Vietnam Birding Tours
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Ravaged by twenty years of war from 1955-1975 (the Vietnam War), this country has since emerged to become an economic powerhouse and is rapidly becoming one of the go-to places in Asia for birding and bird photography. The country offers something for everyone with an interest in birds. Located on the eastern edge of the Indochinese peninsula, Vietnam is home to over a dozen endemic species (the highest number of endemics of any mainland country in Southeast Asia) and double that in terms of endemic subspecies and potential future splits. Vietnam is certainly important to any world lister.
Vietnam is a long (1,500 kilometers/930 miles) thin strip of land forming a slightly reduced ‘s’ shape, almost looking a bit like a seahorse! The far north of Vietnam is bisected by the Hoang Lien Son mountains; these are a subrange of the eastern Himalayas and link the area’s birds with that part of Central Asia, with China to the north. Here also is Vietnams highest mountain, Fansipan (3,140 meters/10300 feet). The eastern boundary of the country is made up of over 3,000 kilometers/1860 miles of often-spectacular coastline (e.g. the world-famous Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site). The majority of the western boundary of Vietnam is formed by the Truong Son (Annamite) mountains, on the other side of which lies the country of Laos (adjacent to the northern half of western Vietnam) and Cambodia (adjacent to the southern half of western Vietnam). At the foot of the Truong Son mountains is Tay Nguyen, the Western Highlands, where the Kon Tum and Da Lat plateaus are located. We will visit the Da Lat plateau and the surrounding area during our annual Central and Southern Vietnam set-departure tour. Heading west from the Da Lat and Kon Tum plateaus are the lowlands of the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam; in this area is Cat Tien National Park, another area we visit on our annual Central and Southern Vietnam set-departure tour.
