Known as the “Green Lungs of Ho Chi Minh City ”, the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve to the South of the city covers around 80,000 ha of the river delta and is cloaked in rich mangrove forest that is full of wildlife, with over 200 species of fauna and 52 flora. This huge mass of green so close to the centre of Ho Chi Minh City helps clean the air of the city, and protect against coastal erosion and storms coming in from the sea.
The mangrove forest in Can Gio was originally over 2000 years old, and so dense that the interior was cold, foggy and dark, and full of dangerous animals such as tigers and crocodiles. During the war the mangroves were a dense hiding place from which to launch attacks on the city, which both the Vietnamese and Americans found extremely difficult to penetrate or patrol. It is a great place to visit from Ho Chi Minh City, whether as a day trip or for a longer stay - there is a resort to the south with a pool and small (though slightly muddy) beach.
The number of its water birds species currently constitutes 34% of the country's total population with nine species listed in the World's Red Book of Endangered Species. As a result, Can Gio was the first mangrove forest in Vietnam to be admitted to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in January 2000.
Giang Sen (Mycteria Leucocephala)
The locals' culture is closely attached to their traditional craft villages such as the fishing village and the forest village. Can Gio is also the first place in Vietnam and Southeast Asia where a sepulchre with more than 300 ancient Oc Eo artefacts were excavated. Can Gio has become an ideal place for ecological tours and scientific research. Visitors will be attracted by an island with thousands of monkeys, a natural bird sanctuary within an area of more than 100 hectares or the rare naturally beautiful landscape in Dam Doi.
Sightseers will have a chance to visit Vam Sat Salt-Marsh Forest which was recognised in mid-2003 by the World Tourist Organisation as one of the world's two sustainable ecological tourist zones in Vietnam. Its natural scenery includes a bat swamp, a crocodile farm and a unique swimming pool in which swimmers do not have to worry about drowning since the salt concentration in the pool is 10 times higher than that of the ocean.
Tourists can not only enjoy fresh air here but also food specialties that are made from the locally available shrimp, crab, fish and shellfish on Can Gio Beach. This beach is in the southern side of the island facing the sea and creating a beach front nearly 10km long. The water here is extremely shallow, and a walk far from the shore would be interesting. From the beach, the hills of Vung Tau Peninsula are visible on a clear day.
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