Ben En National Park is a national park

National park

A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...

 in Thanh Hóa Province, Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

. The national park was founded by the decision 33 dated 27 January 1992 of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Vietnam

Prime Minister of Vietnam

-Office:The Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the head of the executive branch of the Vietnamese government. The Prime Minister presides over the Vietnamese cabinet, and is responsible for appointing and supervising ministers...

.

Location

The national park is situated in districts

Districts of Vietnam

||The provinces of Vietnam are divided into counties , provincial cities , and county-level towns .The centrally-controlled municipalities are subdivided into rural counties , county-level towns , and urban districts , which then subdivided into wards ....

 of Như Thanh

Nhu Thanh

Nhu Thanh is a district of Thanh Hoa Province in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 82,841. The district covers an area of 586 km². The district capital lies at Ben Xung.-References:...

 and Như Xuân

Nhu Xuan

Nhu Xuan is a district of Thanh Hoa Province in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 59,713. The district covers an area of 860 km². The district capital lies at Yen Cat.-References:...

, Thanh Hóa Province. The park is about 46 kilometres (28.6 mi) southwest of Thanh Hoa City. The coordinates: 19°31′ to 19°43′ N and 105°25′ to 105°38′ E.

Total area is 14735 hectares (57 sq mi), of which primitive forest covers 8544 hectares (33 sq mi). There are mounts, hills, streams, rivers in the park area. The park features a 3000 hectares (12 sq mi) lake with 21 islets.

Biodiversity

Studies found that there are several rare species in this park. So far recovered were 1,389 species of plants, 1,004 species of animals, 66 species of, 201 species of birds, 54 species of reptiles, 31 species of amphibians, 68 species of fish and 499 species of insects. There are 462 varieties of flora in the park, and 125 orders. Probably some of the reported species are now extinct.

Tourism

The national park's main attraction is Lake Song Muc which can be explored by motor boat or kayak. Further tourist attractions are a caves situated in the South and the North of the national park. There are two forest trails, one starting next to the guesthouse of the national park, the other is situated n one of the islands. This island has two holiday homes which are for rent. The guesthouse next to the dam offers basic accommodation.

Ethnic groups

Different ethnic groups including the Thai

Thai people

The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...

, Tho

Tho people

The Thổ ethnic group inhabits the mountainous regions of northern Vietnam, mainly Nghệ An province southwest of Hanoi. They speak the Tho language, which is closely related to Vietnamese...

 and Muong

Muong people

The Mường is the third largest of Vietnam’s 53 minority groups, with an estimated population of 1.2 million. The Muong people inhabit the mountainous region of northern Vietnam, concentrated in Hoa Binh Province and the mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa Province. They are most closely related to...

live within the national park.

External links

• Vườn quốc gia Bến En on Thanh Hoa Tourist Site
• Vietnam National Parks & Reserves