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The landscape bursts forth with the vibrant yellow of the water hyacinth, the purple of the water lily, mixed with the pink of the lotus, and the lush green of the melaleuca trees… Even for the people of the Southern Vietnamese countryside, the rising water season is simple and poetic because the water rises rather than causing a flood. And as if to compensate for its unwarranted anger, nature bestows upon the flood season many precious resources: abundant fish and shrimp, and muddy water heavy with silt.
For visitors from other regions, the feeling of this color is even stronger than the water level. The most exciting feeling when visiting Tram Chim during the flood season is sitting on a small boat, cutting through the canals, weaving through the melaleuca forest, and admiring the red-crested coots, egrets, ducks, and wild geese living in their natural habitat. Especially, Tram Chim still has wild rice – a strange wild rice species with long stems that grow taller as the water level rises.
Tram Chim National Park covers nearly 8,000 hectares and is home to 200 species of birds, accounting for over 60% of the total bird families and 80% of the total bird orders currently found in Vietnam. The presence of the red-crowned crane here shows that this area is still very pristine and retains its original diverse ecosystem. The most beautiful time to visit Tram Chim is before dawn or at dusk, as this is when the birds leave or return to their nests; they fill the sky, their calls echoing loudly… Climbing the 20-meter-high observation tower to admire the panoramic view of Tram Chim National Park will make you feel as if you are lost in the vastness of nature.
Grilled snakehead fish is one of the famous specialties of the Southern Vietnamese countryside, but the grilled snakehead fish here is truly unique. Here, instead of wrapping the fish in rice paper with vegetables, they wrap it in lotus leaf sheaths. These are young lotus leaves, with the edges rolled inwards. Stuffing the snakehead fish into the lotus leaf sheaths and grilling it, served with vermicelli and vegetables, and dipped in tamarind fish sauce, is simply unbeatable. After a pleasant day of sightseeing, sitting down to enjoy snakehead fish wrapped in lotus leaf sheaths, or roasted field mouse… and of course, not missing the dried catfish, a specialty of the mangrove forest, is sure to please everyone.
There are many more interesting things waiting for you to discover on your journey to the Southwestern region of Vietnam during the flood season. Besides Tram Chim National Park and Tra Su Melaleuca Forest, visitors can go to Chau Doc - An Giang and leisurely take a boat ride on the Vinh Te Canal to admire the riverside life of the local people.
CompanyTST Tourist- No. 10 Tu Xuong Street, Ward 7, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Tel: (08) 39 328 328, fax: (08) 39 321 321. Tay Do Branch: 17 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, Thoi Binh Ward, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City, Tel: (0710) 3769 681, fax: (0710) 3769 682; website:www.tsttourist.com
Hotline: 0909.026.116
