U Minh Forest, Ca Mau Province

U Minh Forest is a large mangrove forest and home to endangered mammals including hairy-nose otters and fishing cats and 187 bird species. It is also a hide-out for Vietnamese resistants in the American War. These fortresses caused lots of difficulties for the America-backed army. That's why the American army used chemical defoliation in this region that endangered seriously the forest.

Over the time, the rain washed out dioxin from the forest to the sea. The greenage is returning. The local people grow eucalyptus trees as they are dioxin-resistant.

Unfortunately, the forest has been destroyed due to clearing for shrimp farming ponds, charcoal production and woodchipping.

The photo of Tuoi Tre Online