Published:  11:37 Friday - December 30, 2011

Beside some national park to watch birds, Vietnam has some more sanctuaries to protect their gene pools. Bac Lieu bird sanctuary is one of those ideal places.

The Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary is the vestige of a forest which ran along the East Sea coast and came into existence over a century ago. The sanctuary is just around five kilometers from the town center. It covers some 107 hectares and lies within the remaining 385 hectares of forest area. The sanctuary is now home to 46 bird species, 60 fish species, seven frog species, 10 species of mammals, eight reptile species, and 100 species of plants. On the ground are a massive number of eggs, and in the air, tourists can spot some species with 2 m wing-spans.

Although it has potential for further development, the Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary remains off the radar of most large tourism companies and thus, tourists wishing to visit the area must organize travel themselves or seek out a local guide.