Asian Current

Vietnam is a land that strikes a tourist immediately with its stunning natural beauty. Talk of Vietnam and the images that sprig to mind are those of the Red River Delta to the north, the Mekong Delta to the south, and almost the entire coastal strip with its rich tapestry of brilliant green rice paddy fields, tended by the local women in their conspicuous conical hats.

But there are more pictures to Vietnam than these, and you will see them if you delve deeper into the country, both geographically and culturally. The central region of Vietnam offers a more rounded picture of the country’s roots and origins. The major sites of interest are loosely gathered around the three main towns in the region, Hoi An, Hue and Da Nang.

In the heart of the coastal provinces, between the North and South Vietnam, is the imperial city of Hue. It was the capital of southern Vietnam during the 18th century. Hue is still untouched by rampant westernization that is noticeable in the rest of the land, and still remains a non-westernized enclave of Vietnam’s traditions, and an important repository of its ancient past. Populated by majestic temples, ancient tombs and the imperial citadel, Hue is a place in which time seems to have stopped. In the inland highlands of Central Vietnam are found many of Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups.

Hoi is a small seaport town where Chinese, Japanese and French architecture blends in perfect harmony under the mossy-clad houses.

Between Da Nang and Hue, the road merges into the hills until it reaches the excellent panorama of Hai Van Pass. The impressive views in the north and the south have always been strategically important, and this explains the cluster of rugged pillboxes and older French forts, complete with bullet holes. Today it’s a place for tourists to stop off and stretch their legs.

50 km south of Hoi An are the best ancient ruins of Vietnam. The remote My Son Temples are a testament to the Cham civilization of 7th to 13th centuries.

Central Vietnam is slowly opening up and becoming more accessible to tourists. Vietnam is unique in offering an opportunity to see a country of traditional charm and rare beauty while rapidly opening up to the outside world. As the frontier between former North and South Vietnam, the Demilitarized Zone saw some of the worst ravages of the war with the devastation still very obvious. But on a broader basis, Central Vietnam is a picturesque area graced with emerald paddy fields and some surprisingly attractive beaches and beautiful lagoons.

Speaking of beaches, Central Vietnam also has one of the country’s most picturesque and uncrowded beaches at Nha Trang. If you love serene, calm beaches, you’ll just adore Nha Trang. In fact, the idyllic Central Vietnam coastline is frequented by photographers from all over for that great shot of the sea and the sand.

An unexplored area in Earth - in 2006? Is this a fantasy? No Sir, this is a reality, here in Vietnam. Yes in Vietnam there is this amazing area known as the Cuc Phuong forest, and it is as yet unexplored. An unexplored forest is a great passion as it gives an explorer the trill of going someone where no one has gone before. But it is also useful for the scientist as it is an important area for biodiversity. Since no one has gone before, there has been almost no interaction with the local plant and animal life, and so, you can never be sure what you will find in such a forest.

Decades of violent struggle, civil war and internal conflicts have left most of the forested regions of Indochina in a perpetual gloom and even today, after peace has returned to the devastated landscape, certain regions of south-east Asia still remain unexplored and uncharted.

Take for example Vietnam. The country’s forested land is yet to be explored though it is fairly rich in both flora and fauna - specially the avifauna. Only in recent years have efforts been made to create nature reserves to protect the various species including the endangered ones. In Cuc Phuong National Park that was inaugurated by the legendary statesman, Ho Chi Minh in 1962, there exist a wide variety of plant, bird and mammal species that have been listed in the World Red Book. However, much of it still remain unexplored, and so a mystery. Cuc Phuong also boasts of varied wildlife and natural beauty though much of it is lost as a result of illegal felling and indiscriminate killing of wild animals.

Another curious aspect of Cuc Phuong is its numerous grottoes where samples of pre-historic tools and implements were discovered only in 1974. Another exploration a couple of year later unearthed ancient tombs in an artificially ornamented cave that is believed to be several hundred years old. The cave can be reached through a long staircase going down below where many stalactites were found in bizarre shape and sizes.

The 200 sq km forest in Cuc Phuong is home to an amazing variety of wildlife including some that were believed to have been long extinct. Visitors in the recent past have recorded sighting of the famous indo-Chinese Tiger, Clouded leopard and the exceptionally rare Delacour’s Langur. Besides, the Park contains a plethora of avifauna that includes bar-bellied, blue-rumped and eared Pitta, white winged Magpie, limestone Wren-Babbler, red-collared Woodpecker and Pied Falconets.

Treks to Cuc Phuong, which is around 160 km’s away from Hanoi can be arranged through privately owned tour operators. It takes about a couple of days to explore the mysteries of the forest’s ambiguity and weirdness. The trip usually combines a short trek through Cuc Phuong with a visit to Kenha village, a picturesque rural village in the Red River delta.