(VOVworld) – Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve covers more than 3,000 hectares in Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province. This is a beautiful site that holds two national records for having the most Delacour's langurs and for being the largest unspoiled landscape in Vietnam. Van Long Nature Reserve is a popular eco-tourism destination.

Van Long is the largest wetland nature reserve in northern Vietnam. On small bamboo boats, tourists travel through high reeds along small streams at the foot of the mountains to admire the reserve’s magnificent landscape. Van Long is the most beautiful in the summer when the lotus flowers blossom. Under the water, algae and other aquatic plants sway along with the rhythm of the oars.

Van Long is nicknamed “a bay without waves" because the water is as calm as a giant mirror reflecting mountains and clouds. The reserve has a thousand caves, each with its own legend. Do Thi Theu is a boat rower:“From here, one can clearly see rough lines on the cliff from the top to the foot of the mountain which look like marks left by the claws of a cat. This cliff is listed in the book of Vietnam Records as "the largest stone mass”.

Cua Chua mountain in Van Long is a place where explorers and researchers have discovered centuries-old drawings. Tran Xuan Quang is Head of the Reserve Management Committee: “On the cliff of Mount Cua Chua, scientists have discovered drawings. Normally, they are not very clear, but when you pour water on them, you see drawings of men and women and ideograms. It is a puzzle archaeologists are trying to figure out”.

Nature lovers will not be disappointed by Van Long. The fauna and flora in Van Long typify the ecosystems of limestone mountains and Red River Delta wetlands. The park has 39 fauna species and 722 flora species, many of which are listed in the Red Book of endangered species. A hundred bird species live there. At dusk flocks of birds head towards marshes and rice fields in search of food. But the real star of Van Long is the Delacour’s langur, one of the most endangered primates in the world. There are 40 Delacour’s langurs in Van Long. Tran Xuan Quang again: "Van Long has biggest population of the Delacour’s langurs in Vietnam. You can see them on the mountains with your naked eye. Even while sitting on the boat, you can see them. The largest group of Delacour’s langurs lives on Hoang Quyen mountain. In the early morning and in the afternoon, you can see monkeys eating or playing”.

The Dutch government, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Cuc Phuong Rescue Center for Rare and Precious Primates are involved in preserving the endangered animal species in Van Long. Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve receives a large number of foreign every year, most of them from Europe or South Korea. Between May and September is the best season to explore the reserve.

Le Phuong