Horrifying "encounters"

In early March 2025, Mr. Lam Van Tuan, a staff member at checkpoint 21-100 in U Minh Ha National Park, took us to the area where the ancient fig tree stands amidst the pristine forest. This area used to be a checkpoint for the forest fire prevention and control force during the dry season; the unit members often called it the "monkey checkpoint" because many monkeys lived there.

Anh Tuan recounted that more than 20 years ago, in late January and early February, the water at the foot of the melaleuca forest began to dry up, and the vines on the melaleuca trees gradually withered, signaling the arrival of a severe dry season. Around 9 PM, as the team members were preparing to go to sleep, they suddenly heard a loud noise under a fig tree on the other side of the canal, mixed with the frantic screams of a weasel or monkey. Suspecting something was wrong, one team member quickly ran out and shone a flashlight to investigate. After shining the flashlight for a while, Vo Van Teng, the first person to see it, trembling, ran back inside and recounted: "What was it? It was huge, its head as big as a thermos flask, its two eyes glowing red, as big as a thumb, its body as thick as a banana tree, chasing prey. It looked like a snake, a very large one."

Mr. Lam Van Tuan, a staff member at checkpoint 21-100 in U Minh Ha National Park, recounted his encounter with a king cobra about 20 years ago.

Mr. Lam Van Tuan, a staff member at checkpoint 21-100 in U Minh Ha National Park, recounted his encounter with a king cobra about 20 years ago.

Hearing this, the whole team ran out to check and saw the snake raising its head about 3-4 meters above the ground, chasing its prey. The group panicked, quickly turned off their flashlights, and ran into the hut to hide, fearing the snake would see the light and follow them, causing danger. Afterward, the team quickly used their Icom radio to call the station commander, who then ordered them to go to the sturdy hut, about 2 km away, to sleep safely. The next morning, the team returned to the outpost to continue their duties as usual.

“More than a week later, one morning, a member of the outpost was standing under a temporary bridge (to make it easier for the men to draw water from the canal for daily use) fishing for snakehead fish when he suddenly heard a rustling sound in the reeds. He immediately dropped his fishing rod and ran into the hut, saying, ‘It’s here again, guys! It’s a huge king cobra, its body is as big as a house pillar, it’s gray and it’s chasing its prey.’ After that, I reported the incident to my superiors, but none of the leaders believed me and thought the whole team was making up the story,” Tuan continued.

The chilling stories of giant king cobras in U Minh Ha are still passed down mysteriously among local people and forest rangers.

“About a month later, Mr. Nguyen Quang Cua (Chin Cua), then the head of the Ca Mau Forest Protection Department, along with a motorbike driver named Hoa, went to inspect the drought situation in the forest. When the motorbike reached the middle of the forest, Mr. Chin suddenly saw something lying on the road ahead. Approaching closer, Mr. Chin discovered it was a snake crawling across the road. Seeing this, Hoa slammed on the brakes and turned around to flee, not daring to look back. From then on, the unit's leaders no longer said that the forest protection team at my station was making up stories,” Mr. Tuan added.

Traces of the "forest spirit"

Stories about giant king cobras that once appeared in U Minh Ha National Park are still deeply etched in the minds of many people, including many who have had the opportunity to "encounter" one.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Truyen, Head of the Ecotourism and Environmental Education Department of U Minh Ha National Park, recounted: “During the dry season of 2014, Mr. Ngo Van Khang, a forest ranger, and his colleagues were patrolling the forest at noon when they suddenly saw a large king cobra crawling across the road. Terrified by the enormous snake, Mr. Khang ran straight back to report it. My colleagues and I rode our motorbikes to the exact location Mr. Khang indicated. I checked and confirmed the tracks left by a large snake on the soft ground and broken reeds, scattered about 20 cm to the sides. Not far away were several pieces of snake droppings as big as an adult's thigh.”

What Truyen regrets most is that he has yet to have the chance to meet the "forest spirit." "Forest spirit" is how Truyen refers to the giant king cobra in the U Minh forest, because, according to him, many elderly people in the past named this large snake "cloud cobra" because they move so quickly, like "traveling on clouds and wind."

More than 11 years have passed since Truyen first saw the "mark of the forest god," and he and a local forest worker have continued to collect and search for documents and images of giant king cobras in the U Minh forest.

"Many people have reported seeing giant king cobras living in the U Minh Ha forest, but I haven't had the chance to see one myself. I believe that the stories about giant king cobras are true, not myths," Mr. Truyen affirmed.

Trung Dinh - Lam Tuan

Source: https://baocamau.vn/bi-an-ran-ho-may-khong-lo-a38887.html