Deep blue La Ba land

According to the pronunciation of the Rac Lay ethnic group in Phong Phu, Phan Dung (Tuy Phong district), La Da La Ba means Snake stream or land of the snake god. Over time, people only call it La Ba for short and give it a place name.

This is not only a land of beautiful natural landscapes with many famous places such as Tan Cung, Tan Ron, Phum, Bo waterfalls but also a revolutionary base of Tuy Phong district in two resistance wars to liberate the country. From a dry and water-deficient land, it is now greener thanks to irrigation works, people's lives are more prosperous.

In La Ba, there are many rivers, streams and beautiful landscapes. The most famous is Tan Cung waterfall, a hidden waterfall flowing in the heart of Long Song river. Tan Ron is a branch of Long Song river with beautiful natural scenery all year round. At the end of the year, we can admire the beautiful colors of the banyan flower season, the fields of bright pink grass flowers and the cool, green small lakes.

During the two resistance wars, La Ba was the revolutionary base of the army and people of Tuy Phong district. The center of La Ba is the place called Dau Ba tree. This is a beautiful landscape, with mountains and rivers, in front is Tan Le river, behind is Ta Uong river - rivers sharing the same source as Long Song river. We went to the uncles and aunts in the Tuy Phong district Resistance Liaison Committee to learn more about the old La Ba land as well as the stories through the two wars. Following the winding road under the canopy of the forest in the season of changing leaves to reach another place in the La Ba war zone, that is Ta Uong. In the dry season, the forest leaves fall a lot, leaving only the bare tree trunks. The mountains and forests are silent, quietly waiting for the rain.

In the past, Ta Uong area was not only famous for the saying: La Ba rice, Ta Uong fish but also for its beautiful landscape. Now, Ta Uong is still beautiful, it is a winding river lying next to a new field with the same name, green and immense. The soldiers who came from the lowlands no longer recognize the place where they lived and fought because of its richness.

That is thanks to the Phan Dung reservoir irrigation project, a level III irrigation project invested by Tuy Phong District People's Committee, inaugurated more than 10 years ago. In the depths of the river, of the wild mountains and forests, a 146 m long dam, more than 208 m high, spanning two towering mountains, dominates a vast sea of water that looks majestic. If the Ta Uong River shows off its fresh, immense green color, the Phan Dung lake surface is also magical, shimmering, hidden in the wildness of the mountains and forests. Nearly 500 hectares of agricultural land and rice fields such as: Ta Uong, Ta Cang, Chu Ri, Phum, Dong Toa, Ta Hoang, Tan Le, Tra Tan are always green and fertile.

The old La Ba land now includes La Ba 1, La Ba 2 villages and Phan Dung commune with about 700 people, all of whom are Rac Lay people. Previously, due to lack of water for production, people mainly worked on fields, raised goats and cows, and had a poor life. But since the water source from the Phan Dung lake irrigation project and the State invested a lot, people's lives have improved a lot. Roads are paved with asphalt and concrete, houses are built with red tiles, people's lives are increasingly fuller and more prosperous...

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