Hanoi, Aug. 29 -- Vast melaleuca forests, a typical peatland ecosystem and local folklore have long made U Minh Ha a draw in Vietnam's southernmost province of Ca Mau.

The U Minh Ha National Park was established in 2006 based on the former Vo Doi Nature Reserve. It is one of Vietnam's remaining typical peatland forests and a critical biodiversity anchor for the Mekong Delta.

UNESCO designated the park one of the three core zones of the Ca Mau Cape World Biosphere Reserve in 2009.

A green landscape at the southern tip

The park's core spans more than 8,500 ha, with a buffer zone of about 25,000 ha. Melaleuca trees grow straight out of the peat - a special type of ecosystem that is now rare in Vietnam. Canals and waterways cut through en...