Fledglings at the Bac Lieu Birds Reserve which is home to more than 40 bird species (Photo VNA)Bac Lieu (VNA) - Bac Lieu is a MekongDelta province that has the normal tropical attractions and more, including abird sanctuary, a monument to ostentatious living, Khmer culture, boat trips,popular places of worship, orchards and flower gardens.
Nguyễn Long from HCM City thought one day wouldbe enough to explore the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu, but when hearrived, he realised he was wrong.
So he booked into a hotel and decided toexperience the unique cuisine, beautiful landscapes and the culture of theprovince.
“I had believed that the Mansion of the Bac Lieu’Playboy’ was the only place to visit and that the sea in the province wasmuddied by rivers,” said Long. “But the facts proved that I was wrong.”
Bac Lieu is located to the south of the Mekong’smain outflow. The province shares borders with Hau Giang in the north, SocTrang in the northeast, Kien Giang in the northwest - and Ca Mau in the westand southwest. The sea is on the southeast.
Bac Lieu has more than 5,500ha of forests,mostly mangroves, and offers boat tours along canals and rivers, swimmingin the sea, tours to learn about the diversified culture of different ethnicgroups and extraordinary food with local specialities.
In the past, Bac Lieu was known for its rich landlords,whose sons extravagantly spent money and time enjoying themselves. They builtluxurious homes that tourists still gape at today, even though they are 100 ormore years old.
One of the best known buildings in the region isthe mansion of "Cong tu Bac Lieu’, who was a famous playboy of histime.
“If you don’t visit the mansion, you haven’tbeen to Bac Lieu,” said Long.
“Those who visit the province generally like tostop at the mansion, now Bac Lieu Dude Hotel, either for an overnight stay or aquick look. The residence, located at 13 Dien Bien Phu street, was built in1919 and designed by a French architect with many materials and furnitureimported from France. Many valuable objects are still housed in thebuilding."
It is a two-storey building with spaciousbedrooms and splendid halls. The mansion belonged to Tran Trinh Huy(1900-1973).
In 2003, the mansion became a hotel and atourist site.
Tourists also visit the Bird Reserve covering160ha. It is home to more than 40 bird species. Many endanged species havebeen born and bred there.
Located at Hiep Thanh commune, the sanctuary isconsidered one of the most attractive eco-tourism spots in the Mekong Delta. Itwas recognised as a Nature Reserve in 1984.
Tourists can also see rich flora andfauna. In August and September, flocks of birds gather at the sanctuary tobuild nests and breed. The forest comes alive with their songs and treesoverflow with hundreds of birds’ nests.
The best time for tourists to visit the BirdSanctuary is in the early morning, when most birds leave their nests to begin aday of feeding. Alternatively, at sunset the birds can be seen easily flockafter flock returning to their nests.
“This is the most spectacular sight at thesanctuary,” said tourist Long. “Photographers wait to capturebreathtakingly beautiful birds.”
Long and his friends also spent a day on anecological tour to longan orchards covering 230ha.
The orchards were planted 200 years ago by thefirst migrants to wild land along the coast. Their age and unique locationlends the fruit a distinctive sweetness.
The gardens sit atop an underground stream.Local people say the water source has kept the trees alive for centuriesdespite encroaching saltwater.
Locals dry the fruit and also brew the freshfruit into wine. Producing dried fruit and wine to sell for tourists and exporthas become a good job for many.
Other cultural and religious destinations areworth a visit, such as Phuoc Duc Pagoda built in the 18th century by Chineseimmigrants, Xiem Can Pagoda built in the 19th century by the ethnic Khmerpeople inspired by Angkor architecture.
There is also the ancient Vinh Hung Temple whichhouses many items belonging to Oc Eo Culture (from the first to seventhcenturies), the conical hat-shaped Cao Van Lau Theatre and Nha Mat ecotourismand cultural site with 11m-high statue of the Bodhisattva of Mercy.
In recent years, tourists can visit a wind farmwith hundreds of turbines. The long bridge leading to the wind turbines in thesea is an ideal place to enjoy spectacular views and brisk wind.
The provincial People’s Committee and relatedagencies have strived to make tourism a key economic sector.
Before 2016, Bac Lieu welcomed 600,000-650,000tourists a year, according to Thai Quoc Luu, vice director of theprovincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. But when authoritiesbegan to promote the attractions, numbers increased rapidly.
“We plan to attract 1.4 million tourists to theprovince this year,” he said.
“There are now about 50 hotels and guest houseswith a total of 1,200 rooms. We are calling for investment to upgrade theinfrastructure and services to meet increasing demand.”
“We also focus on preserving traditionalperforming arts, such as don ca tai tu (southern music and songs),and Khmer ethnic drama and dance.”
Duong Minh Binh, director of CBT Travel Company,said Bac Lieu tourism potential and advantages had not been exploitedeffectively.
“There are various types of tourism products inBac Lieu, such as eco-tourism, religious tourism (visiting temples andpagodas), culinary trips and cultural tourism (exploring the culture ofdifferent ethnic groups),” said Binh.
Binh said he would carry out a project to linkdestinations in Bac Lieu to Soc Trang and Ca Mau through Quan Lo - Phung HiepNational Road. He spent many months surveying the area by motorbike.
“This is a very special route which naturefavours with beautiful sights,” he said. “Local people preserve uniquecultural activities, religious practices and traditional handicrafts. Theirculture represents a southern identity that tourists are eager to discover.”
“As I know from field trips, people living alongthe route are aware of protecting the environment, however, they need to begiven more knowledge to work in the tourism industry professionally.”-VNA
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