

Ban Than was in its original shape, with the black cliffs reaching out to the sea and holding something mysterious. Seeing such a rare and magnificent scene on the central coast region of Vietnam we are sure it will be an ideal destination for those who are interested in taking discovery tours.

Story: Thao Vy - Photo: Viet Cuong

Source: vietnam.vnanet.vn