The 1,000-ha resort with hundred-year-old cajuput forests and diverse flora and fauna is an ideal place for nature lovers to explore the natural diversity of the Plain of Reeds.
The resort was the background scene of Nguyen Phan Quang Binh’s movie “Floating Lives” which was adapted from Nguyen Ngoc Tu’s short story Canh dong Bat tan (The Endless Field).
Visitors tour the natural cajuput forest on a motor boat. |
We were accompanied by Duong Van Toan, deputy director of the resort to the “golden field”, which is the impressive image appearing on the film’s poster. The field, which no longer has its golden yellow color as shown in the film, is now covered with cajuputs but has not lost its charm in the yellow sunset clouds with beautiful wild rose myrtles and the light scent of lemon-scented gum in the air.
We went around the cajuput forests by motor boat on a cajuput-shaded channel on which white water lilies bloomed.
In the middle of the cajuput forests are paths with a green canopy where visitors can take beautiful pictures.
We visited the medicinal herb garden where lemon-scented gum, mugwort, Ming aralia, coin-leaf desmodium, passion flower and other medicinal herbs are grown. We also learnt how herbal oil was made at the Moc Hoa Tram workshop and even tried to extract the oil ourselves with the help of the workshop’s staff.
At sunset, we biked slowly to the natural swimming pool with water so clear that we could see the pool’s bottom.
The medicinal herb garden where medicinal herbs are grown.
Lemon-scented gum, mugwort, Ming aralia, coin-leaf desmodium and passion flower are grown in the garden. |
Here you can take a sauna or steam room with herbal oil extracts, or go fishing or kayaking with the nice staff. You should also try the special dishes of the floating region such as grilled snakehead fish wrapped in rice paper, cassava boiled in coconut milk, and salted fish hot pot.
“We plan to reset the scenes of Floating Lives and screen the film to entertain visitors,” said Bui Dac Thang, director of the Dong Thap Muoi Herbal Medicine Research, Conservation and Development Center.