Vietnam Wildlife and Nature Tour

Vietnam has a long history of setting up protected park areas to protect wildlife, forest and other important environmental features. Wildlife ranges from tigers to rice-field rats, many varieties of snake and, of course, the famous Vietnamese pot-bellied pig.

The first national park was at Cuc Phuong which was made into a forest reserve in 1960 designated a National Park in 1962 by President Ho Chi Minh. It lies only 120km southwest of Hanoi where its limestone mountains rise from the green rice-terraces and traditional stilt houses of the Muong hill-tribe whose home it is. The park has a visitor's centre introducing the park's natural resources. Cuc Phuong may support as many as 300 species of birds, 65 species of mammals, 37 species of reptiles and 16 species of amphibians. The park is also home to the important Endangered Primate Rescue Centre which has 120 primates of 15 different species of gibbons and langurs in breeding programs. It is also home to the Turtle Conservation Centre, a rescue facility for turtles confiscated from the wildlife trade. The centre houses 16 species, many of which are considered endangered.

Ba Be National Park is located in Bac Kan Province, about 240 kilometres north of Hanoi. It was set up in 1977 to protect Ba Be lake and given National Park status in 1992. 65 mammal species have been recorded in the park, including the Chinese pangolin, various macaques, Asiatic black bear, European otter, red giant flying squirrel, as well as 27 species of bat. It is also home to some endangered fresh water fish species and has a diverse range of butterflies. The park has a range of accommodation, information facilities and tourism services.

Pu Mat is a national park in Nghe An Province, in Vietnam's North Central Coast region. It is one of the most important sites for mammal conservation in Vietnam and is home to a number of globally threatened mammals such as the Indochinese tiger and Asian elephant.

Yok Don is another national park located Tay Nguyen 40 km west of Buon Me Thuot city. This park was established in 1991 to protect 582 km?of a biological area of lowland forest. It, too, is home to a dwindling number of Indochinese tiger, leopards, and Asian elephants.

Cat Tien National Park is an important park located in the south of Vietnam, approximately 150 km north of Ho Chi Minh City. The park is home to one of only two known populations of the Javan Rhinoceros. The area suffered during the Vietnam War when it was extensively sprayed with herbicides like the defoliant Agent Orange. To this day trees have not yet grown back. The park is also threatened by illegal logging and poaching and is considered too small for the population of large animals such as the rhinoceroses, Asian Elephants, and sun bears. In recent years international donors and the Vietnamese government have begun to invest more in protecting the park.

In the far south, is Phu Quoc Island, all of which is a protected National Park, including the surrounding seas. The island itself is dense jungle, with beautiful beaches, but the park was mainly established to protect oceanic species.

In total, Vietnam has over 30 National Parks. These are just a selection of the more important. All are accessible to the visitor.