With a water surface area of around 22,000 hectares, Tam Giang Lagoon is renowned as Southeast Asia's largest brackish water lagoon. This is a 52-kilometer-long lagoon system in Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam, which stretches across the boundaries of four districts: Phong Dien, Quang Dien, Huong Tra, and Phu Vang. There are 230 species of fish, 70 species of birds, 43 types of algae, 15 types of seagrass, 63 species of benthic invertebrates, 171 phytoplankton species, and 37 species of zooplankton, according to statistics.
A beautiful flower in Tam Giang lagoon
The lagoon here is 2 to 4 meters deep, with some areas reaching 7 meters. Thousands of fishermen rely on this area for their livelihood. For hundreds of years, the custom of catching seafood on the wetlands of the people has remained unchanged. To catch seafood, people place rows of flutes and traps all over the lagoon. This fishing method has been maintained from generation to generation for decades. Tam Giang Lagoon attracts tourists by its wild beauty, quiet and idyllic, salty river and simple and rustic people's life. Not only that, this place is also known as one of the most beautiful and attractive tourist attractions in Hue city. According to locals, Tam Giang Lagoon is most beautiful in the summer. In particular, watching the sunset on Tam Giang Lagoon was voted as the most enjoyable activity by tourists.
Sunset on Tam Giang lagoon
In order to conserve and develop aquatic resources on the Tam Giang lagoon, the Thua Thien Hue government has deployed mangrove plantations to act as shelters and hatching grounds for fish and shrimp, as well as to establish lagoon tours and eco-tourism in recent years.
The first place you should explore when coming to Tam Giang lagoon is Ru Cha mangrove forest. Ru Cha is a 5-hectare primeval mangrove forest in Tam Giang Lagoon, Thuan Hoa village, Huong Phong commune, Huong Tra town, Thua Thien Hue. This 5-hectare forest is home to thousands of ancient mangrove trees, which have the function of preventing salinity, protecting aquatic resources and the mainland. Visitors to this ancient mangrove forest will hear the story of an old couple who have lived without electricity, television or radio for past 38 years. They choose for themselves a life separate from the rest of society. The couple's small house is surrounded by mangroves. They make a living by fishing in the mangroves.
Ru Cha mangrove forest
The ecosystem of the Ru Cha forest is incredibly diversified and rich. To see the entire Ru Cha forest, traverse a section of the forest until you come across an observatory in the middle of the forest. Walk up to the observatory and you will have a perfect view of the entire forest. The Ru Cha mangrove forest reserve is also a popular destination for photographers and attracts a large number of young people to check in.
Last summer, a group of friends and I traveled to Tam Giang Lagoon to see and experience it. We left Da Nang at 8 a.m. and arrived in Hue at 10:30 a.m. Then take a walk through Ru Cha woodland to see and photograph it. We were taken by pre-booked boat to a restaurant on Tam Giang lagoon at 12 a.m. to dine and rest. The first impression of Tam Giang Lagoon is that it is a large lagoon area that appears before your eyes, with calm and wild waves, and a passionate and sunny wind that intoxicates visitors. There are several floating restaurants on this Tam Giang lagoon to serve visitors; you may go to whichever restaurant you wish to taste the local specialties, which are both delicious and inexpensive because they are caught near the beach and are therefore fresher and tastier. Because the water in Tam Giang Lagoon is brackish, the taste of seafood here differs from that of seafood from the sea.
Floating restaurants on Tam Giang
An attractive seafood dish in Tam Giang lagoon
After lunch, you can take a rest at the restaurant until around 3 p.m., and then rent a fisherman's boat for 300,000 VND, which can transport up to 12 people, to stroll around Tam Giang lagoon and view the surroundings. Fishermen will show you how to throw nets to capture fish and harvest seafood. If you like, you can buy it after the harvest is over and cook it at home.
Try to catch seafood on Tam Giang lagoon
Harvesting seafood by traditional methods
If you're traveling alone or with a small group, you can explore Tam Giang on your own by motorbike or car, or you can join a one-day tour organized by travel agencies that departs from Hue's city center. When you go on a tour, you don't have to worry about transportation, where to eat, or how to have fun because everything is taken care of by a travel agency for approximately $50 per person. However, if you want to visit Tam Giang, you should avoid the months of October, November, and December because these are the stormy months in the central provinces. The best time to visit Tam Giang Lagoon is during the dry season (from February to July), when the lagoon is the driest, there are no floods, and the weather is also less stormy.