Pongour waterfall is the widest and the dreamiest waterfall in the Southern Hoghlands. Although it belongs to Duc Trong district and is nearly 50km far from Dalat on the National Route 20 from Dalat to Sai Gon, Pomgour is still closely linked to the city of flower, Dalat. Visitors often call it Pongour, but the local people give it two other names, Thien Thai or Seven Stages because of its romantic and attractive beauty and its magnificence.
It is believed that the word Pongou was transcribed from K'ho, a native language, which means" the master of the clay land". According to the Frech geological documents, there was a lot of koalin in this area. However, according to several ethnographers, Pongour in the K'ho language means "four rhinoceros horns" ( Pon means four, gou means horn).
Legend has it that once upon a time in Phu Hoi, Tan Hoi and Tan Ha of today were owned by Kanai. She was a beautiful and young tribal chief who was stronger than any brave men of the K'ho and Churu tribes. She was talented on conquering wild animals, especially rhinoceros. Therefore, in her tribe, there were four extraordinary rhinoceros. Kanai often used these rhinoceros to change waste land in forests and mountains into cultivated land and to fight against enemies to protect her tribe. At that time, their Prenn enemy (the Cham people) in Panduranga (Ninh Thuan) often harsassed and captured the local people to turn them into slaves or coolies or sodiers against the Yuan (kinh) people. Once many people of Kanai's tribe were captured by the Prenn troops. Frustrated with their cruelty, Kanai appesled to the tibes of Sre, Chil, Nop, ... to rise up against the Prenn people. She herself rode on the rhinoceros and, together with her troops, moved toward Panduranga for revenge. Kanai occupied four Cham forts and saved hundreds of K'ho people who had been captured as slavers. 8
