Green journey to Can Gio - Cu Chi during social distancing season

Can Gio and Cu Chi are two attractive eco-tourism and historical destinations and two rare green areas of Ho Chi Minh City during the pandemic. Therefore, the organizers have chosen these two typical destinations in the tour programs to honor the frontline forces fighting the epidemic in the city, in late September and early October.

All visitors participating in this program are doctors, nurses, and military medical staff from the Northern and Central provinces and cities who have been supporting Ho Chi Minh City in fighting the epidemic for over 100 days. During that time, they have been busy and working hard day and night with tracing, testing, treating, and caring for Covid-19 patients in high-risk environments at treatment hospitals, field hospitals, blockade and quarantine areas, as well as supporting the welfare of the city's residents. For many consecutive days, most of them have not been able to breathe fresh air, which is an essential human need.

Therefore, from the moment they got on the tourist bus until they set foot in the Can Gio eco-tourism area or the Cu Chi tunnel historical site, they were all overwhelmed with emotion. The journey distance was only about 60-70 km, which was previously very normal but now suddenly became extremely special.

During the tour that day, the medical staff had the opportunity to explore the largest mangrove forest and also the green lung of Ho Chi Minh City, which was recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve in 2000. The "angels in white" from the North, some of them experienced canoeing for the first time to admire the amazing river landscape of the Southern land, with the typical flora and fauna in the core of the cool green mangrove forest. A world full of life was opening up before their eyes, now becoming invaluable in the context of society still applying conditional relaxation measures.

But the most impressive moments are probably the hours visiting Can Gio Monkey Island Park, when visitors from afar become the center of attention of mischievous monkeys preserved in the natural habitat of the mangrove forest, with a population of up to a thousand. Occasionally, a loud scream is heard somewhere, when someone is greeted by the excessive hospitality of the hyperactive monkeys "stealing" the guests' belongings. Some people lose their hats, others their paper fans, their scarves. To "redeem" their lost items, they have to feed the monkeys fruit. Unlucky people sometimes have to sadly watch their belongings go away.

An equally thrilling feeling was when arriving at the Vam Sat Eco-tourism Area, the group took a canoe to glide on the winding creeks in the mangrove forest, visited the bat conservation area, and the crocodile conservation area. Everyone took turns boarding the "crocodile fishing yacht", dropping the bait of perch, each time the crocodile jumped up to catch the bait, the boom boom sound was very pleasant to the ears! And a whole open space opened up as far as the eye could see when the group conquered Tang Bong tower, admiring the panoramic view of the cool Can Gio mangrove forest at a height of 26 m.

The middle of the Can Gio journey was a quiet and peaceful moment, when the group set foot in the Sac Forest Revolutionary Base relic, learning about the difficult life, battles and achievements of the special forces soldiers during the war. Everyone enjoyed tasting the rice ball salad with kim leaves, a rustic and familiar dish of the Sac Forest guerrillas during the resistance war, helping them survive until the day of victory.

Along with green eco-tourism attractions, Sac Forest resistance base in Can Gio, for Cu Chi tour, visitors join in offering incense at Ben Duoc Temple, Cu Chi, Saigon - Cho Lon - Gia Dinh revolutionary traditional area... That is an attractive highlight in the tour program, meaningful as a journey "back to the source". Cu Chi is famous for its underground tunnel system, with a total length of up to 250 km, which was recognized as a special national monument in 2016.

For many doctors, medical staff and military medical soldiers, this is the first time they have set foot in the "steel and copper land" of Cu Chi, a place that has suffered so much pain and loss during the long resistance war, which they have only experienced through books. "Our military medical team is also in a battle, fighting the epidemic with Ho Chi Minh City, but compared to the previous generation of our fathers and brothers in the war, our sacrifices today, if any, are only a modest part" - Doctor Than The Dung (Hanoi Military Medical Academy) confided.

For Dr. Dung, this was a special tour, but there was also a bit of regret that he was not able to explore deep into the tunnels, but only stopped to visit the entrance of the tunnel due to mandatory requirements during the epidemic.

After experiencing the Can Gio tour, Dr. Dao Thi Huong - head of the delegation of Thai Nguyen Central Hospital - confided: "Not only me, but all the doctors and medical staff participating in this tour were very touched by the warm affection of the government and people of Ho Chi Minh City for us. After this trip, we continued to return to the work of treating and curing Covid-19 patients like the past days, but with a new mindset, energy and emotions". Ms. Huong also shared that she and her colleagues participating in this tour program cherished every moment of the present to relax and reduce stress after many days of having to work hard to treat and care for many Covid-19 patients in Ho Chi Minh City.

Not only is this special tour meaningful to the tourists - the doctors and nurses, it is also meaningful to the tour guides and those involved in organizing and serving. "Determining that this is a tour to show gratitude to the frontline forces in the fight against the epidemic, all the tour guides this time have told themselves to try their best to serve with more than 100% of their heart, considering these special guests as both relatives and honored guests" - tour guide Nguyen Tan Cong shared. "After all the contributions and sacrifices of the shock force in the medical industry, they deserve to be rewarded by society".

Also from the gratitude tour programs to Can Gio and Cu Chi, a new concept has been formed, called "Green tourism, green journey". After the days of social distancing, a new chain of awareness along with new habits and behaviors when traveling will be established. That is safe tourism according to the 5K formula, accompanied by the condition of a "green travel card" for those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, and aiming for experiencesgreenspiritual regeneration

More information

Saigontourist Group is the consultant, sponsor and direct organizer of 9 tours to Can Gio and Cu Chi to show gratitude to the medical staff on the front line against the epidemic in Ho Chi Minh City, serving more than 1,100 guests, taking place from late September to early October 2021. Saigontourist Group said it will continue to promote the exploitation of other safe tourist destinations for visitors on the condition of complying with safety measures to prevent and combat the Covid-19 epidemic.

All tours in the program are organized to ensure safety and strictly comply with requirements on epidemic prevention and control. All tour participants, tour guides, drivers, and logistics staff at all destinations must be vaccinated with two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, have negative rapid test results, and comply with the 5K requirements recommended by the Ministry of Health. The tours take place in a "closed bubble" model, with a closed route, with guests mainly visiting outdoor tourist attractions, mangrove ecological spaces, rivers in Can Gio, or picnic attractions in Cu Chi tunnels.

Van Thuong - Photo: Long Van Thuong