During the annual flood season, water flows through the area's canals, bringing sediment and creating favourable conditions for fish, shrimp and eels.
For generations, residents around Tram Chim have adapted their livelihoods to the seasonal waters, growing rice and vegetables during drier periods and turning to fishing when water levels rise.
Residents from four communes in the national park's buffer zone have been trained to introduce visitors to traditional fishing practices and share stories about local culture and livelihoods.
Pham Duc Hoa, director of the Tram Chim Tourist Area, said traditional fishing tools and the knowledge associated with them were increasingly unfamiliar to younger generations and urban residents.
Tram Chim, the world's 2,000th Ramsar site, has incorporated these traditions into tourism, with residents demonstrating fishing techniques and the use of traditional gear.
Visitors can learn about a range of traditional fishing gear used during the flood season, including traps, nets, fishing lines and eel traps, as well as the techniques and experience passed down through generations.
At Tram Chim Farmstay, visitors can also try fishing, setting traps, cycling, feeding fish and exploring agricultural life and local culture in the national park's buffer zone.
Flood-season experiences
Visitors can travel by boat through canals and take part in activities associated with local livelihoods, including fishing and setting fish and eel traps under the guidance of residents.
The flood season also brings the flowering of dien dien and the arrival of linh fish, while visitors can observe birds and learn how traditional fishing gear is used.
Nguyen Thi Thuy Trinh, a visitor from HCM City, said the activities helped her learn more about local fishing techniques and gathering wild vegetables for meals.
Phan Chi Nhut, a visitor from Kien Giang, said trying traditional nets and fishing gear under local guidance offered insight into the river-based livelihoods of earlier generations, particularly for young people unfamiliar with such practices.
Hoa said the 'Tram Chim theo con nuoc mua noi' or 'Tram Chim: Following the Floodwaters' programme comprises nine activities linking nature, local communities and seasonal livelihoods.
Residents of the buffer zone lead the activities, tell local stories and guide visitors, providing them with opportunities to earn income from their knowledge and traditional skills.
The programme also gives visitors first-hand experience of traditional fishing practices and a closer look at life in the Mekong Delta during the flood season.
