Tay Ninh (VNA) - Lo Go - Xa Mat National Park, home to an abundance of rare fauna and flora, has become an attractive tourist destination in the southern province of Tay Ninh.
Covering 30.023ha in Tan Lap, Tan Binh, Hoa Hiep, Thanh Tay, Thanh Bac and Thanh Binh communes of Tan Bien district, the park now accommodates over 700 different species of plants, along with 49 species of mammals, 203 bird and 53 reptile species.
At the 15th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment in October 2019, Lo Go - Xa Mat was recognised as an ASEAN Heritage Park, becoming one of the 10 ASEAN Heritage Parks in Vietnam and the only one in the southeastern region.
In addition to the significant biodiversity value, the park also houses important relic sites related to the anti-US resistance war period, including the headquarters of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, the Liberation News Agency, the Liberation Radio Station and the Liberation Film Studio, among others.
Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Thi Huy Hoang said the park now offers various eco-tourism activities which are suitable for education and scientific research purposes. It also holds cycling tours through the forest, visits to the Vietnam-Cambodia border marker and historical sites, riverbank landscapes along the Vam Co Dong river, a 33m-high watchtower, a more than 200-year-old heritage tree of Vietnam, overnight camping and forest cuisine, among others.
Permanent Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Vo Duc Trong said during 2023-2025, Tay Ninh will identify key tourist attractions and outstanding festival events, aiming to shape and affirm its tourism brand on the Vietnamese tourism map.
One of the four key tourist attractions designated by the province includes the special national historical site, the Central Office for South Vietnam, located within the park. The others are the Ba Den mountain, the Cao Dai Holy See, and the Dau Tieng reservoir – the largest man-made reservoir in Southeast Asia./.