Mui Ca Mau National Park

Some land is still growing, a little more each day. Mũi Cà Mau National Park is one such place. Its story does not begin with a symbol or a structure. It begins with mud, with mangrove roots gripping fresh silt, and with two tides that meet at the edge of the horizon.

The park was established on July 14, 2003. It was upgraded from the Đất Mũi Nature Reserve. Its total natural area is 41,862 hectares. Of that, 15,262 hectares are land, and 26,600 hectares lie along the coast.

Two international systems have recognized the value of this land.

The first is Ramsar. The park is Ramsar site number 2,088 in the world, designated by the Ramsar Sites Information Service on December 12, 2013. Ramsar is the international convention for the protection of wetlands of special importance. It is not a tourism prize. When a place joins the Ramsar list, its ecological value is confirmed at the global level.

The second is UNESCO. A biosphere reserve is a UNESCO-recognized area where nature is protected and the people living there keep working the land. UNESCO recognized the Mũi Cà Mau Biosphere Reserve in 2009. The park is one of its three core zones. The other two are U Minh Hạ National Park and the protective forest strip along the western coast.

UNESCO points to one scientific detail about this land. It is the only place in Vietnam where two tidal regimes interact. One tide arrives from the sea to the east, and a different one from the sea to the west. They meet around Mũi Cà Mau. Their meeting drives the buildup of sediment, forms mudflats, and creates new habitats. Put simply, this is land that is still being formed. No magic is involved. It is done by the mechanics of water, silt, and roots.

The mangrove forest is the main character of that story. Đước and mắm trees, two kinds of mangrove, set their roots into the new mud. They hold the sediment, break the waves, and shelter the creatures that live there.

The national portal on nature conservation and biodiversity lists the park with 93 bird species and 26 mammal species. It also lists 43 reptile species and 9 amphibian species. The count of aquatic species is 233. UNESCO adds a few notable animals in the biosphere reserve, among them the long-tailed macaque, the già đẫy Java, the painted stork, and the spot-billed pelican.

The park's cultural tourism grounds also hold monuments, among them the national coordinate marker, the Hanoi Flag Tower, 45 meters tall, and the ship symbol of Mũi Cà Mau.

Beneath the canopy, canals wind through the mangroves. The water runs black as ink, and the roots weave together into natural arches. Along these canals, stops can include a mudflat still wet with silt, a place called Giếng Trời, and Cồn Ông Trang.

The mangroves here are more than scenery. They act as a natural defense for the whole coast. They are a source of fish and shellfish, and they help regulate the climate.

Stand among them, hear the two tides meet, and watch the rows of đước send roots down into mud that is still new. The ground underfoot is land that keeps on being born.