Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City

Area: 2,098.7 sq. km
Population: 7,123,340 habitants 2009)
Administrative divisions:
- Districts: District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4, District 5, District 6, District 7, District 8, District 9, District 10, District 11, District 12, Tan Binh, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Thu Duc, Go Vap, Binh Tan,Tan Phu.
- Rural districts: Nha Be, Can Gio, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Binh Chanh.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Hoa, Khmer, Cham, etc.

Location:

Situated in the core of the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is the second most important in Vietnam after Hanoi. It is not only a commercial center but also a scientific, technological, industrial and tourist center. The city is bathed by many rivers, arroyos and canals, the biggest river being the Saigon River. The Port of Saigon, established in 1862, is accessible to ships weighing up to 30,000 tons, a rare advantage for an inland river port.

Climate:

The climate is generally hot and humid. There are two distinctive seasons: the rainy season, from May to November, and the dry season, from December to April. The annual average temperature is 27ºC. The hottest month is April and the lowest is December. It is warm all year./ Many centuries ago, Saigon was already a busy commercial center. Merchants from China, Japan and many European countries would sail upstream the Saigon River to reach the islet of Pho, a trading center. In the year of 1874, Cho Lon merged with Saigon, forming the largest city in the Indochina. It had been many times

celebrated as the Pearl of the Far East. After the reunification of the country, the 6th National Assembly in its meeting of the 2nd of July, 1976, has officially rebaptized Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City. The history of city relates closely with the struggle for the independence and freedom of Vietnam.

Tourism:

Today, Ho Chi Minh City is the big tourism center in Vietnam, attracting a large of visitors to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City has various attractions as Ho Chi Minh Museum, formerly known as Dragon House Wharf, Cu Chi Tunnels, system of museums, theatres, cultural houses, etc. Recently, many tourist areas are invested such as Thanh Da, Binh Quoi Village, Dam Sen Park, Saigon Water Park, Suoi Tien, Ky Hoa, which draw numerous tourists. Despite its quite recent past, Ho Chi Minh City nevertheless possesses various beautiful buildings, displaying a characteristic combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and European cultures. These include Nha Rong (Dragon House Wharf), Quoc To Temple (National Ancestors Temple), Xa Tay (Municipal Office), Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theatre as well as many pagodas and churches (Vinh Nghiem, Giac Vien, Giac Lam, Phung Son pagodas, etc). After more than 300 years of development, Ho Chi Minh City presents many ancient architectural constructions, famous vestiges and renowned sights. It is remarkable for its harmonious blending of traditional national values with northern and western cultural features.

Transportation:

Ho Chi Minh City is the main junction for trains, roads, water, and air transportation systems for domestic trips and for foreign destination.

- Roads: Ho Chi Minh City is 1,730km from Hanoi, 99km from Tay Ninh, 30km from Bien Hoa (Dong Nai), 70km from My Tho, 125km from Vung Tau, 168km from Can Tho, 308km from Dalat, and 375km from Buon Ma Thuot. The City has National Highway 13 which connects Vietnam with the rest of Indochina.
- Train: Thong Nhat express train connects Ho
Chi Minh City and Hanoi, vie many provinces in Vietnam.
- Airlines: Tan Son Nhat International Airport, 7km from center of city, is the biggest airport with many domestic and international routes. There are flights from Hanoi and Danang to Ho Chi Minh City and between the City to many regions as well a lot of countries on over the world.

Source:Vietnam Travel

Hanoi Capital

Hanoi Capital

As the capital turning 1000 in 2010, Hanoi has within it the finest touch ofwhat a Vietnamese cultural tradition of over a thousand years has to offer. Thecity hosts more cultural sites than any other cities in Vietnam, including over600 pagodas and temples. Even though some relics have not survived afterwartime, the city still has many interesting cultural and historic monuments for visitors and residents alike.

As a city between the rivers, built from lowland, Hanoi has many scenic lakes and sometimes is called "city of lakes". Among its lakes, the most famous are Ho Guom (Sword Lake), Ho Tay (West Lake), Ho Thien Quang (Halais Lake), Truc Bach Lake, and Bay Mau Lake. Hanoi has famous traditional professional handicraft villages such as Bat Trang pottery village, Ngu Xa bronze casting village, Yen Thai glossy silk... Among Hanoi’s sightseeing highlights are the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum; the National Art Museum; the grisly Hoa Lo Prison (also known as the infamous Hanoi Hilton); central Hoan Kiem Lake, where Hanoians enjoy brisk morning walks or tai chi in a tranquil city landmark that symbolizes the city’s mythical origins; and the Old Quarter, whose narrow winding streets are named after the individual trades practiced here since the
15th century. Hanoi is Vietnam’s cultural center, and the galleries, puppetry,
music, and dance performances are worth staying at least a few days to take
in.

Hoan Kiem Lake ( Lake of Restored Sword )
Hoan Kiem Lake ( Lake of Restored Sword ) is a famous landmark in Hanoi and a centre of the city. There is an interesting legend behind this lake. Apparently in the 15th century, Emperor Le Thai To of Vietnam was supposedly handed a magic sword by a divine tortoise living in the lake, thus helping him to repel invaders from China . After the country has been
liberated, the tortoise snatched back the sword from the emperor and thus the lake is named " Lake of Restored Sword ". This lake was once part of the nearby Red Riber (Song Hung) and a swamp, until the French drained the land in the 19th century thus forming this lake. There are several species of tortoise living in this lake, and you will sometimes see them on the water surface. The area surrounding the lake is very beautiful with flowers, trees, benches, paths etc where both locals and tourist relax. Please see part 2 of this tip

Hoan Kiem Lake is at the centre of Hanoi and a focus point of the city. The lake isnt too large and doesnt take too long to walk around. The lake is central to the locals as well as the tourists in Hanoi . If you visit early in the morning while it is still cool you will be able to watch the locals do Tai Chi. Badminton courts are painted onto the ground all around the lake and sometimes you will see the locals playing this too. The lake is a great place to meet people and see local life. It can be busy at times but this is due to the fact that the locals love and use this lake as much as the tourists. There are loads of shops and coffee bars around and its great to spend the afternoon people watching.

Van Mieu (The Temple of Literature)

The Temple of Literature is Vietnam s historical
seat of learning and is the most sacred place for the disciples of Confucius. It is one of the few remaining buildings from the original city founded by Emperor Ly Thanth Tong in the 11th century and is a well-preserved example of Vietnamese
architecture. It became the site of the countrys first university in 1076.

In the temple there are number of courtyards which separated by wall and gates. In the courtyards you will see pond covered with lilies, bonzai trees. The complex is quite large. The temple is surrounded by picturesque garden,
manicured lawn and large trees which provide shades. The middle footpath with low hedges in both sides will guide you to the different part of the temple. In either side of the temple there are large tortoises engrave with list of people
who graduated with their names, dates and places of birth who achieved doctorates. The Temple of Literature with Chinese architecture is well kept considering it was built in the in the 11th century. After the hustle, bustle and the chaotic of Hanoi traffic, it was quite relieved to visit one of the tourist attractions as it was nice, quite and relaxing.

Chua mot cot (One Pillar Pagoda)
The One Pillar Pagoda (Chua Mot Cot) is a small and famous Pagoda of Vietnam located at a premise near to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ho Chi Minh Museum. The One Pillar Pagoda has become the symbol of Vietnamese rich culture and history. The pagoda was built in the reign of king Ly Thai Tong (1028-1054). Legend has it that in his dream, in 1049, the King saw a vision of Kwan Yin. She led him to a shrine in the middle of a lotus pond. When he woke up, he consulted with his court and decided to
replicate the shrine in his dream to dedicate it to Kwan Yin. The One-Pillar Pagoda, built of wood on a single stone, is designed to resemble a lotus blossom, a symbol of purity, rising out of a sea of sorrow. Today, many tourists
visit the pagoda to worship and ask the Goddess for blessings.

Source: ODC Travel

Hoang Lien National Park

Genneral Introduction
Phan Xi Pang, Fansipan or Phan Si Phang is a granite pole cutting out of Hoang Lien Son mountain range, it is the highest mountain of Viet Nam and the three Indochinese countries with the height of about 3.143metters, it also called “The roof of Indochinese”. Fansipan is 9km far from Sa Pa town belong to the northern west of Viet Nam. According to the local language, the mountain here named “Hua Xi Pan”, it means that “the huge tottery stone”. The fog covers full year and Fansipan is impressive and romantic place to welcome the tourists to come and discover.

Bio-diversity
To be the typical place of bio-diversity, the flora here is plentiful with more than 2000 species belonging to 771 branches of 200 groups; there are sixteen species written in the world red book. There are some of species belonging to the rare groups and typical for the region such as: Po mu, Thong lun, Hoang Lien, Tam that (type of bulbous aralia), Do Trong...etc. Most of them relating to the flora groups that were named by Sa Pa or Fansipan, it is the endemic species of the north of Hoang Lien range such as: The species relating to orchidaceae is Habenaria chapaensis, Tainia chapaensis…The Ericaceae is Rhododendron chapaensis… The Pinaceae is Abies Fan Si Panensis…Up to now, by the method of statistic there are 447 kinds of animal in which having 74 beasts, 253 kinds of birth, reptile, 120 kinds of amphibian that were the first recorded in Viet Nam. The nature here is so temperate, there are hundred kinds of flower blooming in the four seasons; it is a reservatory place of biosphere and also is the source of bio-diversity conservation with the high value in Viet Nam.

Geology, Geomorphology
Fan Xi Pang belonging to Hoang Lien Son mountain range that located in the Hoang Lien National Park, it was formed in the period of Tan Tien belonging to Ky Phan Trang – Dai Trung Sinh 100milion years ago. Due to the age of geology is low, so the Hoang Lien Son including Fansipan that were considered to be the young mountain range, the top of the mountain is sharp because of destroying by natural procession. The mother stone in the region having two main groups: Macma acid and degenerate stone with the major kinds such as: Granit, Gina And Limestone… There is a huge division in the region between the top and valley. There are many widen valleys with rich soil in the regions naming: Ta Van, Lao Chai, Ban Ho and Than Thuoc committee. It is the visiting place for tourists and discovers the local culture.

Historial and Cultural value

Fansipan located in the Hoang Lien National Park, it also is the homeland of ethnic minority communities such as: The Mong, the Dao, the Giay and the Tay with the local original activities that were preserved such as: Gau Tao festival of the Mong; Dancing ritual of the Dao; the ritual praying for good crops of the Giay: “Long Cong” ritual of the Tay with traditional cultural beuty that was conservated up to now. Especially, the ladder field of the Mong forming around the mountain, green forest areas and villages are the source of inspiration for cameraman, photographers and tourists when coming to Sa Pa and Fansipan. The Sa Pa ancient stone field was discovered in 1925 locating Muong Hoa valley belong to Hoang Lien Son mountain range with 200 different kind of typical carving stones that have not been decoded yet, so it more and more create the attractiveness of Hoang Lien Son and Fansipan mountain range attracting the tourists to come and enjoy.

Other Informations:

Tour Activity:Mountain Climbing and Trekking
Best Time to Visit: 01-Jul to 31-Aug
Getting There:By car (10 hours) from Hanoi to Lao Cai town, from where Sa Pa is one hour by road.
Nearest Town: Sa Pa
Nearest Airport:Dien Bien Phu
Nearest Railway Station:Lao Cai

Climate & Weather conditions:
Temp: 1 c to 29 c
Rainfall: 2,763 cm
Highest Altitude: 3,143 m
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Xuan Son National Park

Have you been to Xuan Son National Park in Thanh Son District, Phu Tho province? If not yet, you are strongly recommended to take a chance to visit primitive forests of the National Park.

Possessing a diversified floristic composition with hundreds of plant and tree species, a range of wild rare animals and natural beautiful waterfalls and caves, Xuan Son National Park is an ideal destination of Vietnamese and foreign visitors.

Topography and hydrology
Xuan Son National Park is located at the extreme south-eastern extent of the Hoang Lien Mountains, in the watershed of the Red River. Elevations at Xuan Son are lower than elsewhere in the Hoang Lien mountains: the nearest point above 2,000 m is 40 km to the north-west. Limestone karst covers 1,661 ha, equivalent to 30% of the area of the national park. The limestone karst contains a large number of caves, some of which contain river systems.

Biodiversity values
The natural vegetation types at Xuan Son are lowland and lower montane evergreen forest, as well as lowland and lower montane limestone forest. To date, 314 vascular plant species, 48 mammal species, 121 bird species, 13 reptile species and 14 amphibian species have been recorded at Xuan Son National Park. The investment plan reported the occurrence of one group of Black-cheeked Crested Gibbon

Hylobates concolor with three or four individuals, and one group of Phayre's Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus phayrei with 15 to 18 individuals. However, the current status of these species at the site is not known, and it is possible that both are locally extinct. In addition, the extensive cave systems at Xuan Son are reported to support a high diversity of bat species.

The flora of the Xuan Son National Park is very rich and diverse, including 180 families, 680 genera and 1,217 species of 6 vascular plant phyla. The taxon distributions of these taxa are different. The Magnoliophyta phylum has 151 families (83.88%), 633 genera (93.08%) and 1,130 species (92.85%); the Polypodiophyta has 22 families (12.22%), 38 genera (5.58%) and 74 species (6.08%); the Pinophyta has 3 families, 4 genera and 5 species; the Lycopodiophyta has 2 families, 3 genera and 6 species; the smallest taxa are Equisetophyta and Psilotophyta with 1 family, 1 genus and 1 species each. The Euphorbiaceae is the most diverse family (60 species), followed by Rubiaceae (49 species), Fabaceae, MoraceaeThere are 26 genera with more than 5 species, made up 4% compared to the total genera of the flora but with 186 species (15.28% the total species of the flora); these genera are Ficus (24 species), Ardisia (13 species), Piper and Polygonum, each with 9 species; Diospyros, Elaeocarpus, Hedyotis. Psychotria and Dendrobium, each with 7 species; Begonia, Bauhinia, Desmodium, Maesa, Helicia, Solanum, Callicarpa, Clerodenrun, Carex, Cyperus and Dioscorea, each with 6 species and lastly Tectaria, Pteris, Schefflera, Garcinia, Rhododendron and Syzygium, each with 5 species. There are 40 endangered species (representing 3,4% of the total species of the flora of the Xuanson national park) listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam (2004), that need to be given priority for conservation and protection.

Useful plant resources comprise medicinal plants (665 species); timber plants (202 species); vegetables and edible fruits (132 species); ornamental plants (90 species); aromatic plants (26 species); bamboo, rattan, fern, jute (9 species); forages (12 species); oleiferous plants (9 species) and poisonous plants (8 species).

Conservation aspect
The main threats to biodiversity are shifting cultivation and forest fire. These would appear to be bigger threats in non-limestone areas, where hillsides are suitable for cultivation. Communities inside the national park, which live in limestone areas, cultivate wet rice on flat valley bottoms. However, the limestone hillsides close to these communities are still covered with primary forest. One conservation issue at Xuan Son is that the national park is, perhaps, too small to support viable populations of several mammal and bird species in the long-term.

Preventing negative impacts on forests, protecting biodiversity and developing sources of precious genes of rare flora for high economic value. Raising public awareness and improving forest-based incomes for the locals for sustainable forest and environmental protection and management, as well. Those are two most important tasks in Xuan Son National Park.

A wide belt of land with difficult geographic characteristics and a high potential is waiting for exploitation. Xuan Son National Park needs creative, high qualified and enthusiasm staffs to make the region more and more beautiful and wealthy.

Tam Dao National Park

Situated on the northern fringe of the Red River Delta, Tam Dao National Park forms a unique ecological island, combining dense tropical rainforests with species from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, the temperate forests of southern China and the alpine forests of the eastern Himalayas.

Rising steeply from densely populated lowlands to a peak of 1529m above sea‑level, the forests support a large variety of ecosystems and micro‑habitats of high biodiversity, varying with altitude, aspect and the degree of human disturbance. In its original state, Tam Dao had one of the highest levels of species richness of any tropical forest with about 1,300 plant and 1,200 animal species, many of which are rare to Tam Dao or northern Vietnam. Therefore, located only about 70km northwest of Hanoi, rather close to the urban area, Tam Dao National Park is one of the last natural areas which has not been transformed into agricultural land.

Natural condition

Tam Dao National Park is based in the Tam Dao range, which is one of the terminal spurs of a larger mountainous area. It runs 80 km from north west to south east, and has more than 20 peaks with altitudes of over 1000m. The highest summit is Tam Dao North with an altitude of 1592 m. Three other peaks with beautiful scenery are Thien Thi at 1375 m, Thach Ban at 1388 m and Phu Nghia at 1300 m. Sharp peaks with sloping sides and numerous, deep partitions are characteristic of the topology.
The boundary of the national park is located at an altitude of 100 m around the Tam Dao range. There is a larger buffer zone (which has area of approximately 535 km2) which surrounds the national park which has an altitude below 100 m. Seventy per cent of the area of the park is covered by natural and artificial forest. The natural forest is about 220 km2 and the human altered forest is about 30 km2.
Due to the tall mountainous range that splits the area into two parts, the national park's climatic condition is divided into two areas with different rainfalls. This difference and some other factors such as the effect of human activity divide the park into some smaller climatic zones which increase the bio-diversity in the park.

Flora
Tam Dao National Park is covered by a rich flora consisting of 490 species the high classes belonging to 344 genera and 130 families. Forests abound with rare and valuable flora such as: "Sam bong' "Po mu" fokienia hodginsii) "kim giao" (polocarpus fleuryi) 'Lat hoa' (chukrasia tabularis) "Lim xanh" (Erythrophlocum fordii) "Do quyen" (Rhoclodentron simmi) "Sen mat" (Madhuca pasquieri) "Thong tre" (Podocarpus nerlifolius) (all are valuable wood).
Out of over 2000 plant species, 904 species are considered useful to humans. They have been classified into eight groups. There are 42 species endemic to Tam Dao National Park and also 64 other species considered rare including Dendrobium daoensis, Camellia longicaudata, Camellia petelotii, Asarum petelotii, Molas tamdaoensis, and Paris delavayi.

Fauna

The National Park is the habitat of diversified fauna, with 281 species 80 families and 26 orders, belonging to 4 main classes: animals birds reptiles and amphibious ones including many rare and valuable species which are high commercial value and at the same time of important scientific research significance: white-cheeked black monkey, snake-headed fish, silver pheasant, wood grouses, etc...
Eleven of these species are endemic to Tam Dao National Park including the snake species Amphiesma angeli and Boiga multitempolaris, the amphibian Paramerotriton deloustali and eight species of insects; 22 species are endemic to North Vietnam including nine bird species, four reptiles, three amphibians and six species of insect; six are endemic to Vietnam (five bird species and one species of amphibian).

Moreover, visiting the park, you have a chance to view Tam Dao Town which was established at the beginning of the 20th century. The town is nestled in a valley covering only 3 km2. There now remain some villas and palaces built by French colonists. It has Thac Bac (The Silver Fall), Rung Rinh Peak and Tam Dao 2, a remnant of another resort built many years ago. Another tourist location is Tay Thien site. It includes Tay Thien Quoc Mau Temple (literally The "Temple of East Heaven National Mother") and many pagodas. Along with Thien Vien Truc Lam (literally: "Dhyana Palace in Bamboo Forest") in Da Lat and Yen Tu, Thien Vien Truc Lam Tay Thien is a center of Vietnamese Buddhism.

Tam Dao National Park is really a promising area, a center for forest ecological research on rare and valuable flora and fauna. The park is ready to welcome domestic and international visitors.

Ba Vi National Park

Ba Vi National Park, located in the Ba Vi mountain range (known as Vietnam’s “mountain king”) is more and more absorptive to a huge number of travelers

Ba Vi National Park is centered on Mount Ba Vi - an isolated soil-limestone mountain situated about 50 km west from Hanoi. The mountain located in Ha Tay Province and shared the border with 2 districts of Hoa Binh Province. Mount Ba Vi has three peaks: the highest is Emperor Peak at 1,296m, followed by Tan Vien at 1,226m and Ngoc Hoa at 1,120m.

The hidden myth. In Vietnamese mythology, Tan Vien Mountain associated with Son Tinh, the mountain God. Son Tinh- one of four Immortal Deity - is the Saint who founded the Vietnamese culture; the hero struggled against the foreign invaders and disaster. Accordingly, this national park is luring tourists for not only the natural beauty, but also its legendary fairy tale, which helped make up its cultural attraction.

Let’s join a trip to this park. Traveling another 16km from the National High way, you will come to Hai stream to take some boats around before stopping on islet to see medical plants and birds nest.
Then, going east Ba Vi Mountains, you can visit Ao Vua fall. Looking from above, the fall makes a three-story cascade, the last flows into a small lake with emerald-green water.
Now, are you ready for climbing to strongly relax your mind and body and forget all the troubles? Looking from the foot, the mountain rises steeply out of a plain that rarely exceeds 30m in elevation? On the way up the hill, visitors stop for a while to contemplate the surrounding lyrical and inspirational landscape. Off in the distance, shadows of mountains disappear into the clouds, streams wound their way through the valleys and paddy fields spread out toward the horizon. The mountainous topography makes the climate at Ba Vi vary with altitude. Above 500 m, fog enshrouds the top of the mountain almost everyday. The higher you reach, the more romantic of a vista you can feel as the mist gets clear to reveal sunshine within a few minutes.
Back at the foot of the mountain, now the time for exploring what Ba Vi National Park is proud of, that is the diversified fauna and flora. With the area of more than 12,023 ha, the park is home for more than 800 rare and exotic plants, 280 of which have medicinal applications. It also boasts 44 species of mammal, 15 species of reptile, 9 species of amphibian and more than 100 bird species. This roughly explains why Ba Vi National Park is called “Capital Hanoi’s lung” by most Hanoians.

Tourism potential
The natural beauty and special geographic and climate features converge into the park’s eco system, making it one of the four mountainous ecological tourism centers besides Da Lat, Sapa, and Tam Dao. Staying here, tourists can explore the site via a number of activities, such as trekking, bird watching… One ever said that containing such a fascinating complex of numerous lakes, (both natural and artificial) plays an important role in forming various famous relaxing tourism spots in Ba Vi like Khoang Xanh, Suoi Mo and Thac Da.
Apart from natural beauty, Ba Vi is also said to be the home for hundreds of relics dating back a century or more to the French colonial era with a former military training range and a church between 600m and 800m above sea level. Hence, these days, tourists flock to the site not only for dipping themselves into a fresh and green ecological area, but its historical & cultural side also.
With a relatively favorable climate, good infrastructure and close proximity to Hanoi, Ba Vi is considered as one of four famous ecological destinations beside Da Lat, Sa Pa and Tam Dao. It promises to bring you unforgettable experiences with friends and family!
If you’ve never been to the park, from Ha noi, you can reach the town of Son Tay (42 km) by following national Highway32 or by High speed highway Lang-Hoa Lac. Have an interesting trip!

Cat Ba National Park - The World Biosphere Reserve

Geographically, Cat Ba National Park is located in Cat Hai district, Hai Phong city. Belonging to Cat Ba island, the national park incorporates some of the small islands and marine water and covers 26,300ha, in which 17,300ha is on the main island and 9,000ha is of the adjacent inshore waters.

A pleasant feeling from physical features…

The landscape of Cat Ba National Park is dominated by karst limestone areas on the main island where there are numerous waterfalls, caves and grottoes. The rugged topography is marked by steep outcrops and bare rock areas with many seasonal streams such as Thung Luong, Treo Com, Hoi Trung Trang and Viet Hai.
Most of the rain water flows into caves and grottoes and follows underground streams to the sea. There are several small lakes and ponds in the hills; the largest is Ech Lake- a permanent water body with an area of 3ha and a depth of about 50m. Ninety percent of the main island is between 50m and 200m above sea level, for example Cao Vong (331m) and Hien Hoa (302m), while only 10% of the island is below 50m in elevation.

…to climate

Featured by tropical monsoon with pronounced wet and dry seasons, the park receives the annual rainfall from 1,700mm to 1,800mm. The annual temperature at sea level is 25oC to 28oC associated with the moderate annual relative humidity is 85%. The ideal time is April and October as you may encounter the rain, even typhoons and tropical storms if you come to the park from May to September as well as some drizzle during January, February and March.

Biodiversity values -vietnam travel
Due to the abundance of suitable moist niches within the limestone forest, Cat Ba National Park has a rich and plentiful snail fauna. It supports a diversity of natural habitats, including forested hills, small freshwater lakes, freshwater swamp forest, mangroves, sandy beaches and coral reefs. In detailed, among 839 vascular plant species have been recorded at the national park, there are 25 species listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam.
Due to the isolated nature of the island and high levels of hunting, the diversity and abundance of mammals in Cat Ba are low in comparison with other national parks in Vietnam. Among the fauna of the park, the most popular are ungulate and primate, in which monkey is between 104 and 135 individuals, including only 50 to 75 adults. Also, the limestone habitat at Cat Ba National Park is an idea environment for a number of invertebrate species.

Satisfy your knowledge with human history clues.
Not only those typical characteristics, Cat Ba National park has been considered as a cradle of culture with many traces of ancient humans. Stone tools and bones found at the sites indicate that primitive man was living in the caves and grottoes on the island between 6,000 and 7,000 years ago. The example is Cai Beo Cave which is about 1.5km south-east of Cat Ba Town, has been studied intensively.

What about conservation management?
Come to the park and take actions with the local government in conservation matters! Do you know that the forests on the island are particularly valued for maintaining the water regime as well as containing important genetic resources and support ing the food chain of economically important aquatic animals such as fish, shrimp, bivalves and arthropods? That the reason why, local government as well as local people have tried their best to appeal the awareness and help from people come here to protect this vulnerable chain for further biodiversity development. Not only stop at a certain matter, as regard the whole national park, the main purpose are to preserve natural ecosystems and genetic resources, restore the native flora and fauna through replanting, re-introduction and habitat improvement as well as promote outdoor recreation and environmental education for the general public in collaboration with the tourist industry.

Amazing, exciting, surprising…
Each year, Cat Ba Island receives large numbers of domestic and overseas tourists. A significant proportion of these tourists visit the national park, either on foot, along one of the hiking trails, or by boat through the marine component. The national park can, therefore, be considered to be making an important contribution to the island's economy.
Cat Bat is a great place for hiking and outdoor activities. However, if you are not an experienced hiker, trails at Cat Ba might be quite a challenge for you to trek. In this situation, a sophisticated tour guide is highly recommended for the purpose of safety. Exploring Cat Ba, you will see one of the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam and the copious ecosystem. Other attractions such as limestone formations, numerous waterfalls, caves and grottoes are waiting for your arrival!
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