Tra Su Cajuput Forest

The duckweed is so dense it looks solid. The boat pushes into it and the green surface parts reluctantly, closing behind the stern as if the forest is sealing itself shut. No engine, no sound beyond the paddle. Cajuput trees rise from the water on stilted roots, and painted storks watch from the canopy above.

Tra Su is a cajuput flooded forest in An Giang Province, part of the Mekong Delta's flood-pulse ecosystem that transforms dramatically with the seasons. During the wet season from August to November, water rises to chest height, inundating the forest floor and covering the surface in a carpet of bright green duckweed. Over seventy bird species nest in the canopy, including painted storks, oriental darters, and cormorants. The reserve permits only hand-paddled wooden boats — no motors — preserving the silence that defines the experience. Elevated wooden walkways provide access when water levels are at their highest. The forest sits within the broader Mekong Delta ecosystem, one of the world's most productive agricultural regions and a critical habitat for waterbirds.