Van Long Lagoon - the “place with the largest natural picture”
Van Long (Vân Long) Lagoon, Ninh Binh (Ninh Bình) province, is recognized by the Vietnam Record Book Center as the 'place with the largest natural picture' in Vietnam. It is the largest wetland in the North, with undulating rocky mountains in the middle of a vast body of water.
Van Long Lagoon is located in the south of the Tonkin Plain, in Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien (Gia Viễn) district, Ninh Binh province.
Van Long lagoon's wild and peaceful beauty.
Van Long lagoon has become a key tourist destination in the country, holding two Vietnam Record Book Center records in 2010: "the place with the greatest number of white-rumped langurs" and "the place with the largest natural picture."
Visitors explore Van Long lagoon by boat.
The famous American director Jordan Vogt-Roberts chose this location as the setting for most of the "marine" scenes in the blockbuster film Kong: Skull Island.
According to the Ninh Binh newspaper, Van Long was not a natural freshwater lagoon but was created in 1960 by constructing a dike on the left bank of the Day (Đáy) Rivers to prevent flooding.
Van Long has since grown into a vast wetland of up to 3,500ha, with beautiful rocks and caves, and was opened to tourism in 1998.
Van Long Lagoon is known as "the place with the greatest natural picture."
According to the Ninh Binh Department of Information and Communications website, during the dry season (11 to 4 months next year), Van Long becomes a wintering destination for many migratory birds from the North, including the Bonelli eagle, gray heron, large stork, stork, white stork, cauldron...
Van Long wetland nature reserve was designated as the 9th Ramsar area in Vietnam and the 2,360th Ramsar area in the world in 2019.
Visitors can camp by the Van Long lagoon.
Van Long lagoon is an interesting stopover because of its unspoiled and peaceful natural scenery.
There are also 457 species of higher plants and 35 species of aquatic plants, including flower slices, abstinences, broadleaf trees, tonic cores, cypresses, money codes, canopy flowers, and Tonkin lions, which are all listed in the Book of Vietnam.
Van Long has both peaceful and majestic scenery.
Van Long Lagoon is also known as the "waveless bay," because when sailing on the lagoon, visitors will see the flat water reflecting the majestic mountains like a giant mirror. The water in Van Long Lagoon is crystal clear, revealing the moss on the bottom.
Under the water, grasses and reeds grow wild, as do dog tails and green orchids. The paddles open the water gently, taking visitors around the canyon... in the midst of a poetic, peaceful, and quiet space.
Van Long lagoon, with its pristine and peaceful natural scenery, is an appealing destination for those who enjoy exploring nature and immersing themselves in rivers and mountains.
Source: Nguyễn Thanh Tuấn – Nguyễn Phong