COC TIEN WATERFALL – THE SLEEPING BEAUTY OF THE FOREST

By Mr. Old Man

A Farewell Ride Before the Silence

This morning, I pedaled out with a few companions for one last ride along the La Son – Tuy Loan expressway before it officially opens to traffic this June. At Km 36, just as the road slips into the emerald realm of Bach Ma National Park, we paused atop the longest and most graceful bridge of the route.

And there—far below us, wrapped in mist and silence—we saw the Sleeping Beauty of the forest.

A waterfall, dazzling and secluded, cascaded from the cliffs into a series of three shimmering emerald pools. The scene was so pristine, so surreal, it felt like stepping into a forgotten fairy tale. According to Google Maps, this was the headwater waterfall of the Thuong Lo River, hidden in Hoa Bac commune, Hoa Vang district, Da Nang.

The Path to the Fairy Cave

We couldn’t just leave it behind. That kind of beauty pulls at you. So we made our way down—a steep, rocky descent through tangled brush, then along a stream cluttered with moss-covered boulders—until we reached the water’s edge.

And there she was, the Sleeping Beauty, resting at the mouth of what looked like a secret cave.

The waterfall plunged into a pool enclosed by stone cliffs that curved like the walls of a hidden grotto. Mist curled in the air. The water then continued its descent into a second, deeper basin—quiet, cool, and impossibly blue.

It wasn’t just a waterfall. It was a vision. A secret cradled in rock and forest.

A Beauty Left Behind

But soon, the expressway will open. Cars will fly past, windows sealed, eyes forward. No one will stop. No one will look down. And the Sleeping Beauty will remain, undisturbed, in her forest sanctuary.

She will sleep on.

Google Maps only lists her by a long, forgettable name—“the headwater waterfall of the Thuong Lo River.” But that says nothing of her silence, her grace, her cave-like elegance.

So I gave her another name: Coc Tien—the Fairy Cave Waterfall.

A name for a place where nature has carved its own legend. Where the Sleeping Beauty of the woods lies dreaming, not waiting for a prince, but for a moment of wonder. For someone to pause, to see her, and to remember.

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Mr. Old Man, 4/2021