The Van Long wetland reserve, located in the north of Gia Vien district in Ninh Binh province, is dotted with spectacular islands and caves. Covering more than 3,000 hectares, Van Long is considered the Red River Delta’s wetland nature reserve and is home to thousands of land and aquatic flora and fauna. Among them are rare and endangered species listed in Vietnam’s Red Book, such as Delacour’s langur. From the start of this year, the provincial Department of Forest Protection has detected 15 gross violations in the forestry sector and imposed fines totalling more than over 5,700 USD. In the time to come, the department said it will bolster inspections to tackle violations in a timely manner to protect local biodiversity./.