Alarm bells ring for mangroves in Unesco-recognised reserve

A patch of dead mangrove trees in the Can Gio protection forest. - LE QUYNH/The Straits Times/Asia News Network

HO CHI MINH CITY (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): The mangroves in Cai Gio District hold a deep, dark secret. They are the only ones to have recovered from chemical warfare.

Formed in the large delta at the estuaries of three rivers - Dong Nai, Sai Gon and Vam Co - the Can Gio mangroves were almost completely destroyed during the Vietnam War by more than 4.5 million litres of the herbicide known as Agent Orange used mostly by the US military.