Water tours draw flood of visitors

The flood season is being turned to a tourist advantage in Tram Chim National Park in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Dong Thap.

Park officials have started pilot schemes to capitalise on the rising waters when the park actually is at its most beautiful.

The activities include such things as fishing, harvesting wild rice, visiting the breeding grounds of birds and sailing through the natural landscapes.

Director of the park, Nguyen Van Hung, said that scheme should make park activities much more sustainable.

Visitors can not only gain an insight into the daily life of fishermen, but learn how the floods rejuvenate the delta region.

The enlightened tourism is also intended at consolidating the park’s reputation as a wetland of international importance (Ramsar site), thus attracting more support from global organisations.

Dong Thap Province has approved a park budget of more than VND14 billion (US$666,700) for eco-tourism and environmental services for the next seven years.

At present, Tram Chim Park is offering tours by water through 3,000ha of indigo forests, another area of primaeval forest – and nearly 1,000ha of wild rice.

The bird sanctuary attracts thousands of water birds, such as little cormorants, lesser whistling ducks, herons and wild ducks, as well as tens of thousands of white storks.

Tourists are now realising that Tram Chim is most beautiful when water inundates the whole area, turning it into an oasis surrounded by floating yellow flowers of Sesbania Sesban, purple water lilies, pink lotuses and the vivid green of the indigo forest.

Source: VNS