2 Best Sights in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

The 7,612-hectare (18,810-acre) park, famous for its rare wild birds, including the Sarus and red-headed crane, lies within the Plain of Reeds, which floods each year from July to December. Migratory birds, including the cranes, return to the area every year from late December to early May. The reserve lies 80 km (50 miles) from Long Xuyen and 110 km (68 miles) from Chau Doc and is accessible by taxi, private car, or xe om (motorbike taxi). Once inside the park, small boats, operated by guides, are available to take you to bird-viewing areas for 300,000d per person. There are a range of "eco" activites within the park, including fishing, harvesting rice, and hunting field mice. There's also a very basic hotel, with three-bed air-conditioned rooms starting from 200,000d/night.

The vast U Minh Ha National Park, 35 km (22 miles) from Ca Mau, contains swaths of swampland and pearl-white cajeput trees, also known as melaleuca or paperbark trees, as well as 32 mammal species, including deer and wild boar, and 74 bird species, including the endangered painted stork. A boat trip through the forest is breathtaking and eerily quiet. There are several "ecotourism" ventures in the forest, primarily in the Vo Voi area, which cater to domestic tourists rather than international visitors. Nevertheless, a visit can be interesting, but it's best organized well before arriving in Ca Mau.