On the experience route “Rhapsody of fire and water”, in Nâm N’Dir commune, Krong No district there is a geosite where whoever stops by would certainly imagine the interaction between Fire and Water – 2 typical elements of Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark.
High on the watershed line looking far to the right, visitors will see the grandiose Krong No River, which is forever eroding the mountains to form a large and even paddy field. Local people have worked on this field for generations, yielding a very well-known rice variety. It is quite a surprise that there is such a large paddy field in the mountainous area, sometimes yellow due to ripe rice, other times green because of young rice or even dark brown after the rice is harvested. Altogether with some flocks of storks that embellishes the peaceful picture.
On the left is a completely different view. At quite a great distance emerges the famous Nam Blang volcano, which erupted several times to result in the pahoehoe lava field hundreds of km2 in area. The relief, though not high, is no longer even, gradually lowering down in the form of lava tongues to the paddy field. On this soil the local people have also worked for generations with corn, other types of vegetation and more recently perennial trees e.g. coffee, pepper, avocado etc. The green of the vegetation is mixed with the black of the basaltic rock, the red of roof tile and the blue of late afternoon cooking smoke – composing a life full of peace and joy.
We can pose an interesting question: which formed first, the river and its paddy field or the volcano and its lava tongues? Research by scientists demonstrates that the river and its paddy field were formed earlier. The latest volcanic eruptions took place only a few tens of thousands, or even less than 10,000 years ago, hence the hot lava tongues squeezed toward the river before they cooled down. It is surprising that on this land, fire and water can co-exist.
