4 Best Sights in Vietnam

This mangrove forest, officially part of Ho Chi Minh City, covers an area the size of Singapore. The old forest was destroyed by aerial bombing and defoliants—primarily Agent Orange—during the Vietnam War because it had been a regular hiding place for the Vietcong, who would fire mortars at the supply ships on the Saigon River. Residents of the area were forced to leave, and it wasn't until 1978 that surviving Can Gio families returned, replanted the forest, and gradually resettled. Surprisingly, the area's wild animals also returned, and today there are monkeys, wild boar, deer, leopards, long-tailed macaques, crocodiles, birds, and giant fruitbats, although not all are easy to spot.

In 2000, the area was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and the local economy is now supported by various eco-tourism ventures. Under the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve model, families live inside the reserve conducting small-scale aquaculture ventures to help preserve what's known as the "lungs of Ho Chi Minh City."

The government-owned Saigon Tourist has an "eco forest park" on Monkey Island. Thankfully, the bizarre animal circus with monkeys and crocodiles is a thing of the past. Visitors can now simply feed the large troupes of free-roaming monkeys.

Tam Dao's main attraction lies in its elevation and subsequent cool temperatures: it's a nice way to beat the heat of Hanoi and there are some walks, but there's also a lot of concrete. Don't expect much in the way of information on trails, however, unless you have organized a tour with one of the better Hanoi tour operators. Few people realize that Tam Dao and the surrounding peaks are in a national park, which may be one reason why logging and poaching remain a problem for the area (some of the restaurants here list supposedly protected animals on their menus). But for the most part, a hike up to the radio transmitter above the town is a walk into dense jungle. Small Buddhist temples line the concrete steps up to the tower, and a spring bubbles up from beneath the underbrush and splays out into a small waterfall. If you're spending the night up in these mountains, bring a sweater and some rain gear. People have been known to ride mountain bikes up to Tam Dao and spend the night, but the climb is extreme (a 10% gradient over long stretches). Less-active riders put their bikes in minivans on the way up and then careen down the exhilarating route to the base of the mountain.

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 Sa Dec and is accessible by taxi, private car, or xe om. A two-hour boat tour to bird-viewing areas, best done in the early morning or late afternoon, costs 700,000d split between passengers, up to 10 people. There are a range of activities 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.

One of the core zones of the Mui Ca Mau World Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO, 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, such as deer and wild boar, and 74 bird species, including the endangered painted stork. An area has been zoned for tourism in Vo Doi, the experience catering to domestic tourists. There's a high observation tower, bicycles for rental, and a boat trip through scenic waterways; don't expect to enter the forest or see much wildlife except for birds and monkeys.