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U Minh Thượng National Park | |
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IUCN category II (
national park) | |
Location | miền Nam Việt Nam |
Nearest city | Rạch Giá[ clarification needed] |
Coordinates | 9°35′00″N 105°5′0″E / 9.58333°N 105.08333°E |
Area | 80.53 km2 (30 square miles) |
Established | 14 January 2002 |
Governing body | UBND of Kiên Giang Province |
Official name | U Minh Thuong National Park |
Designated | 30 April 2015 |
Reference no. | 2228 [1] |
U Minh Thượng National Park or National Park of Upper U Minh ( Vietnamese language: Vườn quốc gia U Minh Thượng) is a national park in the province of Kiên Giang, Vietnam. [2]
It was established according to decision number 11/2002/QĐ-TTg, dated 14 January 2002, signed by then[ clarification needed] Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng. This decision turned the U Minh Thuong Nature Reserve into U Minh Thuong National Park.
The park covers approximately 80.53 km2 (30 square miles) with the nearest city being Rạch Giá[ clarification needed]
U Minh Thuong National Park is widely considered the richest region of the Mekong delta in terms of plant and animal biodiversity. [3] It boasts of over 243 plant species. [2] The park has a rich and varied mammalian population, totaling an impressive 32 species, including hairy-nosed otters and fishing cats. U Minh Thuong National Park is a haven for rare and endangered birds. A total of 187 species of birds has been recorded here, including the oriental darter, spot-billed pelican, black-headed ibis, glossy ibis, greater spotted eagle and Asian golden weaver. [4] There are also a total of 39 amphibian species and 34 species of fish in the park. Both the saltwater crocodile and the Siamese crocodile were once found here, but a 2002 study concluded that both species were extinct in the park. [5]
During the First Indochina War the U Minh Forest was a Viet Minh stronghold. In 1952, 500 French paratroopers dropped into the U Ming forest to attack Viet Minh and were never heard from again. [6] During the Vietnam War it was a Vietcong base area. [7] Officers Humbert Roque Versace and James N. Rowe of the United States Army were captured by the Vietcong during a battle in the U Minh Forest in October 1963. Versace was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by American Military and Rowe escaped five years later. [8] American politician John Kerry commanded a Swift boat in the area during the Vietnam War, known as the American War in Vietnam.