In May, return to Can Gio and visit the Sac Forest.

Can Gio is like an isolated island, surrounded on all sides by rivers and the sea. It has both freshwater: the Long Tau River flows through the middle of the district; brackish water: mangroves and nipa palms cover the area; and Can Gio beach where the rivers flow into the sea.

Passing through Nha Be, heading towards Binh Khanh ferry, the hustle and bustle of Saigon's city life receded, seemingly far away. Wide, open roads stretched endlessly, occasionally dotted with shrimp farms and swiftlet houses, their chirping birds mingling on either side, amidst a vast expanse of green trees and fruit. The car stopped so my friends and I could grab a glass of coconut water, while my friend from Hanoi's Old Quarter pulled up a chair by the roadside to watch a herd of black pigs – a mother and three piglets – leisurely foraging. Then, turning back, he casually remarked, "It's so refreshing and comfortable. Let's sit here for a while and then head back to avoid getting more motion sickness, shall we?"

Can Gio boasts the most beautiful black sand beach in Vietnam. The black color of the sand is due to the mangrove forests in the area. Although swimming is not possible due to the large waves caused by the black sand, Can Gio beach offers abundant sunshine and fresh seafood, a delight for Saigon residents and tourists alike, with its vibrant display captivating visitors at the Hang Duong seafood market.

A unique feature of ancient Vietnamese fishing villages is the temple dedicated to the Whale God. Legend says that fishermen consider the Whale God (also known as the Funeral Whale) a deity, having saved them from danger during storms and rough seas at sea. Therefore, when fishermen encounter a distressed whale at sea, they bring it ashore and erect a temple to worship this "largest mammal in the world," offering incense year-round. The Can Gio Sea God Temple also holds the annual Nghinh Ong Festival on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.

Another unique aspect of Can Gio is that it is rare (or unique) in Vietnam to see wild animals living peacefully and carefree alongside humans like in Can Gio. Stepping onto Monkey Island, you'll see groups of monkeys, large and small, frolicking, jumping, and playfully interacting with each other throughout the mangrove forest, along the canal banks, and on the concrete roads. Tourist guides also remind visitors to be careful with their bags, phones, and wallets, in case the mischievous monkeys try to steal them.

We strolled into the Sac Forest, one of the largest mangrove forests in the country, a result of the efforts of the City's Youth Volunteers after Liberation Day (the old forest had been destroyed by chemicals and bombs during the war against the US). The further we went, the more we admired the slender trunks and branches of the mangrove trees, their strong, sprawling roots reaching deep into the muddy soil, and the more we felt the vibrant life of nature and the people of this land.

The huts, the ravines, the water tanks, the trenches… recount the tragic and heroic, the indomitable spirit of the Can Gio base – one of the two largest resistance bases in Saigon (alongside Cu Chi) – with its legendary Sac Forest Special Forces, known for their "ghostly" maneuvers that created world-shaking victories such as the burning of 150 million liters of gasoline in the Nha Be fuel depot, juggling fighting and survival against jungle rain, mosquitoes, leeches, and crocodiles swimming right underfoot… Groups of visitors, both Western and Vietnamese, listen with admiration to the old stories, including veterans. Every time they enter a hut with a model of a meeting, battlefield, or training session, the veterans stand at attention, salute in military fashion, and loudly proclaim: "Greetings, comrades!"

Le Hong Lam