tram chim national park

The Tram Chim National Park in Viet Nam's Mekong Delta region is a special protected area which contains a very large tract of intact wetlands and riparian forests that is very important for wildlife (both aquatic & terrestrial). The Park is accessed via comfortable motor boats (with shade/rain canopies) which travel along the canal systems; en route, we recorded numerous species of wading birds, waterfowl, and terrestrial avian fauna as well, and the waters literally swarmed with thousands of fish too :)One of the highlights of our visit was the mid-trip/mid-day stop at the small village in the Park's center -- we enjoyed the expansive views from the very tall observation platform (enabling us to see that the Park was really an "island" of protected habitat, surrounded by heavily development), toured the small thatched huts, and ate a special lunch of yummy Vietnamese dishes prepared from locally-acquired ingredients... followed by a rest in hammocks, before taking the boat back to the Park Visitor Center. Really a marvelous experience -- especially so because so much of the rest of the Delta has been very much affected by agriculture, residences, fish farms, etc, which makes Tram Chim an especially critical, large-sized block of wetland and forest refuge that is relatively intact ,and thus vital to this ecosystem as well. Your entry fee also goes towards supporting the staff of naturalists/park workers, and preserving this special place too -- enjoy!

If you are not a bird lover, then I wouldn't recommend visiting here. It is quite out of the way, and the journey on the boat in the wetlands does take quite a while, 45 minutes each way.

Tram Chim national park is a pretty wetland area and is best visited between December and May - there were very few birds when we went there, however it was still a nice trip. We paid 500,000VND for 2 (just under US$25) for a 2 hour cruise through the wetlands. We had the boat all to ourselves - it was one of the older timber flat bottomed boats, towed by smaller boat and could seat 12 pax. Had we chose to, we could have gone in one of the more modern powered boats with 10 other pax for the same price.As we arrived we stopped for a meal in a cute little thatched roof restaurant on the water - the food was ngon (delicious) but we ordered too much. The owner was a lovely woman who said we could come back after the tour and finish our meal at no extra cost - she would re-heat it for us. As it turned out it poured with rain just as we finished the tour and we just wanted to get back to the hotel.I think if you went when the birds were in season (December to May) it would be a great trip. Tram Chim is about 4-5 hours from Ho Chi Minh City by Motor Bike and there is some beautiful scenery for the last hour or so as you come into Tram Chim National Park.

Went here just before CNY with family. The park is a short drive from Hong Ngu where we were based, there are a number of OK hotels in this town and the place is lively enough although early visited by Westerners. The park has a wel set out base from which the various trips depart, toilet f ,acilities are basic so steel yourself. Boats seat up to 10 and life jackets are provided. We saw a really wide variety of birds but sadly not the Sarus cranes we had hoped for, apparently we were a month early. Nonetheless it was a really enjoyable trip. I would have styed longer than the 3 hours we had booked , there are 8 options with differing prices. Will go back again next trip to Vietnam well worth the effort to visit a really special site of world status (RAMSAR)

the first i say that it requires a considerable commitment : time,money. so,it's really for bird enthusiasts only . from centre of cao Lanh,it takes around 40km to come the sanctuary(motorbike cost 200,000 vnd for go and return) ,. you have to rent a motoboat at here to explore the forest and belong to your route choice, the boat cost varies different 700,000 vnd to 1.000.000 vnd .the best time to visit the Tram Chim National Park is on the flood season(october to february)to see these birds lay eggs or feed their babies. there are 05 rooms to overnight at here (200.000 vnd to 250.000 vnd)..if you are really love the birds life, i recomment to visit Bang Lang Bird Sanctuary which must be better everything and more birds to see in Thot Not,Can Tho city