Amid crowded Tet attractions, the Mua Xuan Tourist Area in Tan Phuoc Hung Commune, Can Tho City, offers a quieter, nature-focused alternative, with visitors travelling by vo lai boat through vast melaleuca forests to observe wildlife and experience the wetlands up close.
Spanning about 130 hectares, Mua Xuan Tourist Area features vast melaleuca forests, interlacing canals and diverse fish and birdlife. The four-kilometre vo lai route through Lung Beo takes 30 minutes to an hour.
During their exploration, visitors can easily spot species such as purple swamphens and hornets residing in the melaleuca forest.
Nguyen Van Tam, 54, said more than 200 animal species were recorded at the site last year, including a designated bird breeding area. “They leave at dawn and return around 4pm or 5pm, filling the sky. Visitors should come before 8am or at dusk to see the most birds,” he added.
The Spring Tourist Area is home to around 50 bird species, including rare darters, painted storks, Asian openbills and lesser adjutants, with nesting sites easily identified by treetops and trunks turned white from bird droppings.
A group of French tourists visiting Vietnam for the first time chose the Mua Xuan Tourist Area as their first stop.
Phan Van Dem, director of Southern Tourism Investment JSC, said the site is developed without altering its natural landscape, with wildlife protected through ranger patrols, monitoring systems and dry-season fire prevention.
