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You are so beautiful, Pleiku/Breaking my heart into pieces/I don't dare to see in your eyes/Pleiku's eyes like full Bien Hoa (Sea Lake)"

While drinking coffee in a small cafe in the beautiful Central Highlands city of Pleiku in Gia Lai Province on a foggy morning, I suddenly hear this passionate ballad by musician Nguyen Cuong. Immediately, it captured my soul and I thought of Sea Lake as a must-see destination for me.

A visit to Sea Lake and its surrounding mountains and pines is really an escape from the chaos of the city. Situated some 5km north of the centre of Pleiku city, Sea Lake is as immense as an ocean and a nice destination for people who love both mountains and the vastness of the open sea.

Created on the mouth of a volcano millions of years ago, Sea Lake is an important archaeological site from the last Stone Age. It has a total area of 460ha, with water covering 250ha. Surrounded by mountains and pine forests, this oval lake is split into two parts by a small highland peninsula along the central part of the lake. In the rainy season, the lake's surface can be spread to around 400ha with depths of about 40m. The main lakeside is nearly bordered on one side with a basalt cliff.

The name of Sea Lake reflects the wishes of people in Pleiku. Pleiku Plateau is more than 1,000m above sea level. As usual, there isn't any water in these mountain peaks. For this reason, people crave water and the sea. Legend has it that the water from the lake flows directly into the East Sea and wood exporters in the highlands have only to drop timber into the lake then catch it at the Quy Nhon sea the following morning.