Hue is a neighboring province to Da Nang. Just passing Hai Van pass, you will feel the clear difference in weather between Hue and Da Nang. When it comes to Hue, people often think of romantic autumn afternoon scenes, drizzling rain with sad beauty and historical tourist sites. And the place we discovered on this occasion when coming to Hue was Ru Cha.
Distance
Ru Cha is about 115km from Da Nang city center, it takes us about 4 hours by motorbike (including time to find the way). Ru Cha is a very poetic mangrove forest and a unique check-in place for those who love to travel. The best time to come here is in September when the trees here turn yellow in autumn.
Unique from the name
When I first heard the name, I was quite confused about the strange and difficult to read name Ru Cha. As far as I know, Ru Cha mangrove forest, also known as Ru Cha primeval mangrove forest - is the only rare and precious primeval mangrove forest left on Tam Giang lagoon, located in Huong Phong commune, City. Hue, at the end of the Perfume River, near the mouth of Thuan An sea. With an area of about 5 hectares, Ru Cha has the function of preventing salinity, protecting aquatic resources and the mainland. About the name Ru Cha, it is explained that ru means forest, cha means cha tree - the name of a tree that grows 90% of the area here.
Explore Ru Cha
When I arrived, right in front of my eyes was the scene of Cha trees growing close together with intertwined roots that made me really excited. The forest has a ghostly and mysterious beauty that ordinary words cannot describe. More than 90% of the forest area is covered by scraggly cypress trees that intertwine, forming an arc above the small road through the Ru Cha forest.
According to indigenous people, 4-5 years ago, if we wanted to enter Ru Cha, we had to leave our vehicles at the edge of the forest, then walk on muddy dirt roads, wade through water and take a boat to reach the center of the forest. . But in recent years, the road to Ru Cha has been paved with concrete, which is very convenient.
Recently, people even built a solid concrete tower in the middle of the forest, which both serves as a watchtower covering the entire mangrove area and is also an ideal place for photography enthusiasts to come here to unleash their creativity. Standing on the observation deck of the watchtower, you can admire the majestic panorama of Ru Cha forest and the immense Tam Giang river in the distance.
People come to Ru Cha for different purposes. Many student groups come here to study the primary ecosystem here. Many people choose this place as a place to relieve stress and chaos of daily life. And we come here to discover a new land with natural beauty and majestic pristine beauty.
You can come here and walk on a small concrete path or dirt road to admire the hundred-year-old tree roots, as well as breathe in the fresh air of nature, trees and rivers here. . I'm sure that just taking a full breath of the cool and soothing air, looking at the charming green stretch, will make the fatigue and worries of busy life suddenly disappear.
The retaining wall of the mainland
People consider Ru Cha mangrove forest as a barrier to protect the mainland in Thuan An sea. People here say that, during the storm season, Ru Cha is the place that is least damaged or affected, so this is also a place to avoid floods for people in every flood season.
Not only bringing tourism value, Ru Cha forest is also home to many aquatic species in the lagoon. The specialty fish in Ru Cha area in particular, and Tam Giang lagoon in general is Dia fish - a typical brackish water fish. Dia fish are found in many places, but in Ru Cha they are much bigger and fatter. You must definitely try the steamed and peppered Dia fish when you come to this place.
On the way to this place, we also discovered many poetic places with typical Hue countryside.
Don't miss Thuan An beach 5km from Ru Cha and don't forget to check in at the mossy green embankment in this place. I discovered that the seaweed that I usually make soup with grows a lot on the concrete blocks of this embankment. According to indigenous people, this seaweed harvest season lasts from October to the end of November.
In autumn, Ru Cha mangrove forest turns to a characteristic yellow color, creating a wild and romantic beauty that seems like a captivating painting in Hue.
If you once set foot in Hue dreaming, hope you do not miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in this wonderful natural space!