An overview

Locatedin the Giao Thuy District, Nam Dinh Province, Xuan Thuy National Parkwas declared Vietnam's first Ramsar site of Vietnam in January 1989.More than one quarter of the park's 12,000ha is covered with mangrovesthat support many aquatic species - including fish, crustaceans andmolluscs. These species provide food and livelihoods for the poor,local people of the area. The park houses the “Cá Mòi Co” (Clupanodon thrissa),a fish listed in Vietnam's Red Book as vulnerable and at risk ofextinction. It is also recognized as a platform for migratory waterbirds, including the “Cò thìa” (Black-faced Spoon-Bill), and eightother listed endangered species.

Todate, more than 200 bird species have been recorded at Xuan Thuy. Thesite is the most important staging and wintering area for migratorywaterbirds in the coastal zone of the Red River Delta. It regularlysupports large numbers of commoner migratory waterbird species,including Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank and Eurasian Curlew.Many rare species can also be found at Xuan Thuy, including the largestwintering population of Black-faced Spoonbill in Vietnam, with around60 birds each winter in recent years. Other rare species that regularlyoccur at the site include Saunders's Gull, Spotted Greenshank,Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Asian Dowitcher. In addition to itsimportance for waterbirds, Xuan Thuy is also an important migratorystop-over for non-waterbirds, with large numbers of passerines andcuckoos passing through the site during the spring and autumnmigrations. During the summer months, small numbers of Painted Storkand Spot-billed Pelican occur as non-breeding visitors.

Thepark has a rich, biodiverse coastal wetland environment that is home toabout 110 aquatic plant species, 500 species of benthos andzooplankton. Many aquatic species of high economic value, like shrimps,fish, crabs and oysters, are also found in the area. Fish, shrimps andcrabs provide the main income of the local community.

The tourism

Asa staging and wintering site on the East Asian-Australian flyway, thebest time to visit Xuan Thuy is September to April. In August andSeptember, it is still possible to see non-breeding Painted Stork, aswell as early migrants, such as Black-winged Stilt. Later, from Octoberonwards, it relatively easy to find wintering Black-faced Spoonbills,particularly at their roost sites in the shrimp ponds.

InXuan Thuy National Park, you can ask for the assistance from parkstaff, who know the site very well and are able to show us where towatch particular bird species. It will be so good if you can get aguide from the park. Basically, you can take the hiking routes orboating routes to the sites of interest. It means that you can travelby foot to some places of interest; or you can only be reached by boatat high tide.

Hiking Routes:Walking through the natural and artificial habitats along the dikesystem in Con Ngan Island, where the park headquarters is located.Especially, in the high tide time, you can find numerous bird roostingin the shrimp ponds, including Black-faced Spoonbill, gulls, ducks andwaders.

Boating Routes:In the high tide time, you can get boat to reach the offshore mudflatsand sandy flats, where Spoon-billed Sandpiper can be found among largeflocks of waders. An alternative boat route involves visiting Con Xanhisland, which supports some Casuarina forest, where isvery suitable for the migrating non-waterbirds. In the island, you canfind the pittas and other passerines during migrating season. Anotherway, you can take boat to the off shore mudflats and sandy flats areasof Giao Xuan Commune, where is the best area for watching theshorebirds. In this site, you can find big flocks of waders andespecially Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank,many species of gulls including Saunders's Gull, duck species andsometime Black-faced Spoonbill and Black-headed Ibis.

The preservation matter

In terms of preservation matter, Xuan Thuy National Park has the following objectives and tasks:

Topreserve the typical submerged land ecological system of the Redriver-mouth region, the specific fauna and flora species of thesubmerged land ecological system, especially aquatic species, waterbirds and migration birds.

Tobuild material and technical bases in service of training, scientificresearch, environmental education and eco-tourist development, thuscontributing to socio-economic development and creating jobs for localpopulation communities.

To serve scientific research, environmental education and eco-tourist development.

To maintain Xuan Thuy National Park as a Ramsar site through conservation of biodiversity and responsible fisheries.

Toraise public awareness and also recognized local community efforts inthe conservation of Xuan Thuy National Park, the sustainable andwise-use of the park's resources, and responsible fisheries andmanagement.