Can Gio Mangrove Forest

Can Gio Mangrove Forest is a vast mangrove ecosystem in Can Gio District, about 50-60 km southeast of central Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2000, it covers over 75,000 hectares of mangroves, waterways and mudflats at the confluence of the Saigon and Dong Nai rivers. Notable for its biodiversity, restored forest, and ecological tourism sites such as Vam Sat, it serves as the city's green lung and a protected natural attraction.

Visitors can expect a dense mangrove landscape of intertidal waterways, mudflats and nipa palm-lined canals explored mainly by boat and wooden walkways. The main visitor hub is Vam Sat Ecological Tourist Center with birdwatching towers, bat lagoon by canoe, crocodile farm, and Monkey Island with long-tailed macaques. Areas include mangrove trails, crab fishing demonstrations, and views of the forest canopy and river estuary.

The forest area known as Rung Sac was heavily damaged during the war period and subsequently reforested through a large-scale rehabilitation program starting in 1978. The restored mangrove was recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2000 for its ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation. The Sac Forest base within the mangroves is preserved as a historic site related to its wartime use.

The mangrove forest supports traditional fishing and aquaculture communities of Can Gio District and is regarded as the green lung of Ho Chi Minh City. It demonstrates the cultural and ecological relationship between coastal communities and mangrove resources and is an important site for environmental education and ecotourism in southern Vietnam.