1 day in Cat Tien National Park

At 6am, I took a walk along the trail, enjoying the slightly chilly air typical of the old forest. Each breath and step was slow, like sipping a cup of morning coffee to start a fresh day. I was ready to take the first shots of the day to capture the vibrant moments of the forest.

The sun rose, when the pale yellow rays of sunlight penetrated through the leaves, it was also the time when the symphony of "birds chirping, gibbons singing" began. When the dewy grass was dyed with the golden light of the sun, I caught sight of a large muntjac slowly walking out from the bushes.

Hesitant steps, half wanting to move, half wanting to stop with motionless moments and wary eyes. In the rainy season, the grass grows lush green, herbivores such as deer or buffalo freely choose the lush green grass fields to fill their hungry stomachs.

The calls of ground-feeding birds echoed in the forest corner. The pitta, partridge, junglefowl, lapwing… began to tell their own stories. One could hear the rustling of chickens digging for food, the rhythmic hopping of pitta birds, or the clear chirping of fire-throwing thrushes coming from the bamboo groves.

The forest with its interwoven canopy helps animals hide easily. In this hustle and bustle, sound is the easiest sign to help me orient myself to choose the angle to take photos to capture these vivid moments.

As the sun’s rays became more intense and the shadows of the trees shortened, the forest signaled to me that the “golden hour” for beautiful photos had ended. Animals hid in the shade of the trees to avoid the sun, and the space became quieter.

The family of red-cheeked gibbons greets the new day with the father's call, then the other members join in and add a few notes to the song until the mother gibbon ends each song with a climax. After a few swings, the group disappears into the canopy of ancient trees.

The sun rises high in the sky, which is also the time when the rays of the day penetrate through many layers of tree canopy to touch the forest floor, awakening the bustle of the rich and mysterious tropical forest here.

The forests in the Southeast are like that in the rainy season, the hustle and bustle is concentrated at dawn. In the afternoon, the rains come and wash away the red dirt imprinted on the trail. Sometimes the rain lasts for several hours, sometimes it ends at midnight. But whether short or long, the rain brings the hustle and bustle of the night, which will surely satisfy all those who are curious to hear the stories of the forest.

Heritage Magazine