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September 22nd, 2006

Tram Chim National Park

Tram Chim National Park,Tam Nong District, Dong Thap Province, Vietnam
Location: Dong Thap, Vietnam
The Park covers Communes of Phu Duc, Phu Hiep, Phu Tho, Tan Cong Sinh in Tam Nong District, Dong Thap Province, about 800m from Tram Chim Small Town.

The Park is in the lowest area of the Mekong River water logged plain submerged and in the centre of Dong Thap Muoi. With a system of swamps, grass-plots and criss-crossing canals, the 7,612 ha Tram Chim National Park has become an ideal habitat of more than 130 species of plants, 100 vertebrates, 40 species of fish, 147 rare and precious species of birds, especially the red-head cranes. Hence, it is also an ideal place for scientists to research into the life of migratory birds.

In 1985 when red-head cranes appeared in Tram Chim National Park, scientists held a workshop in China to find out measures to preserve them and develop Tram Chim National Park in Tam Nong Natural Site into a typical cultural and ecological tourist area in Southeast Asia.

Since then, many international organizations have participated in researching into red-head cranes in Tram Chim, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource (IUCN) and others.

In February 1994, Tram Chim officially became the national nature conserve zone under the Prime Minister’s decision, where the State invested more than VND4bil, the Bhrem Fund of Germany granted US$15,000, and the UK and Danish Embassy donated US$60,000 to the protection of the “Red-head cranes’ house” and the improvement of Tram Chim’s buffer zone.

In 1995, ICF wanted to conduct surveys on the breeding sites of red-head cranes and in March 1998 scientists began putting electronic tracking rings worth US$10,000 on cranes to observe their migration and reproduction. The activity was funded by the Japanese Government with the participation of American, Japanese and Vietnamese scientists. The signals received from red-head cranes provide good information for scientists to research into the red-head cranes’ migration and reproduction.

The Park has a forest of Cajuput and hearth of many kind of birds with specific floristic composition: cajeput, reeds, lotus, water lily, ghost rice, rush …; plentiful fauna: python, turtles, eels, snakes, fresh-water fishes, and water bird as storks, herons, spot-billed ducks, water chicken … especially red-headed, bare-necked cranes coming in dry season each year.

From January to May each year, when sky is clear, visitors will see from the horizon many black spot coming. It is crane flock returning after months of emigrating to evade flood. This is also the season, when tourists come to Tram Chim for seeing, photographing cranes in the dawn and sunset.

Tram Chim - a reduced model of Dong Thap Muoi - with natural history of collective ecology of geomorphology, hydrography and underwater creatures, is an ideal rendezvous place of tourists from all over the world.

Posted in Special Interest, Mekong delta |

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Travelog - A travel guide to Vietnam

September 22nd, 2006

Tram Chim National Park

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