U Minh Thuong National Park

Located in An Minh and Vinh Thuan districts, Kien Giang Province about 365km south-west of o Chi Minh City, U Minh Thuong National Park covers a total area of 8038 hectares.

The Park supports one of the last two significant areas of peat swamp forest remaining in Viet Nam (the other one being U Minh Ha), and is recognized  as one of the three highest priority sites for wetland conservation in the Mekong Delta.

The Park supports a range of wetland habitats, including a semi-natural Melaleuca forest, seasonally inundated grassland and open swamp.

Significant plants include the duckweed (Lemna tenera), which is rare throughout its range in Southeast Asia but common at U Minh Thuong; Melaleuca cajuputi; Phragmites vallatoria; Cayratia trifolia. 

Significant species include Oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea);  Sunda pangolin (Manis javanicus);  large spotted civet (Viverra megaspila); Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster); spot-billed pelican(Pelecanus philippensis); painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala);  lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus); black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus); glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus);  greater spotted eagle (Aquila clanga); grey-headed fish eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus); and Asian golden weaver (Ploceus hypoxanthus).

The Park has historical significance since the area was used as a base by resistance forces during the First and Second Indochina Wars. The sunset in the Park is fantastic as thousands of birds return from feeding grounds to their nests; the forest is full of wildlife and the sounds of monkeys and wild pigs.