U Minh Thuong National Park, which embraces the upper half of U Minh Forest in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, will close down from April 15 and only re-open when the risks of forest fire are safely controlled.

Le Hoang Huong, the park director, was quoted as saying yesterday on Thanh Nien newspaper on Saturday. He added that the travel and entertainment services in the core area of the forest will cease operation from the day.

The forest is now under high alarm of fire when the rainy season is to come in around a month.

Fire alarm in some locations of the forest is now at the third and fourth levels. Especially, two areas coded 58 and 59 in the core of the forest are at the fifth warning level of fire, the extremely dangerous level.

The forest is widely considered the richest region in terms of plant and animal life in the Mekong delta, with over 243 species of plant. The park has a rich mammalian population, totaling an impressive 32 species, which includes hairy-nosed otters and fishing cats.

U Minh Thuong National Park, where is around 21,000 hectares wide with the core covering over 8,000 hectares, is a haven for rare and endangered birds. A total of 187 birds have been recorded there. There are also a total of 39 amphibian species and 34 species of fish in the park.

U Minh Ha, which means the lower half of U Minh Forest, belongs to Ca Mau, the neighboring province of Kien Giang.