No one knows since when, in the hearts of travelers, the image of tall pine trees has always been associated with a gentle, romantic and nostalgic feeling. Coming to the road with 100-year-old pine trees in PLEIKU, we not only return to nature, but also feel like returning to a cool memory area, where the wind blowing through the leaves also gently tells us something about life, about time, about ourselves.
100-year-old pine trees in Pleiku
In the windy Central Highlands, where the sound of gongs still resonates during festivals, there is a small road that leads us through the undulating valleys and stops at a very different point, the road with ancient pine trees over 100 years old located in the middle of Mang Yang district, Gia Lai province. No advertising signs, no crowded shops, no hustle and bustle. There are only rows of straight, tall and ancient pine trees, covered in a deep green color.
The first time I came here, I didn’t intend to stay long. I just thought I would stop by for a bit. But then, the pine forest seemed to have its own way of keeping people. Not as magnificent as a famous place, not as noisy as a trendy check-in spot, but there was something there that touched my emotions. Gently. Like an unfinished poem.
Pine, the tree that is not in a hurry
People say that pine is a tree of long time and patience. It can take 20 years for a pine tree to mature, and a hundred years for the forest to become the forest it is here. What surprised me was that despite the rain, wind, war, and even the bombs of the fiery Central Highlands, the Mang Yang pine trees still stood there, peaceful and steadfast.
Pine needles are not as wide as tamarind leaves, nor as rustling as banyan leaves. They only sway slightly when the wind blows, and softly make sounds like gentle sighs. Looking up, there is a whole sky woven with layers of dark green leaves, a bit of moss, a bit of sunlight, a bit of darkness. Everything here seems not to be “looked at quickly”, but needs to be “stayed”, to be listened to, to breathe, to slow down.
Romantic, because the pine trees know how to keep quiet
Many people say that looking at the pine forest always feels romantic. Is it because of the unique light when the sun filters through the leaves? Or is it because the winding red dirt roads, threading through the canopy of trees, always make people want to walk very slowly, hand in hand, or silently alone?
The pine forest doesn’t tell stories with sound. It tells stories with silence. And because of that, it evokes many things. A sister who was with me said: “I didn’t expect that getting lost here would make me think of things from high school. Maybe it’s because it feels so peaceful that I remember random things.” I laughed. But it was true.
Pine trees are not just trees. Pine trees are empty spaces that people fill with their own memories.
If you want to know more about the road with 100 years old pine trees in Pleiku?
- Located right on Highway 19, through Dak Djrang, Mang Yang District, about 30km from Pleiku.
- If you go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, the light is so beautiful that you don’t need a filter for any photos.
- There are no tourist services, so bring water, keep clean, don’t litter so that the pine is still pine, not a makeshift picnic site, I made this myself so that in a few decades, even if I come back here, I will still have the same feelings and scenery today…
One destination, many layers of emotions
You may come to the pine forest to take some photos. But most likely you will leave with an emotion that cannot be named, only that it is lighter, deeper, and… slower. The road with rows of pine trees over 100 years old is not a place you pass through but a place you enter and then take a part of it with you.
Just one visit to the road with rows of pine trees over 100 years old in Gia Lai is not just a journey, but a return to yourself, pure, quiet and peaceful like the smell of pine resin in the afternoon wind.
