Tram Chim National Park, attractive rendezvous for nature lovers
By Huy Nguyen in Dong Thap
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| Birds gather at Tram Chim Park in Dong Thap Province - Photo: Nguyen Hung |
Tram Chim National Park, a miniature landscape of the inundated grassland of Dong Thap Muoi including the Mekong Delta provinces of Long An, Tien Giang and Dong Thap, is attracting more and more tourists by its biodiversity with a natural history of collective ecology of geomorphology, hydrography and underwater creatures as well as its peaceful surroundings.
Located in Tam Nong District in Dong Thap, the area covers 7,313 hectares and is designed to preserve the typical submerged in-land eco-system. It is surrounded by nearly 3,000 hectares of cajuput which is considered the “lung” of the Dong Thap Muoi region. 
The park boasts diversified flora which includes 130 species classified into six principle communities. It also provides an ideal habitat for 231 species of birds, including 32 rare and precious species, especially the red-headed crane, and 130 species of fish.
The park includes an ecotourism area with a forest of cajuput. It is also a destination for many kinds of birds, including thousands of storks, making it the largest stork garden in Dong Thap Muoi.
To get the site, tourists can take a motorbike on a 40-kilometer path under the shade of cajuput trees. Scattered with watchtowers, tourists can take a panoramic view of the endless forest and immense green fields. The scenes have enticed many photographers to produce unique works.
The site also attracts many enthusiasts of fishing. At a cost of VND100,000, tourists can choose an ideal area, relax and wait for the fishing rod to shake. On any given day, tourists can catch ten kilograms of fish and throw a BBQ fish party with friends and family.
Inside the area, tourists should spend VND650,000 for a boat to drift around the site and into winding canals to contemplate splendid lotus ponds and the strange oryza rufipogon, a special type of rice, and many colors of wild flowers.
The highlight of the park is the bird yard and afternoon is suggested as ideal for tourists to observe many kinds of birds, especially red-headed cranes, herons and swallows.
An overnight stay at the park will be an unforgettable and amazing experience. Tourists can find out that the wild world always holds many secrets and mysteries that challenge and arouse human curiosity.