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Considered to be the most ecologically important of Vietnam's four Ramsar sites, Ba Be is a five hour drive from the capital city of Hanoi. It is dominated by a large natural lake, surrounded by a mountanous karst ecosystem. While it does not have the greatest bird diversity of the many parks in the country, highlight species make this a can't-miss destination for serious birders.

 

Birding Highlights: One of the more reliable spots for the very difficult White-Eared Night Heron. Other highliths include the Pied Falconet, White-Winged Magpie, Limestone Warbler, Blue-Rumped Pitta and Streak Wren Babbler.

A Pied Falconet, one of the highlights of Ba Be National Park.

 

 

Ba Be National Park

A former hill station from the French colonial period, today Ba Vi National Park remains a cool and peaceful holiday escape from the noise and bustle of Hanoi. And at only 50 kilometers away from the capital city, it is also one of the most convenient birding destinations in Northern Vietnam! Nearly 250 species have have been recorded on e-bird, and a number of these are easily spottable from the road and numerous trails.

 

Birding Highlights: The annual raptor migration is a primary highlight, with many species from sparrow-hawks to eagles passing over the peaks. Other highlights include the beuatiful silver-eared mesia, great barbet, as well as niltavas and leafbirds.

The annual raptor migration is a highlight of Ba Vi National Park!

Ba Vi National Park

Cuc Phuong

Just 2.5 hours from Hanoi by car, Cuc Phuong National Park is convenient both for short birding excursions and longer trips. More importantly, it is a premiere birding destination in Northern Vietnam, with over 320 species recorded. The majority of the park is composed of limestone forest, sitting on a range that rises up to 636 meters in evelation. In addition to excellent bird life, Cuc Phuong is also home to a critically endangered endemic primate, the Delacor's Langur. Not to be missed on any trip to the north!

 

Birding Highlights: Red-collared Woodpecker, Pied Falconet, Bar-bellied Pitta, Blue-rumped Pitta and Eared Pitta, White-winged Magpie, Limestone Wren Babbler, White-tailed Flycatcher, Black-browed Fulvetta, Silver Pheasant, Limestone Warbler, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Fujian Nitava & Malaysian Nightheron. The Nearby Van Long Wetland also gives great opportunities for many bitterns, and the beautiful Pheasant-Tailed Jacana.

A Limestone Wren Babbler, photographed in Cuc Phuong.

 

 

Cuc Phuong National Park

Accessible from Hanoi both by car (on a new, modern highway) and by overnight train, Sa Pa is one of the primary tourist draws in the north. Most tours will be based from Sa Pa town, a charming hill station with numerous accomodation and restaurant options, which offers visitors opportunities to experience some of the tremendous ethnic diversity of Vietnam. As a birding destination, Sa Pa is also superb. The nearby Hoang Lien Son National Park sits at the base of Mt. Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam, and has been designated as an IBA. Over 350 species have been recorded in the area, and the park and mountain slopes are home to numerous highland species found nowhere else in the country. Tourists can also hike up Mr. Fansipan, which takes two days and one night.

 

Birding Highlights: Gould's Shortwing, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Crested Finchbill, Beautiful Nuthatch, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, White-browed Laughingthrush and Black-faced Laughingthrushes, Spectacled Barwings, Blue-winged Siva, Bar-throated Minla and Red-tailed Minla, Black-headed Sibia, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Ashy-throated Parrotbill and Golden Parrotbill, Mrs Gould's Sunbird, Green-tailed Sunbird, Black-headed Greenfinch, Little Forktail, Sickle-billed Scimitar Babbler, Black-faced Warbler, Ashy-throated Warbler, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, White-browed Fulvetta, Whiskered Yuhina, White-collared Yuhina, Stripe-throated Yuhina

Nuthatches are among the highlights of the evergreen forests in Hoang Lien Son National Park.

 

 

Sa Pa - Mt. Fansipan - Hoang Lien Son National Park

At just over 80km from Hanoi (and even closer to Noi Bai airport), Tam Dao is the closest birding destination to the capital city. While it can be done in a day trip, this former French hill station is a popular weekend getaway among locals, and as such it offers a large number of hotels and restaurants. The birding here offers a mix of highland species and migrants, including several hard-to-find targets such as the blue-naped pitta. Nearly 400 species have been recorded here on e-bird.

 

Birding Highlights: Grey Laughingthrush, Black-throated Laughingthrush, Chestnut Bulbul, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Collared Babbler, Black-chinned Yuhina, Chestnut-collared Yuhina, Indochinese Green Magpie, Spotted Forktail, Green and Purpple Cochoa, Short-tailed Parrotbill, Blue-napped Pitta, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Grey Treepie, Lesser Rufous-headed Parrotbill. Winter visitors that may turn up here between December and March include Black-breasted, Japanese, Eyebrowed and Grey-backed Thrush and Fujian Niltava.

The Blue-naped Pitta, photographed in Tam Dao National Park.

 

 

Tam Dao National Park

Situated on the mouth of the Red River delta and surrounded by inundated shrimp farms, Xuan Thuy National Park is a paradise for waders and shorebirds. Like many of the parks in Northern Vietnam it can be accessed by car from Hanoi (the trip takes about 3.5 hours), but Xuan Thuy stands out by being designated as both a Ramsar site and an IBA. Visitors who come from late fall to early spring even have a good chance to see the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill, a highlight species in Vietnam and the larger region.

 

Birding Highlights: Black-faced Spoonbill, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Spotted Greenshank, Saunders's Gull and Asian Dowitcher, among many other more common waders. Also an important stopover for migrating passerines and cuckoos.

Three endangered Black-faced Spoonbills, flying into their feeding grounds in Xuan Thuy.

Xuan Thuy National Park

Xuan Thuy
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