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Ecotourism in U
Minh Ha
A peaceful
retreat of the Mekong Delta can be found in U
Minh National Park, where visitors can canoe,
trek through the forests, and taste local honey.
U Minh National Park in the southernmost
province of Ca Mau is fast becoming an appealing
ecotourism area.
U Minh is considered the lungs of the Mekong
Delta and is second only to the Amazon in South
America in terms of biodiversity.
The lower section of U Minh, U Minh Ha, contains
the Vo Doi protected forest, which boasts over
3,600 hectares of cajeput forest.
The cajeput trees flower all year round and
attract swarms of bees which produce an
excellent quality honey.
U Minh Ha also has 6,000 hectares of peat, one
of the biggest peat reserves in Vietnam.
The lush vegetation of U Minh Ha provides
habitat for a diverse fauna, including 72
species of mammals and birds.
Several of these species are listed in the
International Union for the Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources’ (IUCN) Red List
and Vietnam’s Red Book of endangered species,
such as te te (Manis
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A crane stands on the
bank of a canal in U Minh Ha |
pentadactyla), the hair-nosed otter (Lutra
sumatrana) and the king cobra (Ophiophagus
hannah).
Nestling in the green foliage and marshlands of
U Minh Ha are various kinds of water-fowls like
herons, egrets, storks, ibises, ducks, rails and
shorebirds.
A large variety of fresh-water fishes can also
be found swimming in the brackish water,
including ca ro (Anabas testudineus), ca loc (Ophiocephalus
maculatus), ca tre (Clariidae) and ca thac lac (Notopterus
notopterus Pallas).
Many efforts are under-way to transform this
natural sanctuary into an inviting ecotourism
destination, promising visitors a host of
exciting activities.
Visitors to U Minh National Park can go fishing
and cook their catch, or they can be served
local specialties such as ca loc nuong trui
(unscaled fish grilled whole in straws) and
ca keo nuong ong tre (small fish grilled
in bamboo chunks).
There is also a 110-hectare tourism complex
where visitors can canoe along canals to see
beehives, rest in hammocks, indulge in local
delicacies complex where visitors can canoe and
honey.
Reported by Diem Thu - Source Thanhniennews[]com
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