With an area of over 845 hectares, the system of melaleuca trees planted with greenery accounts for more than 80%, which plays an extremely important role for the forest ecosystem. Photo: My Hanh
From the center of Chau Doc city, on a bon bon motorbike on the way to the melaleuca forest 22km away, we sometimes come across green rice fields with jaggery trees growing in the middle of typical fields in An Giang. Less than 45 minutes later, we arrived at our dream location.
Complete the admission ticket purchase procedure and walk across a section of bamboo bridge with a crowded hyacinth growing below. Don't linger too long, because everyone wants to quickly go to the boat dock, where the journey to discover the mysteries of Tra Su begins.
It was not my first time on a boat, but I couldn't help but be excited when the motorized canoe, which the people here call a traffic jam, started. The sound sounded like a siren signaling the mangrove forest visited by distant friends. From the open wharf, the canoe turns into a small canal with many melaleuca trees growing in the water as high as they weave together like a dome to shade visitors.
Photo: Nguyen Bao
After passing through the "melaleuca dome", we were greeted by the sisters wearing Ba Ba costumes and traditional Southern hats and changed to a smaller canoe rowed by hand. Continue deep inside to reach the most beautiful areas of the melaleuca forest, home to more than 70 species of birds and 140 species of plants, not to mention many other fish and animals.
The canoe gently glides through the green carpet that covers the entire surface of the water. The time from July to November is the time when flood waters bring abundant nutrients and food, attracting many species of birds to nest and feed right on the melaleuca trees. Therefore, you will easily see the image of a few storks standing nearby. Or three or four plucking sisters and gongs standing scattered on the water to feed. The canoe drivers introduced the specific names of each bird that appeared in sight, some of which we admired with our eyes for the first time.
The space was quiet on all sides, only the sound of beams stirring the water beat by beat, and the sound of distant birds echoing. At that moment, everyone silently observed the vivid footage as the boat passed by, capturing in sight the simplicity and closeness of the nature typical of the mangrove forest in the western area of the Hau Giang River.
Photo: thamhiemmekong
It is hard to believe that this was once a wild lowland heavily contaminated with alum, and then it was planted experimentally to contribute to soil improvement and prevent watershed flooding. It was not until 2003, realizing the importance of nature and economy of this area, that the government of An Giang province established the Tra Su melaleuca forest landscape protection area and developed it into an eco-tourism area as it is today.
Besides the unique experience by canoe, on the way back, we stopped at the Watchtower - an observation deck with a height high enough for you to expand your eyes and admire the vastness of the ecological area. If you are lucky through the pre-installed telescope, you can see some birds perched behind the trees in the distance. If you want, you can have lunch here with typical Western dishes such as crazy hyena hotpot, grilled snakehead fish, grilled chicken with bamboo leaves, etc. . In particular, the longest "Ten Thousand Steps Bamboo Bridge" in Vietnam completed in 2020 promises to contribute to a more impressive and memorable trip to Tra Su.
Photo: @duonghuynhq
I have always believed that nature is always the most miraculous medicine to heal mental wounds. Hopefully, Tra Su always retains its own wild idyllic feature to not only be a home for all species of animals and plants but also a place to heal and transmit positive energy to nature-loving hearts.
Address: Van Tra hamlet, Van Giao commune, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province.
Pick-up time: 7:00 -18:00 from Monday to Sunday.
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