Situated to the North West of Cat Ba Island, Cat Ba Nation Park contributes to the rich flora and fauna collection of Vietnam. The Park covers an area of 15,200 ha, including 9,800 ha of forests with splendid grottoes.
Natural Gifts
There are some 745 species of plants, including various species of rare wood trees such as Tri Ly, Lat Hoa, Lim Set, Gie Hoa, Kim Giao, white wood. Most notable is Kim Giao wood, the material to make chopsticks for the Kings. It is said that Kim Giao chopstick will show bubbles and turn itself into red when it touches poisoned food.
Cat Ba National Park is also home to 20 species of mammals, 69 species of birds, 20 species of reptiles and amphibians, 11 species of frogs. Many of these animals are listed in the Red Book and under tight protection. The most notable of all is Vooc (white faced monkeys), which can only be found on Cat Ba Island. Another strange plant is Ma Tien fruit, an extremely toxic fruit. If a person eats Ma Tien he will die immediately, but the white-faced Vooc often survive on Ma Tien leaves and fruits.