Giao Phúc


Giao Phúc is a commune in Ninh Bình, Vietnam approximately 150 km South-East of Hanoi. It has a population of 10,000 people.
The main source of income of the people of Giao Phúc comes from marine life. Being 40% Christian, there is a collection of churches around the village. The other predominant religion is Buddhism.

Xuan Thuy National Park

In January 1989, Xuân Thủy National Park was declared Vietnam's first Ramsar site; a wetland of international importance. The Xuan Thuy
Nature Reserve was established in 1995 and was upgraded to a national park in 2003.
Located in the Giao Thuy district forming part of the UNESCO Red River Biosphere Reserve, it is a rich, biodiverse, coastal wetland that houses about 220 species of birds, 110 aquatic plants and 500 other aquatic organisms. Many highly valuable types of seafood like shellfish, shrimps, fish, crabs and oysters are also found in this area. It is also a critically important staging area and wintering area for migratory birds visiting and passing through Vietnam from northeast Asia and Siberia to Australia.

Visiting

It is possible to visit Giao Xuan and do a homestay with a local family in a traditional home. There is a twice-daily bus that runs directly between Hanoi and Giao Xuan. Most homes have hot water and western toilets. The people eat typical Vietnamese food including seafood, pork, rice, and fish sauce.
The town has a:

Nuoc Mam ''Making House. Fish sauce is the one ingredient that is quintessentially Vietnamese and it lends a distinctive character to Vietnamese cooking. The sauce is made by fermenting highly salted fish in large ceramic vats for four to twelve months.
Rice Wine House: In Vietnamese culture, rice wine is typically enjoyed with every meal. It is customary to invite the whole table to drink simultaneously. Most households produce their own rice wine resulting in each batch varying in alcoholic strength.
Jellyfish processing: The jellyfish are freshly caught and brought to the local processing plant and prepared for export or local consumption.
Churches and pagodas
Cultural performances
Local marketplace''
Near to Giao Xuan is the Xuan Thuy National Park which can be visited by boat along the Vop River or by foot through mangrove forests.
During migration and staging seasons, rare species of birds like spoon-billed sandpiper, Nordmann's greenshank, grey-headed lapwing and Asian dowitcher reside in the park.
Eleven species of birds, found within the project area, are listed as globally threatened or near-threatened, including the endangered spotted greenshank, the spoon-billed sandpiper, and the black-faced spoonbill, the near-threatened Asia dowitcher, the black-headed ibis, the painted stork and the Japanese paradise-flycatcher, the least-concerned grey-headed lapwing, and the vulnerable Saunder's gull, the Chinese egret, and the spot-billed pelican.
Rare globally listed mammals existing in the park include the fishing cat and the finless porpoise, as well as locally listed dolphin species.