A vital mangrove forest hidden in Vietnam’s largest city could be at risk
As the largest urban area in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is known for its kinetic pace of life, rivers of motorbike traffic, and relentless construction. With an official population of 9 million and a booming economy based on manufacturing, real estate and tourism, there is often little space for nature.
It may come as a surprise, even to many who live in Ho Chi Minh City, that one of the world’s great restored mangroves forests lies within the city’s borders.
The Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve covers 75,740 hectares (187,160 acres), and encompasses all of Can Gio district, the largest and one of the least populated of Ho Chi Minh City’s 24 districts. Can Gio sits between the central districts and the South China Sea, called the East Sea by Vietnam.
MICHAEL TATARSKI
