Twenty young ambassadors from South Korea's Sihwa Lake area spent November 10 in Ninh Bình Province, swapping restoration know-how with Vietnamese students in the heart of Cúc Phương National Park — the country's oldest and most storied protected forest.
The visit was part of the Sihwa Lake Youth Ambassador 2026 programme, run jointly by the Sihwa Lake Sustainable Partnership, youth foundations from the cities of Siheung, Ansan and Hwaseong, the Korea Environment Institute, and Cúc Phương's management board. The pairing is deliberate: Sihwa Lake is held up in South Korea as a flagship case of ecological and hydrological restoration, while Cúc Phương — established as Việt Nam's first national park — is often called the nation's conservation capital.
The ambassadors prepared in South Korea before travelling, then shared what they'd learned about water quality recovery and wetland conservation with ten standout students from Cúc Phương Secondary School. The setting made the lessons land differently than any classroom could: the group toured wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facilities that care for some of Việt Nam's rarest and most endangered species, explored the Cúc Phương Museum's natural history collections, and walked the primeval forest together.
It wasn't all lectures. The day mixed in environmental-themed painting, friendly sports matches and cultural performances — the kind of low-key exchanges that tend to stick. Staff from the park's Environmental Education & Services Centre framed the underlying message simply: care for nature doesn't stop at borders. Both sides also flagged the visit as a starting point for longer-term cooperation on environmental education and biodiversity work.
For travellers, the story is a useful nudge. Cúc Phương is roughly two hours from Hà Nội and offers exactly what this programme celebrated — an Endangered Primate Rescue Center, a turtle and carnivore conservation complex, ancient caves, and some of the oldest karst forest in Southeast Asia. Visiting the rescue centres and joining a guided walk supports the same conservation work the ambassadors came to learn about. And if you time it right, you can combine it with nearby Ninh Bình icons like Tràng An and Tam Cốc, all within a short drive.
Who's it for? Nature-focused travellers, families with kids curious about wildlife, and anyone who prefers their sightseeing with a conservation payoff. The park's education programmes mean visitors can experience the same hands-on environmental learning the Korean and Vietnamese students shared.
