Ru Cha, the unique mangrove forest of Tam Giang lagoon system, is magically beautiful in the season of changing leaves.

Ru Cha, the only remaining primeval mangrove forest in the largest lagoon system in Southeast Asia, Tam Giang - Cau Hai, is immersed in the most beautiful leaf-changing season of the year.

Rú Chá - khu rừng ngập mặn độc nhất hệ đầm phá Tam Giang đẹp ma mị mùa thay lá - Ảnh 1. — *Panoramic view of Ru Cha - the only remaining mangrove forest in the largest lagoon system in Southeast Asia, Tam Giang - Cau Hai - Photo: NHAT LINH*

In recent days, the keyword Ru Cha has been appearing on social networking sites about tourism in Hue, as an invitation for tourists to enjoy the most beautiful season of the year in this mangrove forest.

Ru Cha is the only remaining mangrove forest in the largest lagoon system in Southeast Asia - Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon.

About 14km east of Hue city center, Ru Cha has an area of about 5 hectares, with the function of preventing salinity, protecting aquatic resources and the mainland.

This mangrove forest has more than 90% of its area covered with wild tea trees. Every late autumn, all the tea trees here will change from green to a poetic bright yellow.

Letting the flycam fly high into the sky, visitors can see with their own eyes the entire forest lit up with golden light as the green patches of tea trees turn into a beautiful bright yellow.

Walking on the winding concrete paths through the forest surrounded by tea tree roots with strange shapes, visitors will also have interesting experiences, especially during this leaf-changing season.

Rú Chá - khu rừng ngập mặn độc nhất hệ đầm phá Tam Giang đẹp ma mị mùa thay lá - Ảnh 3. — *In late autumn, Ru Cha changes from green to bright yellow. This is also the most beautiful season of the year in this mangrove forest - Photo: NHAT LINH*

Underneath the forest canopy is a whole ecosystem of crustaceans taking shelter. The red-clawed crabs often bask in the sun and will quickly run into their caves when someone approaches.

If you are luckier, you can also see mudskippers - a special fish species that only appears deep in the forests of Ru Cha.

Traveling nearly 100km from Da Nang City to Hue to enjoy the wild beauty of Ru Cha, Nguyen Hoang Anh (living in Da Nang City) said that this is truly a forest straight out of a fairy tale.

Rú Chá, khu rừng ngập mặn độc nhất hệ đầm phá Tam Giang đẹp ma mị mùa thay lá - Ảnh 4. — *The roads lined with tea trees turning bright yellow attract tourists - Photo: NHAT LINH*

When coming to Ru Cha with a group of friends, Hoang Anh decided to rent an ao dai and a boat to take pictures in the middle of the mangrove forest.

“You can stop everywhere in the forest to take pictures, especially ancient photos. When you come to Ru Cha, don’t forget to visit the ranger tower and rent a boat to the middle of the forest. Those are two very beautiful places to take pictures,” said Hoang Anh.

People benefit from Ru Cha tourism

The days when Ru Cha changes are also the days when people doing tourism services around the forest earn a decent income during their off-season farming days.

Mr. Binh, a boatman in Ru Cha, said that in the past week, the number of tourists coming here has increased dramatically, sometimes hundreds of them. The large number of tourists also helps Mr. Binh earn extra money by rowing boats and taking pictures.

“Each time I row a boat to take guests around the forest to take pictures, I earn about 200,000-300,000 VND/trip, depending on the guests’ requests. Yet, there are days when I earn a few million VND thanks to this side job,” said Mr. Binh.