When you hear Vietnam's Mekong Delta, most people picture canals and orchards of a water country. But in the same delta, inland in An Giang Province near the Cambodian border, another world spreads out where rocky mountains jut straight up from the plain\u2014the \u201cBay Nui\u201d (Seven Mountains). Six irrigation reservoirs built in those mountains have drawn attention as photo spots after coverage by the local paper Dan Viet. Originally dam lakes to store agricultural water, their jade-colored surfaces and mirror-like stillness have caught young travelers' eyes and are turning them into so-called \u201ccheck-in meccas.\u201d The stay-and-explore way of combining mountains and villagesBay Nui village tourism, staying in a palmyra-palm forest<\/a>It's continuous with that as well, an area worth the trip out from Ho Chi Minh City or Chau Doc.<\/p>\n The six lakes cited in the reports are all scattered at the foot or summit of mountains around Tri T\u00f4n and T\u1ecbnh Bi\u00ean. The first to be named is T\u00e0 P\u1ea1 Lake (H\u1ed3 T\u00e0 P\u1ea1). A lake formed by chance when water pooled in a quarry pit, it earns the nickname \u201cTuyet Tinh Coc (Valley of Severed Emotion)\u201d for the sheer rock walls that surround it. Its surface\u2014reflecting the color of the sky and the rock layers on the lakebed, shifting from blue-green to mystical hues\u2014is the main draw.<\/p>\n Soai So Lake (H\u1ed3 So\u00e0i So) sits at the foot of Phung Hoang Son mountain and is among the oldest reservoirs in the Seven Mountains, built in the 1990s. Because it gathers clear water welling from the mountain, it stays clear year-round, and its still surface reflecting the mountain's shadow is described as mirror-like. Co To Lake (H\u1ed3 C\u00f4 T\u00f4) spreads at the base of Co To mountain, with an open surface reflecting the sacred mountain in a pastoral scene, making it a popular spot for camping and watching the sunset.<\/p>\n The remaining three lakes draw you in with more untouched nature. Ho Ta Lot lies in a valley wedged between Cam Mountain and Dai Mountain, a rugged, quiet expanse ringed by forest and hills. Ho Nui Dai 2 (in Le Tri commune) is a practical lake that irrigates highland orchards, its scenery like a watercolor where sheer rock melts into blue woodland. And Ho Thuy Liem sits near the summit of the 705-meter Cam Mountain (N\u00fai C\u1ea5m), known for a dreamlike view where clouds and sky seem to descend onto the water.<\/p>\n None of these six lakes was built for tourism. In mountain areas prone to running dry in the dry season, they were developed as social infrastructure out of urgent needs \u2014 irrigation and household water, and preventing wildfires.<\/p>\n The effect is changing farmers\u2019 lives. With a stable water source, harvests that were once once a year became possible up to three times a year, and on higher fields a shift toward high-value fruit trees such as durian, avocado, and mango has advanced. Just how deep the Mekong Delta\u2019s fruit culture runs isAll-you-can-eat durian in Can Tho<\/a>as events like this show, the highland orchards of the Seven Mountains are starting to play their part too. The irrigation dams keep the farm economy turning while their waterscapes pull in eco-tourism\u2014serving a double role.<\/p>\n To plan an itinerary, it helps to lay out where each lake is and what you go to see. Note that in the 2025 reorganization, districts were abolished and Tri Ton and Tinh Bien have been reorganized into commune units.<\/p>\nThe six lakes of the Seven Mountains region, each with its own face<\/h2>\n
Originally a Dam to Support Farming, Now a Tourism Resource<\/h2>\n
A Quick Guide to the Six Lakes, by Numbers and Location<\/h2>\n