Xuân Liên Nature Reserve

08/02/2025 32 1
Xuân Liên Nature Reserve

Entrance to the Nature Reserve

Xuân Liên Nature Reserve is located in the upper reaches of the Chu River in Thường Xuân District, to the west of Thanh Hóa Province, Viet Nam. It is 130 kilometers northwest of Thanh Hóa City.

The reserve was established in December 1999, with a total area of 27,668 hectares. This includes a strict protection area of 19,800 hectares, an ecological restoration area of 7,848 hectares, and a service and administrative area of 20 hectares. Additionally, the buffer zone of the reserve covers 33,590 hectares. However, another source states that the total area of the reserve is 23,610 hectares, covering the communes of Bát Mọt, Yên Nhân, Xuân Khao, Xuân Liên, Xuân Mỹ, Vạn Xuân in Thường Xuân District.

After the dissolution of the communes of Xuân Mỹ, Xuân Liên, and Xuân Khao (the area around the Cửa Đặt reservoir) in 2008, Xuân Liên Nature Reserve now falls within the communes of Bát Mọt, Yên Nhân, and Vạn Xuân in Thường Xuân District.
The reserve is near the Viet Nam-Laos border, bounded by the Cao River to the north, and shares borders with Nghệ An Province to the west and south. The reserve is located along a mountain range running from Sầm Nưa in Laos to Thường Xuân and Như Xuân districts in Thanh Hóa Province, with several high peaks such as Tà Leo Mountain (1,400 meters), Bù Chó Mountain (1,563 meters), Bù Hòn Hàn (1,208 meters), and an unnamed peak reaching 1,605 meters, the highest point. The region's geology is diverse, including sedimentary rocks, shale, spilite, and various other metamorphic rocks like lava and glass.

Xuân Liên Nature Reserve borders Pù Hoạt Nature Reserve in Nghệ An Province, with a common boundary of up to 20 kilometers. If both areas are well protected, the total protected area will reach 90,000 hectares. The forests in Xuân Liên Nature Reserve play a crucial role in protecting the headwaters of the Chu River.

According to preliminary statistics, the reserve contains over 6,000 hectares of primary forest and 572 plant species, including 156 medicinal plants, more than 40 fruit-bearing species, over 300 timber species, 23 species used for resin and oil extraction, such as aloeswood, bời lời, cinnamon, and hundreds of other medicinal plants, basketry plants, and several dozen species of orchids. Notably, there is the Bắc Sơn palm, which remains healthy year-round, with its leaves clustered at the top, creating a majestic and imposing appearance.

The area’s wildlife diversity is also relatively high compared to other protected areas in northern and central Viet Nam. A total of 38 mammal species have been recorded, ten of which are globally threatened. The mammals include important species for conservation, such as the gaur, grey langur, black gibbon, and Roosevelt's muntjac (Muntiacus rooseveltorum). This is the first record of Roosevelt’s muntjac in VietNam, 69 years after it was first discovered in Laos. A total of 134 bird species have been recorded, including the narrowly distributed long-billed laughingthrush.

Preliminary statistics indicate the reserve is home to 136 bird species from 11 orders and 29 families, with some species having large populations, such as wild chickens and pheasants. The reserve also houses 53 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 143 butterfly species.

Within the Xuân Liên Nature Reserve is the Cầm Bá Thước Temple, dedicated to the leader of the Cần Vương movement in western Thanh Hóa. The temple is located at the Cửa Đạt junction on the right bank of the Chu River, in the former Xuân Mỹ Commune. About 1 kilometer to the east of the Cửa Đạt Irrigation and Hydropower Works is the Cô Temple, which visitors must visit before proceeding to the Cầm Bá Thước Temple and the Bà Chúa Thượng Ngàn Temple (The Goddess of the Upper Forest).

Some images of Xuân Liên Nature Reserve:

The landscape of the homestays in the tourist area

Visitors' experience with nature

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