Ghenh Da Dia - Vietnam's masterpiece of stone
 |
| Photo: Zing News |
What is Ghenh Da Dia?
Ganh Da Dia (Ghềnh Đá Dĩa in Vietnamese, means The Sea Cliff of Stone Plates) is a seashore area of uniformly interlocking basalt rock columns located along the coast in An Ninh Dong Commune, Tuy An District, Phu Yen Province, Vietnam. The area is about 100 meters wide and 250 meters long, composed of an estimated 35,000 columns of basalt rocks. The rocks are dark lava columns with roughly flat surfaces of different shapes - round, pentagon, hexagon, polygon, etc. Ghenh Da Dia looks like a gigantic beehive or a pile of dinner plates, hence the name – Ghenh Da Dia (The Sea Cliff of Stone Plates).
The stones in Ghenh Da Dia are bazan stones of dark black and light yellow. There exists large stones of tons and small stones with different shapes: round, pentagon, polygon, and so on. The stones take the right column or a settlement close to each other like disks arranged on couples together. Even counting the stone columns has failed to yield an exact figure as exhausted researchers usually call a halt at around 35,000. The stones are 60-80 cm in visible height and 20-30 cm across and cluster round a small freshwater pond that is fed by underground rivers and never dries up.
In order to get to Ghenh Da Dia, tourists will depart at Tuy Hoa city (Phu Yen, Vietnam). Go along Highway No1 about 30km, turn right at Chi Thanh town and continue the journey for about 12 km. Then, Ghenh Da Dia will appear right in front of your eyes.
 |
| Photo: Zing News |
 |
| Photo: Zing News |
How was Ghenh Da Dia formed?
Millions of years ago, during a volcano eruption, mineral flows melting was frozen when they encountered water and then the solid broke into columns or obliques. That created the beautiful landscape of Ghenh Da Dia for the present time. Time over time, the landscape is rearranged as an artistic work by the hand of nature. Ghenh Da Dia is about 1km2 large, half in the sea and a half above sea level. Looking down on it, visitors often liken it to a gigantic beehive, others as a pile of stone plates. For despite a lengthy series of historical, archeological, and scientific probes of the cliff’s square kilometers, its formation remains a mystery, Vietnam Discovery cited.
Stretching over 2,000 meters in length, Ghenh Da Dia is widening about 50 meters. It is estimated that there are 35,000 rock columns, standing in close position as if supernaturally placed, each of which has an average visible height of 60-80cm, a cross-section of 20-30cm. The basalt cliffs are the result of ancient volcanic eruptions. When the molten basalt flows met the cool water, they hardened and formed these rare polygonal columns.
Around the world, a number of other famous destinations with similar rock formations include the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, Los Organos in Spain and the Fingal's Cave in Scotland, according to VN Express.
 |
| Photo: Zing News |
 |
| Photo: VN Express |
Ghenh Da Dia named Vietnam's special national siteGhenh Da Dia in Phu Yen Province has been labeled a 'special national site' by Vietnam's Prime Minister in late December 2020. Six other sites similarly named by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc include the Monument of President Ho Chi Minh in Thua Thien-Hue Province; An Xa Temple in Hung Yen Province; Ha Hiep Communal House in Phuc Tho District, Hanoi; and the tomb and temple of Le Dynasty's General Nguyen Xi (1397-1465) in Nghe An Province. The remaining two include Safe Zone II, a revolutionary base used prior to 1945, in Hiep Hoa district, Bac Giang Province; and Cai Chanh Military Base in Bac Lieu Province. According to Phu Yen Geography, a book appraised by the UNESCO Center for Vietnamese Historical and Cultural Information, Ghenh Da Dia consists of basalt, formed during volcanic activity on Van Hoa Plateau. In 1998, the site was recognized as a 'national landscape' by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. |
 |
| Photo: VN Express |
 |
| Photo: VN Express |
 |
| Photo: VN Express |
 Best Places in Vietnam to Go for A Break on New Year Eve For Vietnamese people, New Year Eve is an occasion for a short break to relieve from stress after one year of working hard. Here are ... |
 Hunting Clouds in Vietnam's northern highlands Sa Pa, in the northern province of Lao Cai (Vietnam) is believed to boast magical beauty all year round. Nevertheless, it seems that this mountainous ... |
 Top 10 Most Beautiful Beaches in Vietnam Owning about 2,000 miles of coastline, Vietnam naturally has no shortage of beautiful beaches. Recently, Forbes has published its top 10 most beautiful beaches in ... |
