Vietnamese mangrove swamp has engaging starkness after shedding leaves
Thursday, November 22, 2018, 20:45 GMT+7
A famous mangrove swamp in central Vietnam has shed its leaves since early November and now has a starkly white hue that rivets attention when it is viewed in aerial photos.
The Ru Cha Forest, around 15 kilometers from the center of Thua Thien-Hue Province, has a beauty strange to photographer Pham Ngoc Thach, who has taken drone pictures of it for the first time in his life.
In the region’s vernacular, Ru means forest while Cha refers to a mangrove variety that dominates the swamp scenery.
The forest, about seven times a football pitch, is one of the coastal province’s few remaining primary forests that serve to shield the land from sea breezes and reduce saline intrusion.
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| A man moves a boat on the water of the Ru Cha Forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach |
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| A boat floats near the Ru Cha Forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach |
Visitors to the place are seen camping, taking pre-wedding photos, drinking in mangroves that turn sunshine yellow and red in patches in September, and sauntering along a devious concrete-paved path into the swamp.
It is home to many species of birds and fish but its tourism potential has not been tapped by the local government.
As no eateries are available in the forest, would-be tourists should bring food here, or visit restaurants for inexpensive seafood at an eco-tourism location called Con Te, roughly two kilometers from the swamp on the way to Thua Thien-Hue’s center.
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| A boat floats amidst the Ru Cha Forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach |
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| A boat floats amidst the Ru Cha Forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach |
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| A man moves a boat on the water of the Ru Cha Forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach |
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| A boat floats amidst the Ru Cha Forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach |
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| A boat moves amidst the Ru Cha Forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach |
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| A man moves a boat on the water of the Ru Cha Forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach |
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| A boat floats amidst the Ru Cha Forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach |
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| A suggested route from the Ru Cha Forest to Thua Thien-Hue’s center is seen in this Google Maps screenshot. |
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