The most famous legendary lake in Vietnam’s Central Highlands

VietNamNet Bridge - According to a legend of M'nong people, the most popular lake in the Central Highlands – Lak – is named after the hero Lak Lieng.

VietNamNet Bridge - According to a legend of M'nong people, the most popular lake in the Central Highlands – Lak – is named after the hero Lak Lieng.

Located in Lien Son town, Lak District, Dak Lak province, Lak Lake is one of the most famous tourist sites of the Central Highlands. It is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes of Vietnam, connected to Krong Ana River, about 500 ha, and located at an altitude of over 500 meters above sea level. It is a unique eco-tourism attraction attractive with foreigner and domestic tourists with a dreamlike natural beauty of the surrounding mountains and forests.

According to the legend of the M’nong, in the past, the fire god beat the water god after a fight lasting many farming seasons, causing drought in villages of the M’nong. Meanwhile, a man was born between the loves of the M’nong girl with the fire god. To redeem himself for his parents, the boy went to look for water sources to save the villagers.

After many days and nights crossing rugged mountains full of wild beasts, he rested and spotted a small eel trapped in rock waiting for the withered death. He saved the eel. In return, the eel led him to a vast lake and M’nong people settled here. The lake and the land is Lak Lake area today.

Lak lake name evokes curiosity and charm for visitors looking to explore this wild beauty. In addition to natural beauty and fresh air, adventure elephant riding and taking a one-piece timber boat on Lak Lake, this is a must see destination in the Highlands and Dak Lak.

Lak Lake is both a source of fish and a gigantic freshwater reservoir supplying water to hundreds of hectares of rice fields, making the climate here cooler.

On the side of Lak Lak, there are Jun village, Mo Lieng village (the oldest and still unspoiled village) and Le village, the typical villages of M’Nong people. These villages are organized into an important tourist destination in Dak Lak as villages of conserving and introducing indigenous culture of Highlands. Here, people still live in traditional long houses with thatched grass roofs, bamboo walls and a herd of more than 20 elephants.