The mountain range is bordered byan ever blue sea

Nui Chua National Park in the southerncentral province of Ninh Thuan is of a special type, boasting a dry ecology in Southeast Asia with a miracle of different floral and fauna species.

African dry forest in Vietnam

At present Phan Rang city remains hot and dry though the rainy season is drawing near. Long dunes of sand and stones caught our eyes when we first set foot on the soil of Nui Chua National Park. Thousands of stones of different sizes are piled up, creating a sense of fierceness and formidableness. On that dry stony and semi-wasteland ground, rooted stunted thorny trees and bushes form a forest.

A few years ago, a Germany scientist could not believe the dry level measured by his machine in the forest. After measuring again and again, he came to the conclusion that the climate in Nui Chua forest is as dry as that in Africa.

To cope with the intense heat and dryness there, all the local fauna and floral species have their own way of adapting. In the dry season, most of the trees look like skeletons with rough, stunted and snaking trunks and tiny branches and leaves. Surprisingly, they bud immediately and start a new life after the first rain comes.

Blue sea by the waterless forest

It is interesting to note that the higher up the moutain’s slope the greener the trees are. Most of them grow in bushes. Surprisingly, there is a corner full of apricot blossoms hiding behind stones to suck nutrition from the dry ground. These yellow apricots usually blossom to welcome the lunar new year festival of the Vietnamese people.

At the height of 1,000 meters is the Chua Anh (the elder Lord) and 3 Chua Em (3 younger Lords) mountain range, which is rich in both fauna and floral species as they can hold rain water. To reach this height, one has to pass through 6 kinds of forest from dry to subtropical.

Nui Chua National Park is also home to many rare orchids, birds, bears, panthers.

Notably, close to the dry forest is an ever blue sea forming a picturesque scenery.

The 30,000-hectare Nui Chua National Park was set up in 2003. Most of its mountains are bordered by the sea. Located 20km from Phan Rang city, Nui Chua National Park is a typical example of a dry ecology.

Source: TT

Translated by Mai Huong