Gaze out at the romantic scenery of the fragrant maple forest in Quang Tri.

Khe Sanh town boasts a completely unique climate, often described as a "miniature Da Lat". Here, visitors can experience all four seasons in a single day: misty mornings, warm sunshine at noon, cool afternoons, and freezing nights.

Khe Sanh boasts a pristine, poetic beauty, yet is equally majestic with its endless rolling hills and mountains. Besides the cool weather, the scenery and hidden beauty here are well worth exploring. In particular, the picturesque landscape of the fragrant maple forest in Khe Sanh has recently become a sensation on social media.

As a native of Quang Tri, travel blogger Nguyen Duc Hieu was captivated by the scenery from the very first moment he encountered it: “By chance, during a stroll along the Truong Son road, my friends and I spotted a rather unique forest from afar. My curiosity led me deeper inside. Initially, I didn't think the forest would be so beautiful from the outside. After about an hour of searching, I had the opportunity to admire an entire forest of fragrant maple trees located right in the middle of the lake.”

The Khe Sanh maple forest is located in Huong Linh and Huong Phung communes of Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province. It boasts a pristine landscape with clear blue water, captivating ancient trees submerged in water, and most notably, fragrant maple trees (also known as Sau Sau and Bach Giao Huong).

The maple tree is characterized by its tall stature, its bark being an opaque white with mottled gray spots. In winter, the forest resembles the birch forests of Europe. The entire forest scene is unexpectedly dreamlike and surreal, as if it stepped out of a painting, leaving everyone mesmerized.

In particular, the leaves of the fragrant maple tree are heart-shaped but smaller than those of a regular maple. In spring, the fragrant maple forest is adorned with the gentle red of budding young leaves. In summer, the straight, white trunks are dotted with the vibrant green of millions of leaves. In autumn, the leaves turn dark green, then yellow, and by late autumn, they are a brilliant red, resembling the maple forests of temperate regions. In winter, the leaves fall, creating a cold, eerie, yet captivating scene. Perhaps it is because of these characteristics that the maple forests in Quang Tri have such outstanding and irresistible beauty amidst the myriad of flowers and foliage of the mountains and forests.

Through Duc Hieu's lens, the scenery of the maple forest becomes exceptionally charming and poetic. In a conversation with Travellive, the travel blogger shared: “I completed this photo series over three days. On the first day, I surveyed the surrounding area and found the maple forest. The next day, I prepared more thoroughly and moved the boat out onto the lake to take pictures, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough sunshine. The last day was similar to the second, but I captured even more beautiful moments.”

Viewed from above, the autumn foliage in Quang Tri province is breathtaking, ablaze with vibrant colors of yellow, red, green, and the grayish-white hues of the bare tree trunks. All of this creates a beauty that is both wild and romantic, rivaling even the most pristine European maple forests.

According to Duc Hieu, if you want to take beautiful photos in the maple forest, you should choose sunny days, such as early morning or late afternoon, avoiding days with the sun obscured by mountains or clouds. More importantly, you must go during the right season, otherwise you'll only see bare trees. Duc Hieu also shared that the ideal time to visit the maple forest in Quang Tri is from December to January each year.

Phuong Mai is a reporter for Travellive Magazine in Hanoi.

Phuong Mai