AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Dak Nia Lake is a 12-hectare reservoir nestled in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, in Đắk Nia commune near Gia Nghĩa city, Đắk Nông province. Though modest in size, this irrigation lake plays a vital role in the landscape: it gathers water from the Đắk Nia stream—a tributary of the Đồng Nai River system—and releases it downstream over a 30-meter cliff to form Liêng Nung Waterfall, one of the most celebrated cascades in the entire Central Highlands.↗↗
The lake sits at the heart of a cultural landscape shaped by the M'nông and Mạ indigenous peoples, whose villages surround both the reservoir and the waterfall below. In local legend, the waters of Đắk Nia stream were the only source that survived an ancient drought, making them sacred. Today, the lake area is being developed as part of a 127-hectare eco-tourism zone within the UNESCO Đắk Nông Global Geopark, offering visitors a rare chance to experience an unspoiled corner of Vietnam's highlands.↗↗
What Makes Dak Nia Lake Special
The name Đắk Nia itself tells the story: in the Mon-Khmer languages of the Central Highlands, "đăk" means water. This stream—and the lake it forms—has sustained life here for generations. The reservoir holds a steady water supply that feeds the surrounding coffee farms and rice fields, and its overflow plunges over a dramatic 30-meter basalt cliff to create Liêng Nung Waterfall (also called Diệu Thanh), ranked among the seven most spectacular waterfalls of the Central Highlands.
