Bang Lang Stork Garden is located in Thot Not District, Can Tho Province. Turning off National Highway 9 for about 1km, crossing a small bridge, and following a village path, you will see the Bang Lang Stork Garden, spanning over 2 hectares, appearing before your eyes. The narrow path leading in is shaded by two rows of deep green bamboo, allowing you to feel the peaceful and quiet atmosphere of the countryside.

In the spring, traveling by boat into the stork garden, the floating sensation on the waves along with the sight of purple crape myrtle (Bang Lang) flowers blooming along the riverbanks reflecting on the water leaves a lasting impression on visitors. From afar, the vast stork garden begins to appear. People say Bang Lang Stork Garden is the largest bird sanctuary in the Mekong Delta, and they are certainly not wrong.

The owner of this unique garden is a genuine Southern farmer, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thuyen—also known as Mr. Bay Co (Mr. Seven Stork). He shared that around January 1983, a flock of hundreds of “Cò ma” (little egrets)—a small type of stork with dark bodies and grey-white wings that blend with leaf colors—suddenly flew in and covered a corner of the garden. Shortly after, the entire flock abruptly left, and it took nearly a year for them to return. This time, they brought along new friends, including nearly ten species of storks of various sizes, totaling tens of thousands. This time, they settled permanently and multiplied. Storks usually forage in pairs or sometimes in flocks. They find food on their own year-round, but during the dry season, the garden owner, Mr. Bay Co, has to provide supplemental food daily. The garden has now expanded to 15 “cong” (about 1.5 hectares), and all the bamboo thickets and “o moi” (pink shower) trees in the garden have long been considered their home. Every year, he renovates their “housing,” deepens the ditches, releases more fish and snails, and plants more trees for shade. As the saying goes, “birds settle on good land.”

Most of these stork species gather in the garden during the breeding season from the 8th to the 1st month of the lunar calendar each year. Specifically, the little egrets gather to nest and lay eggs from the 2nd to the 4th lunar month.

Bang Lang Stork Garden is home to many different types of storks of various species. To catch unforgettable sights, you can arrive at 6-7 AM to watch flocks of white storks setting off to forage, or at 5 PM to welcome them flying back. In the rosy sunset, flocks of storks follow one another home, their wings tilting with the wind as they call out to each other. If you want to immerse yourself in the spirit of the Southwest, you can listen to the soulful folk melodies of the locals blending with the rustling sounds of the storks.

Bang Lang Stork Garden is an attractive destination for those who love exploring nature and enjoy the scenery of a peaceful countryside with rice fields, green bamboo groves, and white storks soaring. Come and feel it for yourself!!!

Compiled by Bang Tam