There is no doubt that Vietnamese people should be proud of Ha Long Bay, the UNESCO natural heritage site. However, not so many people know about its mini version in Phu Tho, the Ao Chau Pond. This beautiful site has been drawing more and more attention to the visitor in recent years.
Situated about 50 km from Phu Tho district and 70 km from Viet Tri city, Ao Chau pond is remarkable potential for Vietnam’s tourism industry.
Ao Chau Pond is easily accessible. You can go there by many ways such as a car, train or boat. If you go by train, Ao Chau Pond lies on the right of Hanoi-Lao Cai route, which is scheduled to be enlarged in upcoming time to connect countries in the region to Van Nam province in China. If travelling by car, you should follow the national highway No.2 which connects Hanoi and provinces in the Northern region. And if you would like to have an interesting trip to Ao Chau Pond, no way is better than a boat trip. You can find the boats on big rivers like Da River, Red River or Lo River to get the way to Ao Chau Pond.
Ao Chau Pond has a water surface area of about 2 km2 with 100 large and small islets covered by rich vegetation. The highest point on these islets is up to 177 m above sea level (33 m above the water surface). It is interesting that the water level in the pond always has an average depth of 3 meters; the deepest water level is 35 meters and year-round watery. Therefore, the pond is always clean, unpolluted, which is favourable for the living and procreation of underwater species such as Trionychid turtle, Golden Turtle… In particular, the locals plant a lot of fruit trees like jackfruit, pomelo, longan, litchi, starfruit…, creating more attractiveness for the pond.