Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve - Green lung of the Mekong Delta

Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve (in Phuong Binh commune, Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province (old), now in Phuong Binh commune, Can Tho city) has an area of about 2,800 hectares, considered the precious "green lung" of the Mekong Delta.

Lung Ngoc Hoang is characterized by its rare pristine and quiet nature. It is home to hundreds of species of flora and fauna, including many rare waterfowl, amphibians and reptiles. Some freshwater fish species that are rarely seen in the wild are still present in this area.

This place preserves more than 330 species of plants and 206 species of animals; some of which are listed in the Red Book of Vietnam and the world .

This is a typical wetland of the West Hau River region, a place to preserve typical and unique natural habitats, biodiversity, habitat of indigenous species, endemic and rare flora and fauna.

The group of higher plants has 286 genera, 104 families belonging to 3 plant phyla: ferns, pines, magnolias. Besides, animals are also very diverse such as: land animals (59 species), insects (100 species), mollusks (13 species), fish group (75 species), birds group (72 species)

Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve with its wild beauty. (Photo: Duy Khuong/VNA)

Among them, there are rare bird species such as silver-cheeked ibis, cuckoo, snail-crested stork, sen-giang-sen, gray-crested stork... and animals such as dog bats, otters, martens, foxes... and other rare species such as mangrove claws, horseshoe crabs, golden turtles, and worm frogs.

In addition, there are also cajuput forests, swamps and a diverse river system. Thanks to that, the area not only has ecological value but also contributes to climate regulation, limiting the impact of climate change.

Lung Ngoc Hoang has distinct ecological zones: Strictly Protected Area is the core area of Lung Ngoc Hoang, the landscape is still wild, rich in biodiversity, where the genetic resources of endemic plants and wild animals are preserved according to natural succession, minimizing human impact; Lung Ba Dia, Lung Sen, habitats and nesting places of wild birds, forest animals, aquatic animals, and native aquatic products.

The Ecological Restoration Area is for experimenting and restoring the swamp ecosystem with species of trees such as Gáo, Trâm, Cóng, Ô Môi, Dùng Đỉnh... and has collected many precious and rare medicinal plants (traditional Vietnamese medicine); in particular, there still exists 0.4 ha of 40-year-old Melaleuca forest with unique natural landscape, recording traces of activities of many rare pythons and an interesting space with hundreds of honeybee nests scattered in the Melaleuca forest.

Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve Ecotourism Area includes key tourism products such as eco-resort tourism; sightseeing, experience and exploration of wetland nature; weekend picnic tourism.

In order to preserve and promote the value of Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve, the project to develop ecotourism in Lung Ngoc Hoang was approved by the People's Committee of Hau Giang province (old) in 2021 and was adjusted and supplemented in early 2025, with the goal of building this place into a destination that is both educational and scientific research, and creates opportunities for visitors to experience.

After that, the province issued a plan to implement the Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve Ecotourism project with a total investment of more than 526 billion VND.

The plan sets out the progress of selecting investors from March 2025 to April 2026, with key tasks such as preparing dossiers to convert forest types to send to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment; developing technical dossiers to select organizations and individuals to rent forest environments; issuing certificates of registration for investment in renting forest environments; preparing feasibility study reports for eco-tourism, resort and entertainment projects.

The locality also strengthens the tourism investment consultancy function to support businesses and investors in implementing simple, quick and effective processes and procedures; at the same time, it builds policies to attract investment resources for tourism development, considers supporting a part of counterpart capital for investors and supporting investment capital for tourism infrastructure./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/khu-bao-ton-thien-nhien-lung-ngoc-hoang-la-phoi-xanh-cua-dbscl-post1062832.vnp