U MINH SHANG NATIONAL PARK - KIEN GIANG
U Minh Thuong evokes the feeling of returning to the roots, with the majestic wild beauty. With a long history, U Minh Thuong also attracts many tourists to visit and nostalgic about the historical periods of the nation. If you are someone who likes to experience the sacred forest, admire the animals and plants, U Minh Thuong National Park is the ideal choice.
U Minh Thuong National Park covers more than 21,000 hectares in An Minh Bac and Minh Thuan communes of U Minh Thuong district. In which the core zone is 8,038 ha, the rest is buffer zone. Traveling to Kien Giang, to go to U Minh Thuong National Park, tourists go from Rach Gia City along Highway 61, to Minh Luong junction, it is cheap to go to Tac Cau and then to cross Highway 63. The National Park is far from Rach City. Price is about 50 km. About 364 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City.
Previously, the U Minh Thuong forest area was named "Thap Cau" because there were 10 large canals that flowed into the Gulf of Thailand. The years of reclaiming, opening land and conquering harsh nature have fostered the character of U Minh Thuong people: industrious hard work, courageous spirit, generous life like nature in the southernmost land of the country. This is also the place where writer Doan Gioi went to practice to write his famous work on Phuong Nam Forest Land.
The remaining wetland and peat swamp ecosystem in Vietnam is very rare
U Minh Thuong National Park is located in the system of the World Biosphere Reserve, here visitors have the opportunity to explore the ecosystem of the wetland tropical forest, the remaining peat swamp in Vietnam, which is a rare type in the world. . This place develops a diversified and rich source of flora and fauna with the presence of 254 species of higher plants, 32 species of mammals, 188 species of birds, 64 species of fish ... Many animals are recorded in the Red Book of Vietnam. and the world such as: hairy otters, fish cats, gray-footed pelicans, old Javanese, pangolin ...
In particular, in the acid sulphate forest ecosystem of the Mekong Delta, only the forest flora of the core zone of U Minh Thuong National Park has the characteristics of the primeval peak forest. They are mixed melaleuca forests and melaleuca forests on peat land, with an area of nearly 3,000 ha.
In 2006, the park was recognized as one of the three key areas of the World Biosphere Reserve in the coastal and coastal areas of Kien Giang. In 2012, U Minh Thuong National Park was the 5th National Park of Vietnam recognized as the ASEAN Heritage Park and the first ASEAN Heritage Park on peatland in the region. By 2015, it was recognized as the 2,228 Ramsar site in the world and the 8th in Vietnam.
Observation tower for tourists to admire the national park
The U Minh Thuong area is the harmonious living place of three ethnic groups, namely Kinh, Hoa, and Khmer, in which the Kinh majority dominate. Due to the characteristics of land, water, climate, and natural ecology of the region for a long time, there are very specific features in the cultural and productive life ... In U Minh Thuong, there is a traditional profession called "garrison. , eat bees ”. In early spring, people took trees to make trusses, brought them to the Melaleuca forests and set them up for bees to fly home to make their nests. After 15 days, since the bees come to nest, the first batch of honey will be harvested. A honeycomb can take honey three or four times; Large nests can collect 15 to 20 liters of bile. U Minh Melaleuca forest honey is famous for being delicious, nutritious, and providing a significant source of income for people.
This area has a network of rivers and canals interlaced, evenly distributed. U Minh Thuong was also a revolutionary base area during the two wars of resistance against the French and the US in the southwestern region, the Southern Party Committee, the Central Southwest Office, the Administrative Committee and the Resistance. South, the main force of Military Region 9, the base of Kien Giang province, becomes a special historical relic of Kien Giang province.
The network of rivers and canals is intertwined
U Minh Thuong National Park is known to tourists as an attractive ecotourism destination in the southwestern region and more and more tourists come to every opportunity to travel to Kien Giang.
As soon as you arrive at the road leading to U Minh Thuong National Park, visitors have a refreshing and pleasant feeling because of the fresh air, the trees along the path leading to the forest gate are shady with forest flowers. bloom. Along the forest are the rigs of melon, gourd, and papaya fruit. Far away, bees swooping down to suck honey and then fly back to the nest with all kinds of vi vu sounds like a flute blowing. On high, the monkeys climbing on the trees sometimes pull each other out in the middle, squinting to call the flock as if to welcome visitors ...
Monkeys spilled out in the middle of the road as if welcoming visitors
Joining the U Minh Thuong National Park eco-tourism route, you can explore the pristine melaleuca forest, bird sanctuary, bat trough, wetland wetland ecosystems combined with wildlife observation at night; explore the swampy habitats, visit the distribution and feeding places of many waterbirds in the rainy season and especially in the dry season; Combine tourism with scientific research on the ecosystem of Acum sulphate Melaleuca forest on peat soils, the only place in Vietnam that has this ecosystem.
Tourists enjoy visiting U Minh Thuong National Park
Especially in the form of homestay community tourism, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the local culture, work together, and live with the people to spread fishing lines and nets. During the bee-eating season from December to June, visiting U Minh forest, you will have the opportunity to follow the watchmen into the forest to get honey, both an interesting experience while enjoying the young bee. Add a little bit of yellow honey, which is sticky and thick, and then sweet and sweet to the tip of the tongue.
With the characteristics of the submerged nature, during the rainy season not only can you travel by canoe on the canals, but you can also wriggle through the forests, the deeper you go inside, the more visitors will discover the the mysteries of Melaleuca forests, the nest of birds, the hives, especially the fish that feed and breed in the forest. Coming here in the blooming season, the whole forest smells of melaleuca.
Trang Chim, Mang Doi or Ho Hoa Mai are the places not to be missed in U Minh Thuong National Park. Tourists get off the boat with interest shell, glide lightly on the dark water surface, weave through the dense carpet, walk among thousands of reeds and sprinkle white flags, enter the deep green area of U Minh Melaleuca forest.
Green duckweed covered the water surface
The boat runs about 30 minutes to Trang Chim. Four immense water surfaces. Mop, the grass is as high as the human face Bird patch in the National Park is a very large area with tens of thousands of birds of all kinds gathered here in groups, such as: water birds, birds with singing or specializing in eating ripe fruit, insects, ... creating a yard. bird with rich colors. According to statistics, U Minh Thuong bird park has the highest number of all bird gardens in the Mekong Delta region.
Melaleuca forest vast
Visitors can experience walking on monkey bridges, grafted on trash wood, toward the observatory about 30 meters high. From above, zoom out to the four sides, inhale the fresh air, enjoy the vastness and refreshment of nature, heaven and earth. Blue sky, floating white clouds. Thousands of large birds perched on the tall treetops, occasionally flapping their wings, performing wild and captivating dances.
Visitors can experience walking on monkey bridges
From Trang Chim, visitors move to Bat Trough, home to thousands of horse bats - a rare type of bat listed in the red book. The name of bat trough is due to the habit of this animal often hanging from the trees, so people like when they come back from field work they often pull a hat or a bucket on the wall of the house, gradually becoming familiar. This is the Bat Trough. The area of Bat Trough is about 15 hectares, this is home to many species of bats, according to the survey with the largest number of crow bats, of which the most precious is the Thai horse bat.
Bat troughs are inhabited by many species of bats
Leaving Manh Doi, the boat takes visitors through the canals back to Hoa Mai Lake a swamp that is flushed out in the form of a flower with five petals, its surface covered with beautiful ferns like sheets carpet stretches, and it is also the tourist center of U Minh Thuong National Park.
Panoramic view of Ho Hoa Mai from above
Here, visitors can relax, rest on hammocks while admiring the beautiful scenery with flowers, birds or visitors can join the recreational fishing service of the resort.
Visitors can relax, relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery
In a cool, airy space, in the chirping sound of birds, visitors do not forget to enjoy the specialties of forest U: grilled snakehead fish, braised perch fish, salted anabas, yellow catfish. grilled to eat with forest fish sauce, saltwater waterfall fish, fried saffron ... In addition, there are other dishes such as: snakehead fish sauce with duck seeds, bacon served with wild vegetables, banana, banana, banana, pineapple longan, water lilies, sautéed tubs, tub melon, papaya fish sauce mixed with papaya platypus, fish sauce, dried gourami fish mixed with mango ... Just enjoy U Minh river specialties, sip a glass of wine, sip Guests can also enjoy the ca tai tu. Truly a memorable experience.
With its wild beauty and history, U Minh Thuong today attracts many tourists to visit and learn. The large and small canals are covered with water hyacinths, water spinach, water hyacinths on both sides of reeds, overgrown trees, an endless green color of forest giving visitors gentle moments. enjoy.