Vam Ho Bird Sanctuary

In May 1986, a flock of birds left Cù lao Đất, an island in An Hiệp commune. They flew over the Ba Lai River and settled on a small river islet on its right bank. That was the beginning of Vàm Hồ.

This is the detail that matters most about the place. Next to the many old bird gardens of the Mekong Delta, Vàm Hồ is a young sanctuary. It is not a relic of some distant age. It is an ecosystem that formed because a flock of birds made a choice, and because people have looked after it with great care for more than forty years.

According to the 2022 environmental planning document of Bến Tre Province, the reserve covers about 67 hectares. It sits on Cù lao Lá, on the right bank of the Ba Lai River. The reserve lies in Tân Mỹ commune, in the Ba Tri area. The land stands about 1.2 meters above sea level and floods only when the tides run very high. It is alluvial soil that has turned fresh, a setting that suits many kinds of plants and many waterbirds.

The same planning document records 84 species of birds here. They belong to 35 families and 12 orders. The dominant species are white egrets, small cò ngang egrets, night herons, gray herons and white ibises, and together they make bright white patches against the green of the trees. Besides birds, the area has bats, civets, tree squirrels, pythons and dozens of kinds of fish in the river. The plants are just as varied, with hundreds of species. The typical trees of mangrove country are chà là, đước, gừa, bần and tra, and they give the place its wild, dense look.

The main place for visitors is Hải Vân Farm, in Tân Quý hamlet of Tân Mỹ commune. In 2020, the Bến Tre provincial government officially recognized the farm as a tourist site of the province. The bird reserve of about 67 hectares is managed by the local government. The farm and the services that receive visitors are run by the Hải Vân Eco-tourism Company.

The Ba Lai River is the main line of the landscape. The farm's own website describes birds wheeling above the water, seen from far off, and village life going on along both banks. Depending on the tide, there may be bần fruit being picked or shrimp and fish being harvested. One thing must be kept in mind. All of this is watched from a distance. Waterbirds are very sensitive to noise and to anyone who comes close.

At dawn, the whole flock takes off together to feed. The beating of wings rushes through the quiet of early morning and tears it open. In the evening, the egrets come home one behind another, in a long line, and they turn the sky red above the water of the Ba Lai.

Beside the birds and the river, the farm has gardens, vegetables and folk activities. The farm is organic. Its gardens hold green-skinned pomelo, dừa xiêm coconut, jackfruit, mango, dragon fruit, cóc, guava and leafy greens. There are educational programs for students, team building, and programs for families. The same newspaper adds that the farm's package program of two days and one night also includes folk games, catching snakehead fish, making cakes, and staying overnight.

Vàm Hồ does not suit a quick look. It is at its best when a visitor takes it slowly, sitting on the riverbank for a while, listening, and letting the birds fly at their own pace.

Vàm Hồ is a lovely sign of how lasting nature can be. In 1986, an unfamiliar flock chose a strip of land beside the Ba Lai. Today the place is a shared home for dozens of kinds of waterbirds, and for people who love nature and want to take a calm breath in the water country of the delta.