Wild sunflowers dye Central Highlands golden

The nearby town of Da Lat is not the only place in Vietnam for flowers; visitors can now admire wild sunflowers in Chu Dang Ya Commune, 30 kilometers from Pleiku Town, the capital of Gia Lai Province and home to a century-old extinct volcano.

Chu Dang Ya means wild ginger in the language of the J'rai ethnic people. The funnel-shaped crater and volcanic ash mixed with red basalt soil are evident.

The commune has entered its best time of the year with the wild golden flowers blooming on hillsides, mountains and surrounding areas. 

Two J'rai girls accompany their mother to the milpa early one morning. Visitors can easily get acquainted with people in the village of Ia Gri, an old J'rai village at the foot of the extinct volcano’s peak.

At this time of the year wild sunflowers bloom throughout the Central Highlands. In Chu Dang Ya, they have a vivid color and blossom longer than in other places because of the fertile volcanic soil.

The temperatures in Chu Dang Ya are 1-2 degrees higher than in other places in Gia Lai because the volcanic basalt soil has experienced many days of drought. But trees and other vegetables continue to grow and are ever-green, even without watering. 

The extinct Chu Dang Ya volcano has been dubbed "the Heaven of Wild Sunflowers." The flowering season usually lasts until the end of December.

Chu Dang Ya has become a new flowery photography set for visitors.

Motorbikes are a popular means of transport from Pleiku Town to the volcano. It is around 20 km to the foot of the peak.

Dawn on the Chu Dang Ya volcano.