Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report: Endemic & Rare Jewels of East Asia, March 2026

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10 – 25 MARCH 2026

By Chris Lotz

As usual, our extra small group Vietnam set departure birding tour proved wonderful for close-up views of a great many spectacularly beautiful birds, many of them endemic or near-endemic to Vietnam. Some of the numerous highlights were four jewel-like pitta species including the particularly gorgeous Bar-bellied Pitta, a number of rare, highly localized and charismatic laughingthrushes and allies such as Collared Laughingthrush, Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush, Gray-crowned Crocias, Vietnamese Cutia and Black-crowned Barwing, Grey-headed and Black-headed Parrotbills, Vietnamese Greenfinch, remarkable pheasant types such as Silver Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant and Green Peafowl, White-faced Plover, eight barbets including Moustached, Red-vented, Necklaced and Indochinese Barbets, seven woodpeckers ranging in size from the miniscule White-browed Piculet to the giant White-bellied Woodpecker, with the bamboo specialist Pale-headed Woodpecker being one of the main targets, Collared Falconet and a range of other raptors and owls, Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo, five dazzling broadbill species, Yellow-billed and Chestnut-vented Nuthatches, a plethora of luminously-colorful sunbirds, stacks of flycatchers and babblers, the unreal-looking Indochinese Green Magpie, and much more. A lot of the birding was from blinds (hides), providing really close-up views and amazing photographic opportunities of some of the most gorgeously colorful birds on the planet, many of them very rare and localized.

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

Bar-bellied Pitta cooperated nicely as usual (this photo is from a previous tour).

Overview

As usual, our extra small group Vietnam set departure birding tour proved wonderful for close-up views of a great many spectacularly beautiful birds, many of them endemic or near-endemic to Vietnam. Some of the numerous highlights were four jewel-like pitta species including the particularly gorgeous Bar-bellied Pitta, a number of rare, highly localized and charismatic laughingthrushes and allies such as Collared Laughingthrush, Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush, Gray-crowned Crocias, Vietnamese Cutia and Black-crowned Barwing, Grey-headed and Black-headed Parrotbills, Vietnamese Greenfinch, remarkable pheasant types such as Silver Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant and Green Peafowl, White-faced Plover, eight barbets including Moustached, Red-vented, Necklaced and Indochinese Barbets, seven woodpeckers ranging in size from the miniscule White-browed Piculet to the giant White-bellied Woodpecker, with the bamboo specialist Pale-headed Woodpecker being one of the main targets, Collared Falconet and a range of other raptors and owls, Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo, five dazzling broadbill species, Yellow-billed and Chestnut-vented Nuthatches, a plethora of luminously-colorful sunbirds, stacks of flycatchers and babblers, the unreal-looking Indochinese Green Magpie, and much more. A lot of the birding was from blinds (hides), providing really close-up views and amazing photographic opportunities of some of the most gorgeously colorful birds on the planet, many of them very rare and localized.

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

Vietnamese Cutia, always a star bird of this tour (photo by tour participant John Rounds).

While looking for birds, we also saw some rare and charismatic mammals like Black-shanked Douc Langurs, Red-shanked Douc Langurs and Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbons,with their atmospheric “singing” resounding through the forest.

This tour also allowed us to savor the wonderful scenery of southern and central Vietnam, from the biodiverse Cat Tien National Park in the lowlands, to the nice and cool high elevation hill and mountain country (sometimes covered in beautiful pine forest) that covers large parts of the country. It’s always a delight to travel in this friendly country with such picturesque scenery, delicious food and truly amazing birdlife. 

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

We saw the stunning Red-tailed Laughingthrush close-up (this photo from a previous tour).

Below is the day-to-day trip diary, followed by complete lists of birds, mammals and butterflies, plus a partial list of other insects, we saw. Please see the eBird trip report for this tour here.

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

This tour always allows close-up views of several spectacular broadbill species. Silver-breasted Broadbill is actually the least brightly colored (this photo from a previous trip).

Detailed Report

Day 1, 10th March 2026. Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

This was officially the arrival day of the tour into Ho Chi Minh City, but all of us had already flown in the day before so we treated this as a day of relaxation and sightseeing. Things officially kicked off with a scrumptious buffet dinner at our comfortable hotel this evening. Four of the five participants had just joined me on a shortened, private version of our Cambodia birding tour, a trip in which we saw six Critically Endangered bird species (these are pretty reliable in this country) and a bunch of regional specials more easily found in adjacent Cambodia than in Vietnam (these two destinations certainly complement each other very nicely). The fifth participant joined just the Vietnam trip for the amazing photo opportunities provided by the hides (blinds), where amazingly beautiful and rare bird species tend to be close-up and co-operative.

Day 2, 11th March 2026. Travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Cat Tien National Park

We set off early with a packed breakfast, spending the morning and part of the afternoon birding the Ma Da Forest, conveniently situated about midway between Ho Chi Minh City and Cat Tien National Park. Just before getting to the first of two bird hides, we saw two Ospreys.We then sat in the first blind and had a truly spectacular time with close-up views of so many jewel-like birds. These included a pair of Blue-rumped Pittas, a male Laced Woodpecker and a male Common Flameback (but we saw pairs of these at the next hide!), White-throated Rock-Thrush, Siberian Blue Robin,an intricately patterned female Siamese Fireback, an amazing 13 Silver-breasted Broadbills giving magnificent views, Ashy (Chinese White-faced) Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Racket-tailed Treepies, spectacular and boisterous White-crested Laughingthrushes, Indochinese and Hainan Blue Flycatchers and a Little Spiderhunter. Babblers were everywhere, and very confiding, and included Puff-throated Babbler, Buff-breasted Babbler, Scaly-crowned (Indochinese) Babbler and Large Scimitar-Babbler. Stripe-throated and Ochraceous Bulbuls also showed well. At the next hide (this afternoon) we also added Black-crested Bulbul.

There were also some nice squirrels at the hides: Indochinese Ground Squirrel, tiny Cambodian Striped Squirrel and (Asian) Red-cheeked Squirrel.

We eventually departed for Cat Tien National Park and arrived at sunset, crossing the river into the park by boat, checked into our hotel, and tried to contain our excitement about the next day.

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

A well-marked female Siamese Fireback (photo by tour participant John Rounds).

Day 3, 12th March 2026. Our first full day of birding at Cat Tien National Park

After breakfast we took a slow drive, with birding stops along the way, to a forest hide where we would spend most of the morning. On our way to this blind we saw a number of spectacular birds, including Crested Serpent-Eagle perched and showing very well, a male Siamese Fireback (briefly), Green-eared Barbet, Black-and-red Broadbill, Scarlet Minivet, Great Iora, Golden-fronted Leafbird, etc. These are all amazingly colorful birds; what a treat!

At the blind, we added numerous birds to our list, getting amazing views of sought-after and spectacular species like Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant, a stunning Red Junglefowl, a pair of amazingly beautiful Bar-bellied Pittas, a male Blue-rumped Pitta, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Asian Emerald Dove,an Abbott’s Babbler feeding a youngster, and many others. Localized Gray-faced Tit-babblers showed themselves just as we were about to head back to the lodgings for lunch and a break during the heat of the day.

Mammals that visited the hide were several squirrel-like Northern Treeshrews and a very cute, obliging Northern Smooth-tailed Treeshrew, a Silver-backed Chevrotain (Lesser Mouse Deer) and a Pallas’s Squirrel.

This afternoon, we headed to a grassland area to look for our main target, the spectacular Green Peafowl and we were not disappointed, seeing five of them, including one displaying with its fanned-out tail. We also added numerous other new birds to our growing list, including Red Collared Dove, Lesser Coucal and good numbers of Greater Coucals, Red-breasted Parakeet, Indochinese Cuckooshrike, Black-hooded Oriole, Black-collared Starling, Vinous-breasted Myna, and others.

Mammal-wise, there were a few Sambars around and Stephen spotted an awesome Yellow-throated Marten.

Day 4, 13th March 2026. A second full day of birding Cat Tien National Park

This was another highly productive morning! As we were finishing off breakfast, we heard the remarkable, atmospheric “singing” of Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbons and, after a few minutes of scanning the forest, we found these amazing animals bouncing through the trees. We saw the big leader male, playful juveniles and a mother (a light brown color, different from the other animals) carrying her baby. A vocal Common (Eurasian) Hoopoe put in an appearance while we were enjoying the gibbons. Soon afterwards, we enjoyed unbelievably great views of a gorgeous Black-and-red Broadbill at its nest. A Taiga Flycatcher,just beginning to get its reddish throat for breeding, also showed close-up.

We then began a slow walk along the forested road, enjoying lots of nice birds including another female Siamese Fireback crossing the road in front of us, an Orange-breasted Trogon (we heard three more further on), an Asian Emerald Dove (what a gorgeous dove), some Thick-billed Green Pigeons sunning themselves atop a bare tree (we got excellent scope views in good light), a Violet Cuckoo (briefly), an Osprey flying over, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Blue-eared, Green-eared and Coppersmith Barbets, a pair of Dollarbirds, a Blossom-headed Parakeet, a Black-headed Oriole shining bright in the golden morning sun, Large Woodshrike, Great Iora, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, three drongo species, five bulbul species, a Thick-billed Flowerpecker (briefly), Purple-naped Spiderhunter, and a flowering tree full of Cambodian Striped Squirrels and leafbirds – Blue-winged and Golden-fronted Leafbirds.

Two of the morning’s star birds took us lots of work, Pale-headed Woodpecker (a localized bamboo specialist) and a dazzling male Banded Kingfisher which showed particularly nicely.

A pair of Crested Serpent Eagles soared in the late morning as we were driving back for lunch.

After lunch and a rest during the midday heat, we set out again for an exciting afternoon session, delayed by some White-rumped Munias that showed just as we were trying to drive out. During the afternoon, we saw three more Siamese Firebacks in the road (one by one, not all at the same time). At a huge bare tree, we saw a Dollarbird and a really superb Collared Falconet. After some searching, we eventually found (and got excellent views of) localized, Critically Endangered (IUCN) Black-shanked Douc Langurs, the second amazing monkey we saw during the course of today.

We returned for a sunset session in an open area near our lodgings, and were rewarded with views of a gigantic White-bellied Woodpecker, a Gray-headed Woodpecker and some massive Great Eared Nightjars putting on their flight shows.

Laced Woodpecker was one of seven woodpecker species we saw on this tour.

Day 5, 14th March 2026. Final birding at Cat Tien National Park before heading to Da Lat

We had an excellent final slow birding walk from the lodgings at Cat Tien National Park, listing 46 species in a couple of hours. We were starting to run out of possible new trip birds here, but we did find a few of them, including Vernal Hanging Parrot, Lineated Barbet, Green-billed Malkoha, Ashy Minivet, Rufescent Prinia, Large-billed Crow, and Ornate and Crimson Sunbirds.

We then embarked on a scenic drive up onto the Da Lat Plateau, seeing several new trip birds during the drive, e.g. Blue Rock Thrush and Chestnut-tailed Starling.We ascended away from the heat of the lowlands to a different world with many very localized bird species, including some of our major targets – Vietnamese endemic species and subspecies. We arrived in good time to bird the Datanla Waterfall area, and it was hugely exciting. Here, we enjoyed seeing spectacularly plumaged Black-throated (Langbian) and Mrs Gould’s Sunbirds, along with beautiful, extremely localized Gray-crowned Crocias (one of our major targets), Black-headed (Langbian) Sibia,a few White-cheeked Laughingthrushes, a ridiculously close-up Indochinese (Annam) Barbet, a flock of Black-throated (Gray-crowned) Tits, a wonderfully colored Verditer Flycatcher,an Orange-headed Thrush, a (Yellow-billed) Blue Whistling-Thrush, and a male White-throated Rock-Thrush (localized, endemic subspecies are shown in brackets).

We then drove to our hotel 15 minutes away in the tourist town of Da Lat.

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

Black-throated (Langbian) Sunbird (photo by tour participant John Rounds).

Day 6, 15th March 2026. A full day of birding at Bidoup Nui Ba National Park

This was an incredible day even though we had to stop birding early because the mid to late afternoon got rained out. We started at a hide (stopping only for striking Burmese Shrikes on the way)that was (as usual) teaming with close-up birds. A pair of Rufous-throated Partridges gave good views a few times. A strikingly beautiful male White-browed (Dalat) Shrike-Babbler and a more subtly beautiful female gave close views. We had to leave the hide and look up into the trees for a couple of Black-headed Parrotbills that eventually gave decent views after a bit of patience. White-browed Scimitar-Babbler and Short-tailed Scimitar-Babbler (not a typical scimitar-babbler, previously called Indochinese Wren-Babbler) showed well. There were a lot of Mountain Fulvettas and quite a number of Large Niltavas all over the place, a pair of Mugimaki Flycatchers, a Rufous-browed Flycatcher and a couple of Snowy-browed Flycatchers. A White-tailed Robin and a Blue Whistling Thrush showed well (like most of the species at the hide). A Yellow-billed Nuthatch co-operated fantastically. After we’d been at the hide for quite a while, a spectacular Silver Pheasant visited, wow!

After an amazing session in the hide we did some roadside birding, finding some top targets. These included Vietnamese Cutia, Vietnamese Greenfinch and Necklaced Barbet. There were also a lot of other superb species around, and we loved seeing Gray-chinned Minivet, Long-tailed Minivet, Flavescent Bulbul, Hill Prinia that took some patience but which eventually showed very well, Green-backed (Langbian) Tit, Gray Bushchat (the male and very different-looking female), Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Kloss’s Leaf Warbler, Blyth’s Leaf Warbler and, as usual, many Yellow-browed Warblers.

Day 7, 16th March 2026. Another full day of birding at Bidoup Nui Ba National Park

We started the morning in search of the beautiful, Endangered (IUCN), Vietnamese endemic, Collared Laughingthrush and saw several very well from a blind. On the walk to the blind and back, we saw a number of other great birds including Maroon Oriole, Rufous-capped Babbler, Blue-winged (Plain) Minla, Verditer Flycatcher, Gray Bushchat, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, etc.

We then went to another hide and spent a large chunk of the day there. This proved a great place for some otherwise very secretive birds. Gray-bellied Tesia and Lesser Shortwing were two of these, and they both showed ridiculously well, multiple times. A Little Pied Flycatcher, a pair of Snowy-browed Flycatchers, White-throated Fantail, White-spectacled Warbler, Gray-throated Babbler, Black-headed (Langbian) Sibia, the black-backed Da Lat form of Rufous-backed Sibia, and many others, also showed very well. As we got back to the vehicle after our session at the hide, we saw a stunning Yellow-cheeked Tit.

Late afternoon and early evening birding was productive, with a showy Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo, and an Indian Cuckoo that flew right over us, giving its very distinctive, enchanting “song” to confirm its identity. Large-tailed and Gray Nightjars vocalized but remained out of sight, but an Asian Barred Owlet gave a brief view. On our way back to the hotel after dark, we stopped for an Oriental Scops-Owl, which gave great views.

Day 8, 17th March 2026. Da Lat to Nui San Pass

We did some final birding around Tuyen Lam Lake. Here we added some new trip birds like White-bellied Erpornis, Black Bulbul, Black-browed Fulvetta, Little Cormorant,and Little Grebe. We then headed to the Di Linh area (stopping briefly along the way for a few birds such as Ashy Woodswallow). In the Di Linh area, we focused on birding the Nui San Pass. We spent the whole afternoon at another amazing bird hide here. Species we saw here included another eight very close-up, gorgeous Silver-breasted Broadbills and another Blue-rumped Pitta. There were many Orange-headed Thrushes (with a mix of two very distinctive subspecies, orange-headed and buff-throated ones) and a showy Dark-sided Thrush. There were stacks of Mugimaki Flycatchers and a couple of other flycatcher species we’d seen earlier in the trip, plus a new one, Blue-and-white Flycatcher. A Streaked Spiderhunter put in a brief appearance. There were several Alström’s Warblers around. We enjoyed seeing the brown-backed subspecies of Ashy Bulbul, Grey-eyed Bulbul and a couple of other bulbul species we’d already seen earlier during the trip. Despite it being an amazing session in the hide, we thought we were going to miss the star of the show, Indochinese Green Magpie, a gaudy species that is tough to believe really exists in real life, when a pair of these beautiful birds arrived and showed remarkably well. This is certainly one of the top species of our annual set departure Vietnam tour.

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

Indochinese Green Magpie (photo by tour participant Barbara Revard).

Day 9, 18th March 2026. Nui San Pass birding and transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City

We started the morning with some really excellent birdwatching around our comfortable lodge (a couple of people opted not to join the birding this morning because the lodge was so nice). We saw a couple of Plaintive Cuckoos, Burmese Shrike, Plain Prinia, Chestnut-capped Babbler (briefly), Chestnut-tailed Starling, Black-collared Starling, Vinous-breasted Myna, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, White-rumped Munia, and Plain-backed Sparrow, to name a few.

We then headed to a nearby hide (a different one from yesterday), stopping for Red-vented Barbet on the way and seeing this very large, spectacular, multi-colored species very nicely. The blind was amazing, with a couple of new trip birds showing magnificently. These were Blue Pitta (a male), and Bar-backed Partridge. Additionally, we also enjoyed seeing a lot of old friends we already knew from earlier in the trip.

We then went to a stakeout for the localized (near-endemic) Annam Prinia and saw it well, along with some other nice birds including the beautiful white-faced form of Eurasian Jay.

Finally, we transferred back to Ho Chi Minh City for our flight the next day.

Day 10, 19th March 2026. Flight to Pleiku and initial birding at Mang Den

We spent the morning traveling – flying to Pleiku and then driving up to Mang Den in the hills. We ate a nice lunch and checked in at our hotel, before heading out birding. We found a couple of Long-tailed Shrikes on the way to our hide. As we walked to the hide, we heard a close by Ratchet-tailed Treepie but didn’t manage to get visuals. At the hide we saw our main target, the recently described, extremely localized Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush. Roadside birding in the area was productive, with a White-browed Piculet (a really superbly marked tiny woodpecker), numerous Black-chinned Yuhinas, a couple of beautiful Gray-chinned Minivets, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, and dazzlingly brightly colored Black-throated and Mrs Gould’s Sunbirds (very different-looking subspecies from what we’d seen earlier in the trip, for both of these sunbird species).

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

The rare Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush (photo by tour participant John Rounds).

Day 11, 20th March 2026. A full day of birding around Mang Den

This morning proved spectacular (again!). We started with some roadside birding, finding Clicking Shrike-babbler, Collared Owlet, and numerous birds we’d seen already including some further nice views of White-browed Piculet. We then visited a different hide we hadn’t yet been to, and our main targets for here showed very well. These were Rusty-naped Pitta, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, and White-gorgeted Flycatcher, absolutely star birds! Just as we left the hide, we heard a Long-tailed Broadbill and, with a little patience, we got great views of this incredibly colorful bird. More roadside birding, before an early lunch and midday rest, generated further awesome birds including the jewel-like Silver-eared Mesia, Black-eared Shrike-babbler and a Golden Babbler posing unusually well, among a large supporting cast of other nice birds we’d seen previously.

In the afternoon, we did some further amazing roadside birding. Raptors were much in evidence, and included a Changeable Hawk-Eagle, several Crested Honey Buzzards seemingly on migration, and a couple of Gray-faced Buzzards. A pair of gorgeous Maroon Orioles put in an appearance, as did a pair of Gray-headed Parrotbills (wow!) and a pair of the localized, black-crested form of Sultan Tits. Another true highlight was a Pale Blue Flycatcher showing well and singing away. A Rufous-faced Warbler darted by but sadly did not give proper looks. We also saw another Golden Babbler.

Day 12, 21st March 2026. Mang Den to Dak To

We did some final birding near Mang Den. This session would have been one of the most spectacular of the trip, had three of the species that were around shown properly. White-winged Magpie and Ratchet-tailed Treepie were very vocal but only gave brief views to a couple of us. A Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo also sang/whistled well, but we had to be satisfied with several flight views (albeit decent), and one brief perched view. Raptors, in contrast, showed nicely, and we scoped a Jerdon’s Baza with its stylish hairdo and a Crested Goshawk displayed beautifully above us.

As we continued birding, we enjoyed seeing Davison’s Leaf Warblers, a pleasant change from the ubiquitous Yellow-browed Warblers which we saw daily throughout the tour. A number of other nice birds we’d already seen before were also around, and these included Black-chinned Yuhina, Gray-chinned Minivet and Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike.

After checking out of our hotel and having an early lunch, we took the wonderfully scenic (and birdy) route to our next destination. It was a beautiful drive through the hills and we also stopped frequently to look at new trip birds. A Black-winged Kite was the first of these, followed shortly by a Besra, and followed later by a good number of brightly colored Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, a couple of Common Kingfishers, three Gray Wagtails, and good numbers of Wire-tailed, Barn and Eastern Red-rumped (Striated) Swallows. Further along, we also added Asian House Martins to our growing list, along with Little Heron, Common Sandpiper, and Common Ringed Plover.

After a rewarding day, we checked into our hotel, where we would be based for the next two nights, and enjoyed our dinner.

Day 13, 22nd March 2026. Birding Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve

This morning we headed high up into the mountains around 6,250 feet (1,900 meters), through marvelous scenery. We ended up in the picturesque forest-clad hills protected within Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve. We proceeded to walk to a bird hide, finding numerous good species along the way. These included a large mixed flock of warblers, including Ashy-throated, Gray-cheeked, Chestnut-crowned, Blyth’s Leaf, Davison’s Leaf and Black-faced Warblers. A pair of Green-tailed Sunbirds also joined the party.

We eventually got to the hide, which proved wonderfully productive (as always), allowing close-up views of spectacular-colored Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Brown-crowned Scimitar-Babbler, Indochinese and Rufous-winged Fulvettas, and numerous other birds we’d seen previously on the trip. A couple of Black-crowned Barwings showed well as we left the hide.

On the way back to the vehicle, we found some more mixed species flocks, and added some new birds to the day list, including Yellow-browed and Yellow-cheeked Tits and various others. During the drive back to our hotel in the late afternoon, we stopped at our stakeout for Moustached Barbet and found it after some listening and searching, and we were eventually rewarded with great scope views and photo opportunities. A Gray-breasted Prinia vocalized nearby, but we were too distracted by the barbet to try and get visuals on it.

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve as we left after seeing some spectacular avian targets.

Day 14, 23rd March 2026. Transfer to Da Nang

Today was a long travel day down through countless rolling hills, to Vietnam’s third largest city, Da Nang, where we had an excellent beach hotel booked for our night in this vibrant coastal city. During the drive down, we added a couple of new trip birds in the form of Asian Palm Swift, Plumbeous (Water) Redstart at a small waterfall, and a majestic Black Eagle soaring.

As we arrived at the coast, we headed straight through Danang to the forest-clad, picturesque Son Tra Peninsula on the other side of this city. Here, our main target was the remarkable, colorful and sadly Critically Endangered (IUCN) Red-shanked Douc Langur. We got fabulous views of these charismatic animals, along with Rhesus Macaques that were also nearby. After enjoying the monkeys for a while, we were lucky to get a sudden burst of bird activity for the next 20 minutes, seeing a number of good birds and adding one new species to our list, the lovely Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush.

We then did souvenir and spice shopping before an excellent seafood dinner.

Birding Southern and Central Vietnam Trip Report

Red-shanked Douc Langurs (photo by tour participant Barbara Revard).

Day 15, 24th March 2026. Final birding around Da Nang before flying back to Ho Chi Minh City

We spent the morning birding Cua Dai beach and bay. The star bird was White-faced Plover, but other new birds for the trip here were Tibetan Sand Plover, Temminck’s and Red-necked Stints, Great Egret, Oriental Skylark, and Paddyfield Pipit.We also found another subspecies of Sooty-headed Bulbul (Northern). We then went to the Hoi An paddy fields, finding more new trip birds like Asian Openbill, Medium Egret, Gray Heron, Scaly-breasted Munia,and stacks of Zitting Cisticolas.

After a productive morning of birding, we had lunch and then headed to the airport for our afternoon flight back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 16, 25th March 2026. Departure from Ho Chi Minh City

This was a non-birding travel day and we all flew home.

Bird ListFollowing IOC (15.1 February 2025)

Birds ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen. The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable. Taxonomic details included as endnotes.

Common nameScientific name
Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae)
Rufous-throated PartridgeArborophila rufogularis
Bar-backed PartridgeArborophila brunneopectus
Orange-necked Partridge (H)Arborophila davidi
Silver PheasantLophura nycthemera
Siamese FirebackLophura diardi
Green Peafowl – ENPavo muticus
Green-legged PartridgeTropicoperdix chloropus
Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant – VUPolyplectron germaini
Red JunglefowlGallus gallus
Chinese Francolin (H)Francolinus pintadeanus
Nightjars (Caprimulgidae)
Great Eared NightjarLyncornis macrotis
Grey Nightjar (H)Caprimulgus jotaka
Large-tailed Nightjar (H)Caprimulgus macrurus
Swifts (Apodidae)
Edible-nest SwiftletAerodramus fuciphagus
Asian Palm SwiftCypsiurus balasiensis
House SwiftApus nipalensis
Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
Lesser CoucalCentropus bengalensis
Green-billed MalkohaPhaenicophaeus tristis
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo (H)Clamator coromandus
Asian Koel (H)Eudynamys scolopaceus
Violet CuckooChrysococcyx xanthorhynchus
Banded Bay Cuckoo (H)Cacomantis sonneratii
Plaintive CuckooCacomantis merulinus
Square-tailed Drongo-CuckooSurniculus lugubris
Hodgson’s Hawk-CuckooHierococcyx nisicolor
Indian CuckooCuculus micropterus
Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)
Red Collared DoveStreptopelia tranquebarica
Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
Common Emerald DoveChalcophaps indica
Zebra DoveGeopelia striata
Thick-billed Green PigeonTreron curvirostra
Yellow-vented Green Pigeon (H)Treron seimundi
Mountain Imperial PigeonDucula badia
Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
Plovers (Charadriidae)
Little Ringed PloverCharadrius dubius
Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicus
Tibetan Sand PloverAnarhynchus atrifrons
White-faced PloverAnarhynchus dealbatus
Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae)
Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
Common RedshankTringa totanus
Temminck’s StintCalidris temminckii
Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollis
Storks (Ciconiidae)
Asian OpenbillAnastomus oscitans
Cormorants, Shags (Phalacrocoracidae)
Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger
Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae)
Little EgretEgretta garzetta
Little HeronButorides atricapilla
Chinese Pond HeronArdeola bacchus
Great EgretArdea alba
Medium EgretArdea intermedia
Eastern Cattle EgretArdea coromanda
Grey HeronArdea cinerea
Ospreys (Pandionidae)
OspreyPandion haliaetus
Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae)
Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
Jerdon’s BazaAviceda jerdoni
Crested Honey BuzzardPernis ptilorhynchus
Crested Serpent EagleSpilornis cheela
Black EagleIctinaetus malaiensis
Crested GoshawkLophospiza trivirgata
BesraTachyspiza virgata
Grey-faced BuzzardButastur indicus
Owls (Strigidae)
Collared OwletTaenioptynx brodiei
Asian Barred OwletGlaucidium cuculoides
Mountain Scops Owl (H)Otus spilocephalus
Oriental Scops OwlOtus sunia
Collared Scops Owl (H)Otus lettia
Trogons (Trogonidae)
Orange-breasted TrogonHarpactes oreskios
Red-headed Trogon (H)Harpactes erythrocephalus
Hoopoes (Upupidae)
Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
Hornbills (Bucerotidae)
Oriental Pied HornbillAnthracoceros albirostris
Rollers (Coraciidae)
Indochinese RollerCoracias affinis
Oriental DollarbirdEurystomus orientalis
Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Banded KingfisherLacedo pulchella
White-throated KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis
Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
Bee-eaters (Meropidae)
Blue-bearded Bee-eaterNyctyornis athertoni
Chestnut-headed Bee-eaterMerops leschenaulti
Asian Barbets (Megalaimidae)
Red-vented BarbetPsilopogon lagrandieri
Lineated BarbetPsilopogon lineatus
Green-eared BarbetPsilopogon faiostrictus
Necklaced BarbetPsilopogon auricularis
Indochinese BarbetPsilopogon annamensis
Moustached BarbetPsilopogon incognitus
Blue-eared BarbetPsilopogon cyanotis
Coppersmith BarbetPsilopogon haemacephalus
Woodpeckers (Picidae)
White-browed PiculetSasia ochracea
White-bellied WoodpeckerDryocopus javensis
Greater Yellownape (H)Chrysophlegma flavinucha
Laced WoodpeckerPicus vittatus
Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus
Common FlamebackDinopium javanense
Pale-headed WoodpeckerGecinulus grantia
Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae)
Collared FalconetMicrohierax caerulescens
Old World Parrots (Psittaculidae)
Blossom-headed ParakeetPsittacula roseata
Red-breasted ParakeetPsittacula alexandri
Vernal Hanging ParrotLoriculus vernalis
Typical Broadbills (Eurylaimidae)
Long-tailed BroadbillPsarisomus dalhousiae
Dusky BroadbillCorydon sumatranus
Silver-breasted BroadbillSerilophus lunatus
Black-and-red BroadbillCymbirhynchus macrorhynchos
Banded Broadbill (H)Eurylaimus javanicus
Pittas (Pittidae)
Rusty-naped PittaHydrornis oatesi
Blue-rumped PittaHydrornis soror
Blue PittaHydrornis cyaneus
Bar-bellied PittaHydrornis elliotii
Vangas & Allies (Vangidae)
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikeHemipus picatus
Large WoodshrikeTephrodornis virgatus
Woodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies (Artamidae)
Ashy WoodswallowArtamus fuscus
Ioras (Aegithinidae)
Common IoraAegithina tiphia
Great IoraAegithina lafresnayei
Cuckooshrikes (Campephagidae)
Grey-chinned MinivetPericrocotus solaris
Long-tailed MinivetPericrocotus ethologus
Scarlet MinivetPericrocotus speciosus
Ashy MinivetPericrocotus divaricatus
Oriental CuckooshrikeCoracina javensis
Black-winged CuckooshrikeLalage melaschistos
Indochinese CuckooshrikeLalage polioptera
Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers (Vireonidae)
Black-eared Shrike-babblerPteruthius melanotis
White-browed Shrike-babblerPteruthius aeralatus
Clicking Shrike-babblerPteruthius intermedius
White-bellied ErpornisErpornis zantholeuca
Figbirds, Old World Orioles, Piopios (Oriolidae)
Maroon OrioleOriolus traillii
Black-hooded OrioleOriolus xanthornus
Black-naped OrioleOriolus chinensis
Drongos (Dicruridae)
Bronzed DrongoDicrurus aeneus
Lesser Racket-tailed DrongoDicrurus remifer
Greater Racket-tailed DrongoDicrurus paradiseus
Hair-crested DrongoDicrurus hottentottus
Ashy DrongoDicrurus leucophaeus
Black DrongoDicrurus macrocercus
Fantails (Rhipiduridae)
White-throated FantailRhipidura albicollis
Monarchs (Monarchidae)
Black-naped MonarchHypothymis azurea
Shrikes (Laniidae)
Burmese ShrikeLanius collurioides
Long-tailed ShrikeLanius schach
Grey-backed ShrikeLanius tephronotus
Crows, Jays (Corvidae)
Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
White-winged MagpieUrocissa whiteheadi
Indochinese Green MagpieCissa hypoleuca
Racket-tailed TreepieCrypsirina temia
Ratchet-tailed Treepie (H)Temnurus temnurus
Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
Fairy Flycatchers (Stenostiridae)
Grey-headed Canary-flycatcherCulicicapa ceylonensis
Tits, Chickadees (Paridae)
Yellow-browed TitSylviparus modestus
Sultan TitMelanochlora sultanea
Green-backed TitParus monticolus
Yellow-cheeked TitMachlolophus spilonotus
Larks (Alaudidae)
Oriental SkylarkAlauda gulgula
Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae)
Ochraceous BulbulAlophoixus ochraceus
Puff-throated BulbulAlophoixus pallidus
Grey-eyed BulbulIole propinqua
Ashy BulbulHemixos flavala
Mountain BulbulIxos mcclellandii
Black BulbulHypsipetes leucocephalus
Black-headed BulbulBrachypodius melanocephalos
Black-crested BulbulRubigula flaviventris
Streak-eared BulbulPycnonotus conradi
Stripe-throated BulbulPycnonotus finlaysoni
Flavescent BulbulPycnonotus flavescens
Red-whiskered BulbulPycnonotus jocosus
Yellow-vented BulbulPycnonotus goiavier
Sooty-headed BulbulPycnonotus aurigaster
Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae)
Asian House MartinDelichon dasypus
Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
Cettia Bush Warblers & Allies (Cettiidae)
Black-faced WarblerAbroscopus schisticeps
Mountain TailorbirdPhyllergates cucullatus
Grey-bellied TesiaTesia cyaniventer
  Bushtits (Aegithalidae)
Black-throated BushtitAegithalos concinnus
Leaf Warblers (Phylloscopidae)
Ashy-throated WarblerPhylloscopus maculipennis
Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
White-spectacled WarblerPhylloscopus intermedius
Grey-cheeked WarblerPhylloscopus poliogenys
Alström’s WarblerPhylloscopus soror
Pale-legged Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus tenellipes
Chestnut-crowned WarblerPhylloscopus castaniceps
Blyth’s Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus reguloides
Kloss’s Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus ogilviegranti
Davison’s Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus intensior
Cisticolas & Allies (Cisticolidae)
Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
Annam PriniaPrinia rocki
Hill PriniaPrinia superciliaris
Rufescent PriniaPrinia rufescens
Grey-breasted Prinia (H)Prinia hodgsonii
Plain PriniaPrinia inornata
Dark-necked TailorbirdOrthotomus atrogularis
Parrotbills & Allies (Paradoxornithidae)
Indochinese FulvettaFulvetta danisi
Grey-headed ParrotbillParadoxornis gularis
Black-headed Parrotbill – VUParadoxornis margaritae
White-eyes (Zosteropidae)
Black-chinned YuhinaYuhina nigrimenta
Swinhoe’s White-eyeZosterops simplex
Babblers, Scimitar Babblers (Timaliidae)
Chestnut-capped BabblerTimalia pileata
Grey-faced Tit-BabblerMixornis kelleyi
Pin-striped Tit-BabblerMixornis gularis
Golden BabblerCyanoderma chrysaeum
Rufous-capped BabblerCyanoderma ruficeps
Brown-crowned Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus phayrei
White-browed Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus schisticeps
Large Scimitar BabblerErythrogenys hypoleucos
Grey-throated BabblerStachyris nigriceps
Ground Babblers (Pellorneidae)
Scaly-crowned BabblerMalacopteron cinereum
Rufous-winged FulvettaSchoeniparus castaneceps
Puff-throated BabblerPellorneum ruficeps
Spot-throated BabblerPellorneum albiventre
Buff-breasted BabblerPellorneum tickelli
Abbott’s BabblerMalacocincla abbotti
Short-tailed Scimitar BabblerNapothera danjoui
Alcippe Fulvettas (Alcippeidae)
Black-browed FulvettaAlcippe grotei
Mountain FulvettaAlcippe peracensis
Laughingthrushes & Allies (Leiothrichidae)
Vietnamese Cutia (Endemic)Cutia legalleni
Grey-crowned Crocias (Endemic)Laniellus langbianis
Red-tailed LaughingthrushTrochalopteron milnei
Collared Laughingthrush (Endemic) – ENTrochalopteron yersini
Black-headed SibiaHeterophasia desgodinsi
Blue-winged MinlaActinodura cyanouroptera
Black-crowned BarwingActinodura sodangorum
Rufous-backed SibiaLeioptila annectens
Lesser Necklaced LaughingthrushGarrulax monileger
Black-hooded LaughingthrushGarrulax milleti
Chestnut-eared LaughingthrushIanthocincla konkakinhensis
White-cheeked LaughingthrushPterorhinus vassali
Fairy-bluebirds (Irenidae)
Asian Fairy-bluebird (H)Irena puella
Nuthatches (Sittidae)
Yellow-billed NuthatchSitta solangiae
Chestnut-vented NuthatchSitta nagaensis
Starlings, Rhabdornises (Sturnidae)
Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
Vinous-breasted MynaAcridotheres leucocephalus
Black-collared StarlingGracupica nigricollis
Chestnut-tailed StarlingSturnia malabarica
Thrushes (Turdidae)
Dark-sided ThrushZoothera marginata
Orange-headed ThrushGeokichla citrina
Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae)
Oriental Magpie-RobinCopsychus saularis
White-rumped ShamaCopsychus malabaricus
Asian Brown FlycatcherMuscicapa dauurica
Large NiltavaNiltava grandis
Blue-and-white FlycatcherCyanoptila cyanomelana
Verditer FlycatcherEumyias thalassinus
White-gorgeted FlycatcherAnthipes monileger
Rufous-browed FlycatcherAnthipes solitaris
Pale Blue FlycatcherCyornis unicolor
Hainan Blue FlycatcherCyornis hainanus
Indochinese Blue FlycatcherCyornis sumatrensis
White-tailed RobinMyiomela leucura
Blue Whistling ThrushMyophonus caeruleus
Lesser ShortwingBrachypteryx leucophris
Siberian Blue RobinLarvivora cyane
Snowy-browed FlycatcherFicedula hyperythra
Mugimaki FlycatcherFicedula mugimaki
Rufous-gorgeted FlycatcherFicedula strophiata
Little Pied FlycatcherFicedula westermanni
Taiga FlycatcherFicedula albicilla
Plumbeous Water RedstartPhoenicurus fuliginosus
White-throated Rock ThrushMonticola gularis
Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
Grey Bush ChatSaxicola ferreus
Siberian StonechatSaxicola maurus
Leafbirds (Chloropseidae)
Blue-winged LeafbirdChloropsis moluccensis
Golden-fronted LeafbirdChloropsis aurifrons
Flowerpeckers (Dicaeidae)
Thick-billed FlowerpeckerPachyglossa agilis
Fire-breasted FlowerpeckerDicaeum ignipectus
Scarlet-backed FlowerpeckerDicaeum cruentatum
Sunbirds (Nectariniidae)
Ornate SunbirdCinnyris ornatus
Mrs. Gould’s SunbirdAethopyga gouldiae
Green-tailed SunbirdAethopyga nipalensis
Black-throated SunbirdAethopyga saturata
Crimson SunbirdAethopyga siparaja
Purple-naped SpiderhunterKurochkinegramma hypogrammicum
Little SpiderhunterArachnothera longirostra
Streaked SpiderhunterArachnothera magna
Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae)
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
Plain-backed SparrowPasser flaveolus
House SparrowPasser domesticus
Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae)
Scaly-breasted MuniaLonchura punctulata
White-rumped MuniaLonchura striata
Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae)
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
White WagtailMotacilla alba
Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulus
Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae)
Vietnamese Greenfinch (Endemic)Chloris monguilloti
Total seen259
Total heard only16
Total recorded275

Mammal ListFollowing Mammal Watching (April 2024)

The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: CR = Critically Endangered, EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable, DD = Data Deficient.

Common nameScientific name
Treeshrews (Tupaiidae)
Northern Smooth-tailed TreeshrewDendrogale murina
Northern TreeshrewTupaia belangeri
Old World Monkeys (Cercopithecidae)
Rhesus MacaqueMacaca mulatta
Red-shanked Douc – CRPygathrix nemaeus
Black-shanked Douc – CRPygathrix nigripes
Gibbons (Hylobatidae)
Southern Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon – ENNomascus gabriellae
Squirrels (Sciuridae)
Pallas’s SquirrelCallosciurus erythraeus
Asian Red-cheeked SquirrelDremomys rufigenis
Indochinese Ground SquirrelMenetes berdmorei
Maritime Striped SquirrelTamiops maritimus
Cambodian Striped SquirrelTamiops rodolphii
Mustelids (Mustelidae)
Yellow-throated MartenMartes flavigula
Deer (Cervidae)
Sambar – VURusa unicolor
Chevrotains (Tragulidae)
Silver-backed Chevrotain – DDTragulus versicolor
Total14

Reptile List (following Reptiles of the World (October 2023)

Common NameScientific Name
Spotted Flying DragonDraco maculatus
 
Gekkonidae (Geckos)
Asian House GeckoHemidactylus platyurus
Total2

Butterfly List

Common NameScientific Name
Golden BirdwingTroides aeacus
Common Five-RingYpthima baldus
Yellow CosterTelchinia citrina
Blue-spotted JewelHypolimnas misippus
Chocolate PansyJunonia iphita
PantherNeurosigma siva
Black-tipped ArchdukeLexias pardalis
Common SailerNeptis hylas
Cricula SilkmothCricula trifenestrata
Common Mormon SwallowtailPapilio polytes
Common ArchdukeLexias dirtea
Common EarlTanaecia julii
Grey PansyJunonia atlites
Khasi Lesser GullCepora nadina
One-spot Grass YellowEurema andersonii
Magpie Crow ButterflyEuploea radamanthus
False Tiger MothDysphania militaris
Striped Blue CrowEuploea mulciber
Chain SwordtailGraphium aristeus
Orange GullCepora iudith
Dark Banded AceHalpe porus
Chocolate Grass YellowEurema hecabe
Yellow Orange TipIxias pyrene
Common MapwingCyrestis thyodamas
Marbled MapCyrestis cocles
Grey CountTanaecia lepidea
Spotted ZebraGraphium aristeus
Common JayGraphium doson
Tree YellowGandaca harina
Striped AlbatrossAppias libythea
Common BluebottleGraphium sarpedon
Great MormonPapilio memnon
ClipperParthenos sylvia
White Orange TipIxias marianne
Straight PierrotCaleta caleta
Common PierrotCastalius rosimon
Sullied Brown SailerNeptis soma
Peacock PansyJunonia almana
Common Tiger ButterflyDanaus genutia
Common YeomanCirrochroa tyche
Fluffy TitZeltus amasa
Five-bar SwordtailGraphium antiphates
Plain Tiger ButterflyDanaus chrysippus
Common ImperialCheritra freja
Common Line BlueProsotas nora
CirceHestinalis nama
Double-branded CrowEuploea sylvester
Common Orange AwletBurara harisa
Little YeomanCirrochroa eremita
Total49

Dragonfly and Damselfly List

Common NameScientific Name
Slender SkimmerOrthetrum sabina
Crimson-tailed Marsh HawkOrthetrum pruinosum
Blue Marsh HawkOrthetrum glaucum
Chalky PercherDiplacodes trivialis
Violet SpriteArchibasis viola
Total5

List of other interesting arthropods

Common NameScientific Name
Green-winged Bamboo-CarpenterXylocopa nasalis
Asian Honey BeeApis cerana
Black Dwarf Honey BeeApis andreniformis
Asian Weaver AntOecophylla smaragdina
Cicada (no common name)Dundubia nagarasingna
Short-winged Rice GrasshopperPseudoxya diminuta
Gray Wall Jumping SpiderMenemerus bivittatus
Total7

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