Hồ Núi Cốc

NUI COC LAKE
TIf visitors think a lake can’t be much different from all the other lakes they have already seen, a boat ride across Nui Coc Lake might surprise them and change their mind.
It is the scenery around the man-made reservoir at the foot of Tam Dao mountain range in the northern province of Thai Nguyen that makes it special. Eighty-nine pretty little islands dot the 25km² surface, reminding visitors of a miniature Halong Bay.
The legend that surrounds Nui Coc and tells of the romance between poor men named Coc and a beautiful girl named Cong also intrigues many visitors. According to the tale,
Coc, whose parents died when he was young, earned his living by cutting wood to barter for food. He was also a talented flute player but he didn’t dare to think about getting married because he was very poor. Cong, and her father, a mandarin, lived in the nearby Day River region. Cong’s father wanted to choose a husband for Cong, and he set the condition which that man must work for her family for three years before being allowed to meet Cong. Many men came to work for the mandarin but none could meet his condition. One day Coc applied to work for the family, and he was told to herd the family’s buffaloes.
Whenever Coc had spare time, he would play flute. The sound of Coc’s flute seemed to cast a spell on Cong, and the two youngsters fell in love with each other. Once Cong’s father found out about their feelings, he became so angry that he wanted to kill Coc, but Coc managed to escape with the help of a deity who later gave him a magic comb.
Coc and Cong fled her house, but Cong’s father ordered his entourage to chase them. As the guardsmen drew nearer and nearer to them, Coc desperately threw some teeth of the magic comb on the ground, and a mountain sprang up to stop the troops. But they later continued to chase after the youths so that Cong implored her lover to go back to the safety of his homeland. The two said goodbye, and Coc threw the last tooth of the comb on the ground. A very deep, big hole opened up. Cong was arrested and brought back to her home. There she was kept in a dark cave.
Missing her lover, Cong cried until she died, becoming a cool stream flowing to Coc’s homeland. Coc suffered equally great from the pain of separation after Cong’s death, and on a stormy day, he turned into a mountain, which blocked the stream.
The two lovers’ legacies are the present-day Cong River and Coc Mountain. While thinking of the love story, visitors can travel across Nui Coc in a motorboat, enjoying the beauty of the boundless sky hanging high over mountain and forest.
Visitors can make an excursion to Co (Stork) Islet and stroll through the bamboo forest there, which is home to different species of birds. Alternatively, Xanh (Green) Islet houses a temple dedicated to Ba Chua Thuong Ngan (the mother goddess) worth visiting.
For those staying for the night, the Ho Nui Coc Resort has several bungalows and entertainment parks north and south of the lake. The owners arrange water games and fishing and camping trips, or visitors can relive the romance between Coc and Cong when stopping at the Huyen Thoai Cung (Legendary Palace) at the resort.
For lunch or dinner, visitors can try regional specialties, such as ca tram (carp) and ca me (chub) caught at Nui Coc Lake, shrimps, goat meat, trionychid turtles and wild boar.
Lastly, don’t forget to take back some kilograms of green tea planted at Tan Cuong Commune near Coc Mountain. The tea tastes very good because, as people say, the tea plants’ roots absorbed water from the Cong River.
Nui Coc Lake is located approximately 15 km from Thai Nguyen, 80 km from Hanoi. Nui Coc Lake lies in magnificent landscapes of a mountainous area. With charming natural scenery, Nui Coc is close to romantic love legend - the boy name Cong and the girl name Coc.
Nui Coc Lake is a reservoir with the area of 25 square kilometers, the depth of 23 meters, the capacity of 175 million cubic meters, constructed in 1977 on the Cong River, a tributary of the Red River. The reservoir is surrounded by hills with shrubby areas and secondary forest. The reservoir supports a significant fishery and is an important source of water for irrigation. Fish production is estimated at 600-800 tonnes per year.
The lake comprises many islets; some are covered with trees, some with flocks of birds, and others with mountain goats. About 40 species of birds and 15 species of mammals have been recorded in the reservoir area.
An hour away from Nui Coc Lake is Phoenix Grotto, one of the most famous spot in Thai Nguyen... Phoenix Grotto lies on the top of a 300m high mountain. If you have time, cruise to visit Co Island covered with tree, enjoy the view of overall Nui Coc Lake.
Tourism Park of Nui Coc Lake is divided into two areas, one on the northern bank of the reservoir and the other on the southern. The northern area boasts many mini-guest houses built on the side of a hill and shaded with green trees called keo la cham, along with water parks and an artificial dinosaur park. There you can refresh yourself with entertainment or go fishing on the lake or try specialties of the lake such as chub with the largest weighing 9 to 10kg, shrimps and bamboo rats, called by locals as dui. You can also travel across the water in a motor boat and lie back to enjoy the poetic and grandiose beauty of the boundless sky hanging high over mountain and forest
Specialities:
Floating restaurants there serve local dishes: Nui Coc Fish named Tench (Ca Me, some fish weight to 9-10kg), prawn, and forest meat.
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