In the humid mountain forests of Bidoup Nui Ba National Park and Langbiang Biosphere Reserve, during the autumn season, you can almost feel as though you're in a European forest. On cloudy, foggy days, the local maples Acer campbellii stand out as the most cheerful spots in the color composition of the forest, contrasting with the gray-green muted tones around them. But even their yellow-orange hues are diluted with brown. If the autumn is sunny, you can fully enjoy the sight of the maples preparing for the seasonal leaf fall, their red-orange and yellow leaves glowing in the warm rays.

These maples, also known as Himalayan maples, can grow up to 30 meters in height, much like their European counterparts, though they are usually shorter. The largest maples are found along the banks of mountain rivers. Without their beautifully shaped fallen leaves—typically with five main lobes, which make them easy to identify—you might not even realize that this tall tree, located right above the river, is a maple. Occasionally, you can spot maples along a path with an ascent, where the upper part of the crown, having broken through in its competition for sunlight among other tall trees, becomes visible. Old maple trees enchant with their rugged beauty and power. Small maples, reaching up to a meter high, in my opinion, are more decorative than the mature ones, which lose some of their perfection due to the long struggle for survival in natural conditions. The leaves of young maples, still few in number but neater and larger, are the most elegant. They adorn the lower tier of the forest with bright color spots.