About Grang Waterfall (Thác Grăng)
The Grang Waterfall (Thác Grăng) was probably as off-the-beaten-path as you can get when it came to places to visit in Central Vietnam.
I kind of sensed this when our Da Nang guide upon meeting us for the first time straight up told us that no tourists go to this waterfall (our first waterfalling pursuit in this part of the country).
Indeed, there was little tourism infrastructure when it came to accessing this waterfall, especially when you compare it to attractions closer to Hoi An, Hue, and Da Nang.
It certainly made me question if it was worth the effort as we knew we were in for a bit of a drive that involved a road under construction and then having to deal with possible storm damage to the waterfall trail itself.
Well, as you can see from the photo above, this 30m three-pronged waterfall on the Pa La Stream was no slouch in terms of its impressiveness and pristine nature.
Its untouched feel had a lot to do with the rugged terrain that it was in as it was in close proximity to the wild Song Thanh National Park as well as the famed Ho Chi Minh Trail.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail (also called the Truong Son Trail) was actually a network of trails that primarily ran along the Annamite Range or Giai Truong Son, which pretty much defined most of the Laotian-Vietnamese border.
It was a key supply route instrumental in the defeat of American efforts during the Vietnam War.
Our pursuit of the Thac Grang Waterfall provided a small taste of what it was like to move in this terrain – e.g. potholed and muddy roads, trails eroded from Wet Season storms, and very thick jungle foliage, among others.
Experiencing The Grang Waterfall
Once we got to the trailhead of the Thac Grang Waterfall (see directions below), we followed a pretty established (i.e. partially paved with concrete) trail leading right up to the waterfall itself.
At first, the trail was quite benign as it went past a fork (we kept left to continue ascending as the lower trail went to some lower cascades and swimming holes as well as a possible dam under construction) then alongside water pipes.
It didn’t take long before the trail had to traverse through some overgrowth (as I’m sure it’s a constant struggle to keep the trail clear of it) and then past a couple of small landslides that wiped out sections of the trail.
While we were able to get by these obstacles, they weren’t trivial, and I’m sure more trail maintenance would be needed to prevent the trail from eroding down into the mountainside for good.
Eventually after about 300m from the trailhead, we encountered a spot where there were steps going up towards the top of the Thac Grang Waterfall as well as broken steps going down to its plunge pool and base.
At this point, it was just our Da Nang guide and myself sitting, scooting, and crawling our way down (none of the ladies felt safe doing this) before finally earning the clean view you see at the top of this page.
It definitely felt very naturesque here as there were neither touts nor viewing platforms here, and the plunge pool was very inviting, especially when dealing with the oppressive heat and humidity during our late April 2025 visit.
Once we had our fill of the Grang Waterfall, we then returned the way we came as we opted not to pursue going to the top of the brink of the falls.
Overall, we spent about 45 minutes away from the car covering a distance that was roughly 600-800m (though it could be more had we pursued the top of the falls).
Nevertheless, we certainly got back in the car a very hot, sticky, and sweaty mess.
Nomenclature Of The Grang Waterfall
The Co Tu or Katu ethnic group (who primarily inhabit eastern Laos and central Vietnam) named the falls after a kind of fish that was plentiful in the area (apparently da meant river and grang meant fried fish).
Originating further up the 700m high peaks of the Truong Son Range, the Pa La Stream was certainly remote enough to allow such species to thrive.
Indeed, local legend said that the Grang fish could grow to massive sizes and even weigh as much as 40kg (or 88 pounds)!
However, after a particularly hard year where a storm that lasted a month hit flooded the area, the sudden change in conditions caused a mass die off of the Grang fish.
With many of the fish floating to the surface in a scene that must have seem apocalyptic, the locals apparently honored the fish by naming the waterfall as such.
Ever since that incident, it was said that the Grang fish were rarely seen anymore in and around the Pa La Stream though apparently they’re still around and not extinct (yet).
Authorities
The Grang Waterfall resides near the Song Thanh Nature Reserve in the Ta Bhing Commune of the Nam Giang District in the Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. It may be administered by the local authorities of Nam Giang. To inquire about current conditions, you may want to try the Vietnam National Tourism Authority website.
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