*A Brief Note: This is a somewhat sensitive area, so I have not included any direct links to proper place names and locations. If you are absolutely set on visiting this area, please contact me and I would be happy to show you!
In the mountains of central-western Vietnam, around 60 kms west of the city of Da Nang, the waters of numerous rivers and streams coalesce as they drain a beautiful mountain valley, forming a mighty river than then turns and cuts south through a range of large mountains. Although the river has since been dammed and re-routed through the mountain to form a hydroelectric power station, the canyon still remains, and today, if you can get through the gate that guards access to the canyon, you will be rewarded with a beautiful drive through a fairly remote canyon. This is known as "Forbidden Canyon", and it is a very interesting place. Although it is not pristine, as a fair amount of logging has been done, there are no villages and aside from the road and the Hydro Project there is little development of any kind. That creates are feeling of remoteness even though you are not that far from civilization.
The best way to see the canyon is from the top down. The canyon is not too far off of a main road that traverses through this part of the country, and there is a fairly well marked sign indicating where to turn off that road. However, several kilometers down this spur is a gate across the road. There is a large sign that says "No Motos or Cars" and lists three times of day when they are not allowed. It was put there by a large rubber company based in nearby Da Nang, and I'm assuming it is supposed to be a filter to keep people from wandering into prized rubber plantations, or perhaps the rubber company controls the power plant and doesn't want anyone going in. I'm not really sure. When we first visited this gate, they did not want to let us through, despite it not being during one of the posted "closed" times. The guard quickly went back in his shack and shut the door on us, but we persisted and eventually by asking "when can we go to xxxx??" (xxxx being the omitted name of the town at the end of the canyon), they eventually relented and let us through. Victory!
Once past the gate, it was hard to shake the feeling of being let into an area that was not particularly traveled by many other westerners, nor by many locals as well. The name "Forbidden Canyon" came up pretty quickly and stuck just as fast as a good name for this special place. Almost immediately after passing through the gate you come to the first component of the hydropower project: the dam. This dam is not that big, compared to some of the other dams in the area, but it still effectively blocks about 95% of the rivers flow. Below here all the way down to the actual power plant the river is either bone dry, or is a mere trickle babbling down through the rocks. It's a shame really, too, as there is a nice gorge shortly below the dam that looks like it would be quite a decent stretch of whitewater.
A couple of short kilometers into the canyon, you first pass over a tributary stream that comes waterfalling down from the west. A short corridor later, you come around the corner into an interesting open "pocket" or valley within the canyon itself. This valley appears to follow old fault lines, as it's generally open nature within a larger, enclosed canyon, is kind of anomalous. As the road winds its way around the head of this opening, it first goes by a strange tunnel, and then past a very small outpost of humanity- two shacks and little else. It's not clear if anyone lives here, although I could believe it if so. Either way, it's quite the remote place to live. The tunnel is a bit strange, and after looking at it for a while we decided it was either a leftover of one of Vietnam's many conflicts, or perhaps an access to the hydropower project that occupies the canyon. Not sure really?
Below the valley, the canyon abruptly closes back up, and stays relatively constricted around a couple of large corners. Eventually the road wraps around another smaller tributary canyon, and comes back to the main river directly above the hydroelectric power plant. There is another gate here, and I'm assuming they would try to stop people from going through here as well, just like the one at the other end of the canyon. Shortly below this gate, the river goes around one more big bend, and then suddenly it pops out into the valley of the Giong River. The conflluence is rather abrupt, and before you know it, you are through Forbidden Canyon.
At the end of the canyon is a beautiful traditional bridge stretching across the river. We didn't have time to go down and check it out, but I would be really surprised if it wasn't totally solid.
So, because of those gates, this is obviously not a well traveled route or a commonly visited area. So, if you would like to visit this area, contact me and I would be happy to arrange a trip. It's an amazing trip, and I'd be happy to go back any time that I can manage. In addition to seeing this canyon, the "Mountains of the Mist" rising up from the east side of the canyon are also a dramatic backdrop that further add to the beauty of the place.
So, because of those gates, this is obviously not a well traveled route or a commonly visited area. So, if you would like to visit this area, contact me and I would be happy to arrange a trip. It's an amazing trip, and I'd be happy to go back any time that I can manage. In addition to seeing this canyon, the "Mountains of the Mist" rising up from the east side of the canyon are also a dramatic backdrop that further add to the beauty of the place.
All photos copyright Kit Davidson unless otherwise noted.