Dong Tam Snake Farm is an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists – where if you overcome your initial fear, you will embark on an exciting journey to explore the land of snakes.
Origin of Dong Tam snake farm
Dong Tam Snake Farm was established on October 27, 1979 on an area of about 30 hectares, located on the bank of Tien River. Before, this was a place full of mines and barbed wire left by the US. The camp was born on the initiative of Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Duoc, a man with profound knowledge about snakes and passionate about dangerous work but saved many people.
Dong Tam Snake Farm attracts many domestic and foreign tourists to visit and research. Photo: Nguyen Nhat Minh
With the task of scientific research, raising and conservation of precious snakes, planting seedlings for medicinal purposes and processing traditional medicine, thereby helping to rescue and treat poisonous snakes for officials and people. in the region. That is why the snake farm was not originally intended for sightseeing purposes. Through the period of development and then becoming one of the largest snake farms in Vietnam, Dong Tam snake farm is also considered as the first snake museum in our country.
Since then, this place has attracted many domestic and foreign tourists to visit, learn and research. For those of you who like to learn about animals ranked 6th out of these 12 zodiac animals, Dong Tam snake farm is the land that cannot be more suitable to visit.
Because it is a special attraction, when entering a snake farm, you must strictly obey the instructions of the guide to avoid unfortunate consequences. Photo: Nguyen Nhat Minh
Guide to Dong Tam snake farm
Dong Tam Snake Farm is officially called the Center for Cultivation, Research and Processing Medicinal Medicines Military Zone 9. This attractive attraction is located about 9km west of My Tho city, in Binh Duc commune, Chau district. Thanh, Tien Giang province. Dong Tam Snake Farm plays a role as the largest snake-rearing center and snakebite treatment for people of the whole Mekong Delta region.
Below is a guide to this unique Tien Giang tourist destination . From Saigon, you start and go through Highway 1 through Long An, back to the center of My Tho city, then follow Le Thi Hong Gam street towards Rach Mieu Bridge but don’t cross the bridge. You will see a specific signpost to the Dong Tam snake farm.
Dong Tam Snake Farm is the largest snake nurturing area in Vietnam.
If you go from Go Cong town, go through Highway 50 nearly 50km to My Tho city and follow the provincial road 864, if you find it difficult to find, you can search on google maps or ask the people, then you turn Right to the provincial road 870. From here you go about 2km to reach the snake farm.
What is special about Dong Tam snake farm?
Kingdom of snakes
Tourists in Tien Giang, when coming to Dong Tam snake farm, will see with their own eyes 400 different species of snakes. From gentle snakes (water snakes, snakes, …) do not carry venom to poisonous and extremely poisonous snakes (horse tiger, snakeskin snake, roaring tiger, …). Even more impressive is that the Dong Tam snake farm is free to raise snakes in three areas that are built to suit the nature of each snake species, namely the python breeding area, the poisonous snake-keeping area and the snake-rearing area.
Because of the above special features, this place is considered as the first and largest snake museum in Vietnam, attracting many domestic and foreign tourists to visit and research. Now let’s learn 3 specific snake breeding areas in the journey to explore Dong Tam snake farm!
Dong Tam snake farm is quite large and divided into 3 main areas with different species. Photo: Nguyen Nhat Minh. Photo: Nguyen Nhat Minh
Lake area: X Cancer around this area is built with high wall of adult chest and has only one entrance. The deeper you go inside you will have a lake bottom about 30-40cm deep and always tattooed with water. In the middle of the lake, there is a small island with green trees on the wall of the lake. Just look up right above the tree, you will see the whole crowd of snakes wrapped together extremely crowded. There are many typical snakes in this area, which are very common and non-toxic such as water snakes, buckwheat snakes, fish snakes …
Poison snake-keeping area : This area is the “home” of cobra, scorpion, scorpion … and especially dangerous is the king cobra. Because this is an extremely poisonous snake and is ranked E in the Red Book of Vietnam. Because of their extreme toxicity, they are raised in separate pens, decorated inside, simulating a cave as a hiding place.
Dong Tam snake farm is known as the kingdom of snakes, including both strong and healthy types of poison located in Tien Giang. Photo: Nguyen Nhat Minh
This snake breeding center has several hundred king cobra, including the king cobra eating 1.5 kg of trash snakes / time. Each week, the staff in the residence has to feed the snake twice. The cobra only likes to eat toads, clones and mice. These types are only available in the rainy season, so when it comes to the dry season, the snake farm has to store a lot of food for them, even a ton of food in the freezer to feed them gradually.
It can be said that to raise this ferocious snake is a difficult and dangerous job. Because the person holding poisonous snakes must be very careful and gentle when opening the cage, even very slowly so that the hungry snake does not eject or bite him.
Requiring meticulousness, carefulness and high concentration, taking care of a snake is like taking care of a child because the farmer must regularly monitor to detect any strange signs to ensure the safety of the village. relatives, tourists and quickly find the snake’s disease for timely treatment.
Most of the areas are carefully fenced to avoid danger to visitors, avoid other cases of being too curious, close to animals. Photo: Nguyen Nhat Minh
Python Farm: This is an area placed in the heart and has a carefully shielded roof. The inside is decorated with a row of iron cages, hip-height, and the floor is made of wood. Need to design like this because this is the residence of large-sized pythons. In the big cages there are smaller cages, and in each of them there will be curled moons.
It can be said that until now, Dong Tam snake farm is the place to keep the most snake species in Vietnam with more than 40 species of typical snakes in the Mekong Delta. In which, the most remarkable is the king cobra, who is 17 years old, 4.2m long, weighing up to 18kg.
Dong Tam snake farm was built in 1979 and has about 400 snakes from 50 types. Photo: Nguyen Nhat Minh
Unlike other simple tourist destinations in Tien Giang such as Thoi Son islet, Yen village tourist area or Bach Nhat Hoa Vien park , Dong Tam snake farm is not only a sightseeing spot but also serves as an emergency hospital. snakebite treatment. On average, each year, this special center receives more than 500 cases of poisonous snake bites. And the good news is that for many years, there have been no deaths because all were saved in time.
In the middle of the lake in the snake farm, there will be a small island and green trees, which is also home to many types of snakes. Photo: Nguyen Nhat Minh
In addition to the function of saving people, this snake farm also provides a significant amount of snake meat for restaurants and hotels in Tien Giang and surrounding areas.
Traveling to Tien Giang in addition to trying many delicious dishes of Tien Giang cuisine , do not forget to enjoy more typical dishes of Dong Tam snake country. The more interesting thing is that there are snake products such as python and snake in wine, snake medicine, python fat, which can cure many diseases, especially for the elderly such as aches and pains, back pain … can choose to buy as gifts for relatives and friends.
Visiting Dong Tam snake farm and taking photos with python is an activity not to be missed when coming here.
The common home of many rare animals
In addition to the large number of snakes and pythons, in Dong Tam snake farm, there are many species of animals, including some rare and precious Vietnamese animals such as crocodile, ba ba, fox, bear, peacock, ostrich, urchin, momentum, yellow-cheeked gibbons, … Each animal here has its own beauty and personality that makes a miniature wild world for snake farms.
Many visitors here have expressed great excitement when they meet snakes, pythons, tigers, weasels, beavers, giant black and white swans appearing before their eyes. There are also monkeys, apes of all kinds. Besides fear, there is also excitement, curiosity, wanting to learn more about the special “residents” who reside here.
In addition to a lot of snakes, this place also houses a number of other animals such as weasels, dog bears, tigers …
Some notes for the snake farm tour
If you come to the snake farm on the right occasion, you can observe with your own eyes the specialists take snake venom to produce medicine.
In Dong Tam snake farm, there is also a snake museum, which displays more than 50 million specimens of rare snakes. So after you have visited and watched the snakes in three areas of the snake farm, do not miss the equally attractive place to be the Snake Museum!
Visitors are delighted to touch the large python.
When traveling to Dong Tam snake farm , you can take advantage of the rare opportunity but also need some courage to take pictures with a few giant python wrapped around you. This will be your memorable moment!
Note that the opening hours of the snake farm are from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.
Here are some tips on the cost of “bombarding” Dong Tam snake farm:
– Ticket price to visit Dong Tam snake farm:
+ Adult ticket price is 30,000 VND / person
+ Child ticket price is 20,000 VND / child (applies to children from 6-12 years old).
+ Children under 6 years old will be free of charge.
– Car parking: 5000 VND.
– The meals are self-sufficient so you should find out first because there are new restaurants on the highway.
– Some services at Dong Tam snake farm : The first is the journey to visit the largest snake farm in the country, visit the python farm, the area where wildlife breeds of all kinds are; monkey, voc, ostrich, deer, deer.
In addition, there are also stalls selling souvenirs and burn medicine made from python fat.
Snakes in the imagination of many people are very dangerous animals that cannot and should not come near. But coming to Dong Tam snake farm , overcoming the initial fear and after visiting and studying, you will surely have a different thought and realize that there are still many peaceful and non-poisonous snakes besides the species. very poisonous. And even when carrying the venom, if you know how to exploit the snake and its weapons, they are still very beneficial for humans, especially in healing.
It can be said that the world of snakes has always been a place containing many mysteries that need us to learn. So if you have the opportunity to travel to Tien Giang , do not forget to visit the snake farm because if you have come here but have never been to this special “kingdom”, it is considered a disadvantage for you.
Photo: Nguyen Nhat Minh, Internet