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W
hen the summer holidays
start, Hanoi is scorch-
ing and stuffy from early
morning till late at night.
My children feel bored of playing games
in air-conditioned rooms and I have
no time for a vacation. This year, this
was really a headache for me until one
Saturday my friend called and asked us
to cycle with his family to the outskirts
of the city.
We all love cycling, so after a quick
breakfast, we started riding towards the
Hanoi Opera House to join the cycling
group and head out to the rural area
south of Hanoi.
As we left the urban sprawl behind,
the traffic was busy, but it was still a
pleasure to cycle beside the railway
tracks. It took around 40 minutes to
reach the Vietnam Forest Museum.
It would be hard to find the mu-
seum without a local guide. Located in
a dense residential area, the museum is
part of the Forest Inventory and Plan-
ning Institute and it is almost invisible
to both local and foreign tourists.
The museum operates as a store-
house to keep the results of studies
and therefore it is not always open to
the public. However, if you register in
advance you will be welcomed warmly
and guided enthusiastically. The staff
are very friendly and have a deep knowl-
edge of trees, animals, insects and even
the soil and rocks of Vietnam. They have
many years of experience in research-
ing Vietnamese forests in cooperation
with international organisations.
The museum was much more
amazing than I expected given its out-
ward appearance. It has both a large
exhibition building and a three hectare
botanical garden.
We first visited the main building
which houses the biggest collection of
forest specimens, including birds, mam-
mals, reptiles, amphibians, flora and in-
sects. The collection has been gathered
from all over the country and includes
various endangered species. All of the
specimens are kept in good conditions
with careful notes.
Our kids were very excited as soon
as they stepped into the lobby where
they saw a big white one-horn rhino
skeleton and two giant sets of ele-
phant bones.
Passing the lobby, the tour begins
in the animal room with its tiger, pan-
ther, bear, wild boar and wild cat. Next
local hoofed animals such as the sao
la deer, muntjac and spotted deer are
One of the simplest ways to escape the heat and
smoke of Hanoi is to cycle to the Vietnam Forest
Museum, a surprising hideaway where visitors can
enjoy the fresh atmosphere of the jungle and learn
about nature. By
Duc Hanh
The hidden forest
TOURISM
TO GET THERE:
Vietnam Forest Museum is located 12km
south of Hanoi on Ngoc Hoi Road in Vinh
Quynh commune. To get there by bus, take
number 8 from Long Bien Bus station which
stops just 10m from the museum gate. To
register for a visit, contact 04 3683 9027 or
email baotangtnrvn@gmail.com . Ticket is
VND50,000 per child for guide and games.
Kids play in the museum grounds