Pu Mat National Park is located in the middle of the Annamite Range. Pu Mat National Park is located in Anh Son, Con Cuong and Tuong Duong districts, Nghe An Province, Its beautiful landscape and abundance of fauna and flora have also made Pu Mat a popular tourist destination. Pu Mat National Park is located on the eastern slope of the Truong Son mountain range, spanning the Con Cuong,  Anh Son, and Tuong Duong districts of Nghe An Province. Pu Mat, in the Thai language, means ‘high slopes’.

The park was established in 2002 and recognized by UNESCO as a World Nature Reserve in 2007,with a core area of 94,000 ha and a buffer zone of 100,000 ha.  At 1,840 meters above sea level, Pu Mat is cloudy the year around. It is one of Viet Nam’s principal nature reserves, with 2,400 flora species that include numerous valuable herbal plants.

Of these flora species, 37 are listed in Viet Nam’s Red Book and 20 which are in the world Red Book. The forest also has 240 fauna species that include elephant, tiger, and a rare animal called a saola, that looks like a cross between an antelope and a goat or cow.

The Saola, also known as the ‘Asian unicorn’ is one of the world’s rarest species. It was completely unknown before 1992 and has been found living only in the Truong Son forest of Viet Nam and Laos. 

It is also on the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Cao Tien Trung, an official of Vinh University, said, “Pu Mat Nature Reserves has great biological importance. Pu Mat National Park, Pu Huong Nature Reserve, and Pu Hoat Nature Reserve represent a rich source of rare and precious genetic material.”

Running across Pu Mat National Park is the Giang River, whose magnificent waterfalls, channels, and caves draws many tourists and has boosted local incomes.
 

Nguyen Van Vinh, a tourism official in Nghe An Province, said, “Pu Mat National Park has a great tourism potential in mountain climbing, kayaking, and camping. Ecological tours are becoming increasingly popular in Viet Nam as in the rest of the world.”

In the buffer zone of the National Park are villages inhabited by Thai, Kho Mu, O Du, and Dan Lai ethnic minority people, who still cling to their traditional customs and culture.

Ngo Kim Hong, a tourist from Ha Noi, said, “Dancing over bamboo poles and drinking rice wine through bamboo tubes are impressive experiences. Visiting the Thai villages, I love to watch the locals weave their brocades. It’s fun to pose for a photo in a beautiful Thai brocade dress while standing beside a waterfall or in the dense forest.”

Pu Mat National Park is a place where scientists can explore a rich biodiversity of unspoiled nature while tourists explore the area’s beautiful scenery and rich ethnic cultures.

The park, formerly known as Pu Mat National Reserve, covers an area of over 91,000ha and has 896 flora species, 241 mammal species, 137 bird species, 25 reptiles and 15 amphibians. Many scientists also see Pu Mat as Viet Nam’s great museum of animal gene pool.

Significantly, Pu Mat is one of Viet Nam’s rare forests such as Quang Nam, Danang, Ha Tinh and Thua Thien-Hue where sao la (long-horned bovid or scientific name Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) can be found. Sao la is one of the animals facing extinction, according to the World Conservation Union’s Red List of Endangered Species.

Together with many unique animals, the primitive forest also has many beautiful landscapes. Among the favourite destinations are the 150m Kem Waterfall, Giang River and ethnic minority villages in the forest such as Thai, Tho, Dan Lai and H’Mong.

The trekking tours, where travellers have an opportunity to explore the jungle and unique villages, are among the top choices for visitors of Pu Mat. These tours also allow visitors to speak to ethnic minorities and learn about their arts and culture, visit villages making brocades or tho cam and enjoy special food such as com lam (rice in bamboo cylinders).

Romantic landscapes
From the town of Con Cuong, less than a 30-minute drive, Khe Kem waterfall originates at an altitude of 1,200m gliding laps through the vallet and cliffs, flowing down like flock of white clouds. Right at the food of the waterfall, visitors can sit on the rocks, enjoying fishing or bathing. “Mat” fish in Giang river – Khe Kem is famously delicious since it is the specialty of Western Nghe An.
 

The shadows brought by primary forest keep enhancing the picturesque beauty of a romantic waterfall. Not far away from Khe Kem, Moc springs (Nua village, Yen Khe) is also a captivating destination for visitors. It has such preferable climate: cool in summer and warm in winter. Everyday, hundreds of visitors find their ways to Moc springs to cool themselves off.

Visiting Pu Mat National Park, visitors will be lost in heavenly land full of plants. On the mountain, with the height of 1,500 meters or less stay the swarf forest trees intersperse between the Penjing, each tree is a precious treasure of nature with amazing looks.

Besides, when in Western of Nghe An region, iy would be a shame if not meantioning the specialties of the highlands as there are lots of unique, savory dishes: “mat” fish, “lam” rice, purple sticky rice, wild boar…

Extraordinary local culture
Coming to Pu Mat National Park, visitors will have opportunity to learn about the unique culture of Thai and Dan Lai ethnic minority. By choosing the homestay tour, visitors can experience daily life of the indigenous people: try cooling traditional dishes, using weaving looms to make fabric, sleeping on the floor… The most impressive to be mentioned is the five-pipe dancing, bamboo dancing when the night dalls, drinking wine and enjoying time with indigenous people who are so hospitable and honest. Besides, tourists can visit and buy local products at village specializing in traditional handloom textile, choosing unique gifts for relatives and friends such as handbag, scarves, wallets… which are meticulously embroidered by hand with sophisticated, silky textures.

Currently, Vinh Guru Tours and Ethnic Voyage are the 2 pioneers to develop tourism products called “Discovering the beauty of Pu Mat – Western Nghe An”. With the slogan “Tourist’s satisfaction comes first”, in recent time, Vinh Guru and Ethnic Voyage have attracted many group of inbound and outbound tourists to come and experience the community tourism at Pu Mat National Park.