Pu Luong Nature Reserve in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam
Pu Luong proposed nature reserve is located in Quan Hoa and Ba Thuoc districts, in north-western Thanh Hoa province. To the north-east, the nature reserve is bordered by Mai Chau, Tan Lac and Lac Son districts, Hoa Binh province. The proposed nature reserve lies along two parallel mountain ridges, that run from north-west to south-east, and are bisected by a central valley. This valley contains several human settlements and a large area of agricultural land, and, hence, is not included within the proposed nature reserve.
The two mountain ridges in the proposed nature reserve have starkly contrasting landforms, based on their different substrates. The smaller, south-western ridge is made up of mostly igneous and metamorphic rocks, and consists of rounded forested hills and wide, shallow valleys. The larger, north-eastern ridge is composed of heavily dissected limestone karst, and is a continuation of the limestone range that runs from Cuc Phuong National Park to Son La province. Elevations in the proposed nature reserve range from 60 to 1,667 m.
The hydrology of the limestone ridge is complex, and there is little or no permanent surface water. On the south-western ridge, surface water is more common and streams are much less seasonal. However, the main drainage features of the proposed nature reserve are located in the central valley. This valley is not continuous but has a saddle at its mid-point, which forms the watershed between two small rivers. One of these rivers flows north-west along the valley, and joins the Ma river, which runs to the west and south of the proposed nature reserve. The other river flows south-east along the valley, and joins the Ma river further downstream
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Biodiversity values of Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Vietnam

The primary forest at Pu Luong nature reserve is classified as closed evergreen tropical seasonal forest. Five major subtypes occur as a result of local variations in underlying substrate and elevation: lowland broadleaved forest on limestone (60 to 700 m); lowland broadleaved forest on schist/shale and clayey sandstone (60 to 1,000 m); broadleaved submontane forest on limestone (700 to 950 m); coniferous submontane forest on limestone (700 to 850 m); and broadleaved submontane forest on basalt (1,000 to 1,650 m). The nature reserve also supports a range of secondary vegetation types, including secondary forests, bamboo, scrub and agricultural land.
The results of recent botanical work at Pu Luong indicate that the nature reserve supports a diverse flora, with at least 1,109 vascular plant species documented at the site. From a conservation perspective, three primary forest subtypes found at the site may be considered particularly significant. The first, primary lowland forest on limestone and schist/shale, occurs near the eastern border of the site, in the Co Lung area. Primary forest in the area extends from 60 to 1,000 m, and, at the lowest elevations, supports very high plant species diversity.
The second significant primary forest subtype, primary coniferous submontane forest on limestone, is restricted to a few peaks within the uplands of the Co Luong area and supports outstanding plant diversity, particularly with respect to lithophytes and epiphytes. The globally threatened conifer Pinus kwangtungensis forms a conspicuous element of the flora within this forest subtype.
The third significant primary forest subtype is primary submontane forest on basalt, which occurs on the upper slopes of the south-western mountain ridge within the proposed nature reserve. The primary forest on these upper slopes is characterised by very high plant species diversity, including several nationally threatened conifers.
With regard to the vertebrate fauna of Pu Luong, a total of 84 mammal species (including 24 bat species), 162 bird species, 55 fish species, 28 reptile species and 13 amphibian species have been recorded at the nature reserve to date. Pu Luong nature reserve is an important site for the conservation of the globally critically endangered, endemic primate, Delacour's Leaf Monkey. The population at Pu Luong has been estimated to number 40 to 45 individuals, making it one of the largest known populations in Vietnam.
Knowledge of the invertebrate fauna of the proposed nature reserve remains rudimentary. However, recent surveys conducted at the site indicate that its insect fauna includes at least 158 species of butterfly and 96 species of land snail, including 12 snail species possibly endemic to the site. Most promising perhaps, the botanical uniqueness and natural isolation of certain forest formations at the site suggests that the proposed nature reserve has strong potential to support high levels of invertebrate endemism and, quite possibly, new taxa to science.
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How are you falling?

With the end of the First Indochina War and the creation of North Vietnam and South Vietnam, there were two Vietnamese film industries, with the Hanoi industry focusing on propaganda films and Saigon producing mostly war-society-themed or comedy films.
Hanoi's Vietnam Film Studio was established in 1956 and the Hanoi Film School opened in 1959. The first feature film produced in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was a nationalistic work directed by Nguyễn Hồng Nghị, Chung một Dòng sông (Together on the Same River). There was even an animated feature, Đáng đời Thằng cáo (A Just Punishment for the Fox) in 1960.
Documentaries and feature films from Hanoi attracted attention at film festivals in Eastern Europe at the time. The documentary Nước về Bắc Hưng Hải (Water Returns to Bắc Hưng Hải) won the Golden Award at the 1959 Moscow Film Festival, and the 1963 feature by Phạm Kỳ Nam, Chị Tư Hậu (Sister Tư Hậu) won the Silver Award at Moscow. It starred lead actress Trà Giang.
But mostly the Hanoi-based industry focused on documenting the Vietnam War. Between 1965 and 1973, 463 newsreels, 307 documentaries and 141 scientific films were produced, in contrast to just 36 feature films and 27 cartoons.
Films during this period include the documentaries Du kích Củ Chi (Củ Chi Guerillas in 1967 and Lũy thép Vĩnh Linh (Vĩnh Linh Steel Rampart) in 1970), which included footage from battles. Other films, such as Đường ra phía trước (The Road to the Front) in 1969 and Những người săn thú trên núi Dak-sao (Hunters on Dak-sao Mountain) in 1971 were docu-dramas.
Feature films from this time include Nguyễn Văn Trỗi (1966), Đường về quê mẹ (Road Back to Mother), Truyện vợ chồng Anh Lực (The Story of Anh Lực and his Wife, in 1971, and Em bé Hà Nội (Young Girl from Hanoi) in 1974.
Saigon produced numerous documentary and public information films, as well as feature films. The most well known feature film in the late 1950s was Chúng Tôi Muốn Sống(We Want To Live), a realistic depiction of the bloody land reform campaign in North Vietnam under Communist-dominated Vietminh. Some mid-1960s black-and-white features dealt with war themes, with actors such as Đoàn Châu Mậu and La Thoại Tân. Some later popular color features revolved around the theme of family or personal tragedy in a war torn society, such as Người Tình Không Chân Dung(Faceless Love) starring Kiều Chinh, Xa Lộ Không Đèn(Dark Highway) starring Thanh Nga, Chiếc Bóng Bên Đường(Roadside Shadow) starring Kim Cương and Thành Được. Comedy movies were usually released around Tet, the Vietnamese New Year; most notable was Triệu Phú Bất Đắc Dĩ(The Reluctant Millionaire) starring the well loved comedian Thanh Việt.
Joseph Mankiewicz's adaptation of Graham Greene's The Quiet American was filmed in and around Saigon in 1957. American actor Marshall Thompson directed and starred in A Yank in Vietnam, or Year of the Tiger in 1964.

The forest at Ba Be can be classified into two main types: limestone forest and lowland evergreen forest. The limestone forest is distributed on steep limestone slopes with shallow soil, and covers a large proportion of the national park. This forest type is dominated by Burretiodendron hsienmu and Streblus tonkinensis. Lowland evergreen forest is distributed on shallow slopes with deeper soils. This forest type has a higher tree species diversity than limestone forest and has a richer ground flora.
With regard to mammals, the site is of particular interest for the presence of the globally vulnerable Owston's Civet Hemigalus owstoni and Francois's Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus francoisi, although it appears that only one group of 7 to 13 Francois's Leaf Monkeys remains.
It is highly unlikely, however, that the globally critically endangered Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus continues to occur within the core zone of Ba Be National Park. Information from Ba Be National Park staff suggests that the species may have occurred in the north-west of the national park as recently as 1997.
However, surveys by BirdLife International and Fauna & Flora International on behalf of the Creating Protected Areas for Resource Conservation Using Landscape Ecology (PARC) Project, in 2002 and 2003, provided no evidence in support of the supposition that the species remains at Ba Be.
Ba Be is unique amongst Vietnamese protected areas for the diversity of freshwater habitats. This is reflected to some extent in the diversity of fish species found at the site. Although recent surveys by the PARC Project have documented the existence of several endemic fish species, more work needs to be conducted in this area.
Ba Be also supports a high butterfly species richness. During surveys in 1997 and 1998, a total of 332 species were recorded at the national park, of which 22 were new records for Vietnam.

Tam Dao National Park is located in Son Duong district, Tuyen Quang province, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province, and Lap Thach, Tam Dao and Me Linh districts, Vinh Yen province. The national park lies along a massif, which runs from north-west to south-east, and is isolated from other high-elevation areas by intervening areas of low elevation. There are several peaks over 1,300 m in the national park, the highest of which is Mount Tam Dao Bac at 1,592 m. The lowest point in the national park is c.100 m.
Tam Dao National Park lies within the catchment of two major rivers: the north-east face of the massif lies within the catchment of the Cong river, while the south-west face lies within the catchment of the Day river. Most of the streams and rivers in the national park are steep and fast flowing. Tam Dao experiences a tropical monsoon climate. The mean annual rainfall of around 2,800 mm is concentrated in the rainy season from April to October, when 90% of the total rainfall occurs. During the dry season, rainfall and humidity at higher elevations can be very low, making these areas susceptible to forest fire.

Nestled in the central highlands of Vietnam, Dalat City has long been a retreat for royalty and travelers seeking rest and relaxation in the cool mountain air. In the center of town, rising above Xuan Huong Lake, is Dalat Palace Golf Club, one of the oldest golf courses in the Asian region. Built in the 1920s as the private domain of Emperor Bao Dai, Vietnam’s last emperor, the course has reflected the changing times in Vietnam. Yet despite the transformation the course has seen in the past 50 years, it retains a sense of serenity reminiscent of its early years as the Emperor’s personal course. However, Dalat Palace Golf Club has traveled a very winding path to return to its noble roots.
Dr. Dao Huy Hach, a practicing physician who still resides in Dalat, was the driving force in the initial restoration of the course. When Emperor Bao Dai abdicated in 1945, the course was abandoned and the fairways and greens were erased by vegetation. Fifteen years later, Dr. Hach, who had begun playing golf in Saigon in 1956 at Go Vap Golf Course realized what royal players had known for several decades: the cool climate of Dalat was ideal for the game. With the help of some friends at the Saigon Golf Club, he began the laborious process of rediscovery and restoration.
“There was a caddie from the original course who helped us to find it again” said Dr. Hach. “The most difficult part was seeing the greens. We had to use aerial photos from the National Geography Institution”. Fires during the dry season also turned out to be a boon, as they helped clear away the foliage to reveal former greens and bunkers. Using hand mowers to re-sculpt the fairways, the first hole was restored in 1959, with the second following soon after. These two holes were used for practice until the full nine were completed in 1965.
But the course’s renowned Bent grass greens would not be realized for several decades: Dr. Hach and his group didn’t have the grass for the greens, so they substituted sand mixed but motor oil. The sand and oil combination made for rather fast greens and Dr. Hach smiles as he remembers Billy Casper’s round at the course in 1970. “The first hole was a par 5 and [Casper] hit a driver and 6 iron to the green - and still bogeyed the hole. He had to get used to our greens. But after the first hole, he had no problem”.
The restoration of the course continued for nearly 15 years, as Dr. Hach drew on the assistance of the Saigon Golf Club, Japanese construction companies, and other members of the Dalat Golf Club to reestablish the original nine holes and begin construction of a second nine. He received assistance from the USGA for the second nine, including guidance on construction of greens, at no charge.
Remembering the clubhouse, Dr. Hach laughs. “It was not to international standards”, he says. It was like a garage: no power, no landscaping, no water. I had to bring all of that in.
Dr. Hach estimates the cost of the renovation of the course and clubhouse ran to about 3 million VND (about US$17,000). The Saigon Golf Club funded most of the project, but there were numerous pro bono services offered by Dalat Golf Club members. The government also contributed money towards the construction of greens. In addition, members paid a 4,000VND (US$23) initiation fee and 600 VND (US$4) monthly fee. There were about 40 members through the 1960s, most from the embassy staffs and foreign construction companies in the area.
From 1975 to 1993, the course was left to grow over once again. In 1993, a joint venture project between Danao International Holdings Limited (US based) and Lam Dong Province resulted in the renovation of the first nine holes once again and the completion of the second nine. The course was christened Dalat Pine Lake Golf Club in 1993, then became Dalat Palace Golf Club in 1995.
At 90 years of age, Dr. Hach continues to minister to the hill-tribes of Dalat. His golf bag rests in a corner and he is pleased to show off the hickory-shaft clubs he used three decades ago, along with a set of custom-made irons brought to hem from the US. It’s a little more difficult for him to play these days, he says, but he wants to share his love for the sport with other Vietnamese. Toward this end, he’s written a book. Introducing Golf to Vietnamese: What’s Golf.
Whether or not his book becomes widely read, Dr. Hach has already brought many Vietnamese to the world of golf, and has also helped to bring the golf world to Vietnam, through his 15-year labor of love that rises above Xuan Huong Lake in Dalat.