Chieng Khoi Lake Scenic Spot
According to the legend of the local people in the area, “Chieng Khoi” means a land on high and extremely large, flat. Indeed, there is a slope from the center of the district to the relic, to get to the relic, we have to cross that slope. A long time ago, a very ancient time, a great force appeared on the earth, there was no place left to live, at that time, only this place was not watered. At the same time, a dragon from somewhere appeared and flew over, crowing “This land must give birth to a king”, after saying that, the dragon sprayed out a stream of clear water, creating the current stream. The death of the dragon god also created a mountain range blocking the southwest direction of the lake. In 1970, due to the need for irrigation to irrigate nearly 200 hectares of rice fields, that legendary stream created a vast lake and an ecological environment for the whole region.
Passing the Sap Vat stream, the car gradually takes visitors to a high place and touches the land of Chieng Khoi. Before our eyes, we can see a vast and extremely flat land, next to it is the appearance of fields stretching as far as the eye can see, in the middle is a road leading straight to the lake. The hustle and bustle radiate from both sides of the village road, the stilt houses with bold ancient architecture but also carry extremely modern lines, looming under the shade of coconut trees and interspersed with mango gardens, tamarind trees, and rows of green bamboo around the village.
Looking from below, we can see a Chieng Khoi Lake with mountains and mountains running from the South to the Northwest. Mountains intermingle, layer upon layer, layer upon layer, stretching out to embrace the entire lake, looking like a flock of dragons from heaven and earth spreading their jaws to the North. No one knows when that long journey began, but when passing through the Chieng Khoi land, a dragon happily flew out of the flock, frolicking on the golden rice carpet of the field, and that was the mountain where the dragon crowed in the past according to the local legend.
The lake surface area of Chieng Khoi Lake is nearly 40 hectares wide, winding between low and high hills with 9 channels flowing out. From another perspective, we can also see the large lake looks like a herd of dragons with 9 strong whiskers spreading out in all directions. Not knowing whether it originated from a legend or just from a physical perspective, Chieng Khoi Lake has a reality of rare beauty that nature bestows upon humans. For a long time, tourists from all over the world have been attracted by the clear blue water of the lake, some places up to 40m deep, the landscape is extremely poetic and memorable. When coming to the lake, one thing is for sure, perhaps everyone wants to enjoy the pleasure of boating or rafting, watching the scenery, fishing, climbing mountains or freely diving in the clear, cool water. The sparkling scenery, the green, cool trees, all have captivated the hearts of tourists here. Following the shadow of the boat on a flat “mirror”, Chieng Khoi Lake is like a giant air conditioner, regulating the climate for the whole area. That is why the temperature in this area is often kept cool and stable.
In recent years, many tourists come to Chieng Khoi Lake not only to admire the mountain scenery but also to immerse themselves in nature, drift along with the melodies of the soul, listen to the breath, listen to the heartbeat of the heart-beating before a vast natural sky. The forest here is full of precious trees, with dozens of rare and precious woods being preserved such as: Dinh, Nghien, tau, lat hoa... and dozens of orchid species. Orchids not only grow on trees, but also grow on the ground and on walls and crevices. In addition, Chieng Khoi Lake also has swallow caves and bat caves. In the early morning or late afternoon, we will see flocks of swallows and bats flying around the lake, contributing to creating an extremely lively and clean scene for the environment. When reaching the swallow caves and bat caves, over an altitude of 2000m from the lake surface, visitors will admire extremely spectacular scenery.
Every year, when spring comes, it is also the time when flowers compete to sprout, bringing a fresh life to this place. Hoa Ban is a tree that is typical of the Northwest region. Standing from the bottom of the lake looking up, a large area of mountains and forests is all white. That is the color of Hoa Ban. Chieng Khoi Lake is not only a place for tourists to visit and admire the lake, climb up to see the scenery, but when coming here, tourists can also enjoy the unique culture of the Thai Yen Chau ethnic group. Those are the Xoe melodies performed by Thai girls from the "Son Cuoc" region. As the largest lake in Son La province, Chieng Khoi Lake brings immediate economic benefits (water for irrigation and a place to release seafood to provide food for the whole region). Combined with 2 rocky beaches and the beautiful scenery of the lake, the natural landscape and village culture have such advantages and factors. Chieng Khoi Lake area has the advantages of being built into an eco-tourism, resort, and religious tourism area.