Cuc Phuong forest has the structure of a typical tropical rain forest with many layers, in order from high to low: upper layer, canopy layer, middle forest layer, shrub layer and litter layer.

Cuc Phuong Forest system

The high forest floor includes giant tree stumps that stand out among the entire forest. The typical tree species of this forest floor is the Cho Chi tree (Parashorea chinensis H. Wang) with a large and upright trunk, the most famous being the thousand-year-old tree.

The forest canopy is concentrated with medium-sized trees, such as golden yellow and yellow bamboo. This is the forest floor that receives the most sunlight, has green leaves all year round and contains many colorful flowers and fruits. Producing abundant amounts of oxygen, this forest floor plays an essential role in regulating the biosphere.

The middle forest floor receives less light. This is where small trees and giant-sized vines gather.

The shrub layer absorbs most of the remaining light. This forest floor is home to a number of plants with large leaves that absorb light well, such as the cypress tree. The largest leaves of this plant are the size of an adult’s umbrella.

For reasons of geography above and climatic conditions of the forest, Cuc Phuong also has many species of insects living and residing such as: worms, butterflies, snakes, centipedes, spiders, beetles, stick insects, millipede, leaf beetles, locusts, mantises, caterpillars, grasshoppers and some endemic species that only exist in Cuc Phuong.

Some common insects

Cuc Phuong has many strange insects under the canopy of shrubs, commonly known as walking stick insects. This insect appears a lot in Cuc Phuong National Pảk with many shapes and rich camouflage colors, very similar to the tree branches they cling on. The length of the body of an adult stick insect alone can reach 30 cm. Time from May to October is available and easy see them on trees.