The colours of Ke Go Nature Reserve

Covered by rare trees and home to many endangered animal species, Ke Go Nature Reserve has become a popular destination in Ha Tinh province. The reserve is around 20km south of Ha Tinh City.
Ke Go is the name of an ancient village in Ha Tinh province. Ke Go was situated along the Rao Cai river, which is home to hundreds of streams from the Truong Son range. This river was both a means of support for thousands people and also the cause of great disasters in the flood season.
In the early 20th century, the French designed a dam to control this river, work that remained unfinished due to World War II and the Indochina War. In 1976, after the country’s reunification, construction of a reservoir named Ke Go began. It was put into operation in 1988.
Ke Go reservoir is located in the three districts of Cam Xuyen, Ky Anh and Huong Khe. This is a great irrigation resource, which can hold 350 million cubic metres of water to irrigate 17,000 hectares of rice and crops in Ha Tinh province. With a length of over 30km, this reservoir is also a source of fish and shrimp for residents.
The reservoir is also a key part of the 35 hectare Ke Go Nature Reserve, one of the largest reserves in the central region. The reserve was established in 1997 to protect the Vietnamese Pheasant (Lophura hatinhensis) and the Imperial Pheasant (Lophura imperialis), as well as biodiversity in this province. Nearly 100 species of amphibians and reptiles exist in this area, as shown by the German biologist Dr. Thomas Ziegler. Ke Go is home to one of the last lowland rainforests of Vietnam.
The provincial government is calling for investment to turn the Ke Go reservoir and the Ke Go Nature Reserve into an ecological tourist site.