Brussels (VNA) – Belgium’s RTBF nature series “Le Jardin Extraordinaire” took viewers on a stunning journey to Vietnam’s remarkably resilient wilderness in its February 1 episode on its La Une, showcasing how the country’s untouched forests, mountains, and biodiversity have rebounded dramatically after decades of war.
Titled “Wild Vietnam – Mysterious and Extraordinary Nature”, the journey began in isolated nature reserves virtually cut off from the modern world. Ironically, their inaccessibility has become a “shield” protecting some of the planet’s rarest wildlife species. In the tropical forests of Vietnam’s northwestern highlands, where human footprints remain minimal, the pangolin, the world’s most heavily poached mammal, continues its quiet struggle for survival. Higher in the canopy, civets move like shadows, while mossy frogs virtually disappear against the vibrant green backdrop of ancient jungle.
The expedition then shifted to the northeastern coast and the iconic Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO-listed seascape of limestone pillars rising from emerald waters. Here, the ultra-rare Cat Ba langur clings to existence. Endemic to the area and reduced to just a few dozen individuals, the primate has become an emblem of the enduring struggle between conservation gains and mounting human pressures.
With the arrival of spring, Vietnam’s primaeval forests take on an entirely new appearance. Millions of butterflies, in every imaginable colour and size, erupt into flight at once, creating an otherworldly, almost fragile spectacle. It is a moment when nature reveals its purest beauty, a vivid reminder of the extraordinary richness of the ecosystems found here.
Thanks to a strictly protected network of national parks and nature reserves, Vietnam continues to safeguard its biodiversity “treasures”. Among them is the binturong, or bearcat – a bear-monkey hybrid in appearance, nocturnal, seldom seen, and emblematic of the country's hidden natural wealth and enduring enigma.
Through the lens of “Le Jardin Extraordinaire”, Vietnam was portrayed not simply as a travel destination but as a still-emerging realm of discovery: a nation whose nature, though heavily wounded in the past, demonstrates extraordinary powers of recovery, quietly upholding its pristine essence against the pressures of time./.
