The Xeo Quyt forest belongs to two Communes of My Hiep and My Long, Cao Lanh District. A revolutionary base during the anti-French and US resistance wars, the 20ha cajeput forest of present-day Xeo Quyt has been reclaimed and become an attractive historical and ecological tourist site in the southern delta.
To visit the boundless watery cajeput forest in the Plain of Reeds by boat is really an interesting excursion. Boating in the cajeput forest of Xeo Quyt requires a lot of skill. To move forward, the boat glides between cajeput trees, whose roots are rough and covered with a brown and thin multi-layer skin. The air is cool and humid and has the fragrance of the cajeput flowers and latex. Now and then, a bird singing or fish splashing produces a sudden sound that echoes amid the quiet environment. The forest looks like a floating painting. Around it, climbing plants grow along the cajeput trees and brighten under the sunlight. All bring about an atmosphere of a nature full of vitality and wildness. Xeo Quyt reminds visitors of the former vast cajeput forests in the Plains of Reeds and U Minh areas. Although being heavily devastated during the war, in 1975 by the end of the war, more than 100,000ha of submerged forests remained, covering parts of Long An, An Giang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces and producing a wonderful ecological system of the alluvial land at the Mekong River’s estuary. The cajeput forests work as a great water reservoir to fight against salt water and acidity and regulate the humidity during the dry season. During the war, they were ideal destinations for the liberation army men. The crisscrossing canals, built in the early 20th century, became transportation routes and enabled the local people to reclaim land, develop forestry and prevent fire. At the time, the so-called “socio-cultural and economic cajeput forest development” was encouraged and it is linked with the national history of land reclaiming and defence.
The cajeput forests, submerged in the red brown water, are an ideal habitation for numerous kinds of birds, fish and wild animals, typical for the tropical region. The cajeput timber, due to its flexibility and resistance to rotting, are often used in house building and basement floors. Xeo Quyt, a small part in the vast cajeput forests, was a successful undertaking to restore and preserve the cajeput forests to their original historical and ecological background. Further preservation will be considered and implemented. But more importantly, effort should be made by everyone to protect the unique ecological system of the entire submerged area, whose history has developed along with land reclaiming and defending of the fertile southern region.
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