Few names evoke such a variety of images and emotions—from Americans in particular—as that of Vietnam. After half a century of struggle, economic hardship, and ambivalence toward the West, this culturally and biogeographically rich country of nearly 85 million people is at peace, is thriving economically, and is now cordially and enthusiastically welcoming western tourism.
Vietnam is home to one of the richest but most poorly known avifaunas of any Southeast Asian country, with a number of endemic, near-endemic, and highly threatened species found here. Although intense agriculture, population pressures, and the long era of strife in this small country have taken their toll on the native wildlife and habitats, several fine reserves and national parks dot the length of the country and shelter some of Southeast Asia's rarest birds and mammals. Local and western ornithologists are presently identifying new areas of importance throughout the country that harbor an assortment of globally threatened species and will eventually be recommended for protection under either national park or reserve status.
Our nearly three weeks in the country will allow us to sample the richest sites presently accessible to tourists. Near Hanoi, the lovely forests of Cuc Phuong NP, Vietnam's first national park, are home to a variety of birds we are unlikely to see elsewhere. Dramatic limestone outcrops punctuate the landscape and a good paved road reaches the remote interior of the park. We'll have two and a half days to search for the likes of Silver-breasted Broadbill, Red-collared Woodpecker, Bar-bellied, Blue-rumped, and Eared pittas, White-winged Magpie, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Rufous-throated and Black-browed fulvettas, Indochinese Yuhina, the recently described Limestone Leaf-Warbler, Fujian Niltava, Limestone Wren-Babbler, or even the lovely Green Cochoa. Before continuing south, we’ll visit a small limestone karst reserve nearby with hopes of seeing the Critically Endangered Delacour’s Langur on the rocky outcrops overlooking a shallow reservoir, as well as a good variety of marsh birds present in the expansive reed beds and shallow waters.
After a short flight from Hanoi to the city of Danang on the central Vietnamese coast, we’ll drive into the highlands of south-central Annam, one of the centers of avian endemism in the country, and an area that we’ve just added to our itinerary after a successful scouting trip there in 2016 and tours in 2017 & 2018. Our focus for our nearly four full days in this region will be two Vietnamese endemics, Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush and the attractive Black-crowned Barwing, both described to science only recently! The rich highland forests here are loaded with other birds, too, and we’ll keep an eye out for other regional specialties. [Our tour description text continues below the video.]
Guide Doug Gochfeld has compiled a video of highlights from the 2025 Vietnam Field Guides birding tour that we think you'll enjoy watching! Click on the video to get it started, or on the fullscreen icon at bottom right of the video to see it in larger format.
From here, after a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City, we’ll make our way north from ‘Saigon’ (as most of the locals still refer to it) to Cat Tien National Park, arguably the richest single lowland forest birding site in the entire country and one of the few intact lowland forest areas in the south of Vietnam. Among the park’s more numerous and widespread species can be found a host of rarely encountered as well as near-mythical birds, including Siamese Fireback, the local Germain's Peacock-Pheasant and near-endemic Orange-necked Partridge (the latter seen by only a handful of observers—very difficult), Green Peafowl, Great Hornbill, Lesser Adjutant, Gray-headed Fish-Eagle, Black-and-red Broadbill, Blue-rumped Pitta, and Gray-faced Tit-Babbler.
Birding the low, forested mountains between Cat Tien and highland resort city of Dalat to the north might yield a look at the scarce Yellow-vented Pigeon, Red-vented Barbet, White-cheeked and Orange-breasted laughingthrushes, or the near-endemic Black-hooded Laughingthrush. Continuing north to Dalat, we'll search the high-elevation broadleaf and pine forests on the Langbian Plateau for such sought-after species as the Collared Laughingthrush, Vietnamese Greenfinch, or even the recently rediscovered endemic Gray-crowned Crocias. Recent taxonomic revisions have given us many new endemic targets to look for besides these, though, and others await elevation to full species status. Indochinese Barbet, Vietnamese Cutia, Dalat Shrike-Babbler, Black-crowned Fulvetta, and Black-headed Parrotbill have all recently been added to our ‘list of things to do’ while here. We'll fly from Dalat back to Saigon for a final Vietnamese feast and an overnight before we bid adieu to this fascinating country.
We’ve tried to minimize the long travel days on this survey tour of Vietnam and have limited the one-night hotel stays to just a few. There will be a few unavoidably long days, though, but the rewards at each new destination will surely make up for these. Each site that we plan to visit is rich in widespread tropical Asian birds, and we'll try to see as many of these as we can at a reasonable pace. Also, in all of the areas visited, there are at least a few special birds of restricted range that may take some extra effort to find (Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant at Cat Tien NP, Collared Laughingthrush at Mt. Langbian, and Red-collared Woodpecker at Cuc Phuong NP are all good examples).
Join us for this intriguing offering that is sure to delight even the most seasoned traveler to Asia!
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Client comment
"I have always had good experiences with Field Guides Birding Tours...and I had never been to Vietnam. Our guide, Doug Gochfeld, was fantastic. The tour had a great pace, and I loved the itinerary. The Field Guides office staff service was wonderful, and I would definitely travel with Doug Gochfeld again." B.L., VIETNAM tour participant
"I've enjoyed other tours with Field Guides and wanted to visit Vietnam after hearing raves about the country from non-birding friends. This was a great tour and very good group experience. Amazing birds, beautiful country, mostly comfortable lodging, excellent food. Doug Gochfeld was great as our guide, and I would gladly travel with him again. The local guide Minh was outstanding. This tour experience was right up there wi