Vietnam - Southern & Central Specialities 2026

12 Mar 2026 - 30 Mar 2026 (19 days)

USD6,500 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: David Hoddinott

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*

Tour price (Per person): USD6,500 * GBP5,132 * EUR6,211 * AUD10,216

After being isolated from the birding and travelling world for so long, Vietnam has become one of the key destinations on the world birding travel map. Our comprehensive Vietnam birding tour takes in all the essential sites, giving us an excellent chance of locating all of Vietnams’ available endemic and near endemic species.

Our main tour depart from Ho Chi Minh City heading to the magnificent lowland tropical forests of Cat Tien National Park. Numerous specialities, both avian and mammalian occur here, and we hope to find Blue-rumped and Bar-bellied Pittas, Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant, Green Peafowl, Siamese Fireback, the elusive, Orange-necked Partridge, the rare Pale-headed and Black-and-buff Woodpeckers, Orange-breasted Trogon, Ashy-headed Green Pigeon, the stunning Golden-crested Myna, Great Eared Nightjar and Blyth’s Frogmouth.  Significant mammals in Cat Tien could include Gaur, Pygmy Slow Loris and three beautiful primates: Black-shanked Douc Langur, Indochinese Lutung and Red-cheeked Gibbon, while we’ll also seek out Red-shanked Douc and Delacour’s Langurs, as well as Northern Buff-cheeked Crested Gibbon during our time further north in the country.

A scenic drive through Di Linh takes us to Da Lat, a former French hill station at the southern extreme of the Central Highlands. From Da Lat we will make day trips to the nearby Mount Lang Biang, Mount Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, the famous Ta Nung Valley and Ho Tuyen Lam for many delectable specialties such as Collared Laughingthrush, Vietnamese Cutia, Vietnamese Greenfinch,  Black-crowned Fulvetta, Annam Prinia, Annam (currently Mrs. Gould’s) and Lang Biang (currently Black-throated) Sunbirds and the once mythical Grey-crowned Crocias, a species thought to have been extinct for over 50 years! The nearby Deo Nui San Pass also offers some exciting birding and specialties here include White-cheeked and Orange-breasted Laughingthrushes, Blue Pitta, Indochinese Green Magpie, Yellow-vented Green Pigeon, and the near-endemic Black-headed Parrotbill.

The dry, deciduous woodlands of Yok Don then await us where we hope to find Burmese Nuthatch, Chinese Francolin, Black-headed and Great Slaty Woodpeckers, the scarce White-rumped Falcon, and Rufous-winged Buzzard among an incredible selection of other great birds!

The extensive hill and montane forests of Ngoc Linh and Mang Canh will be our next destination and here we’ll search for the extremely range-restricted Golden-winged, Chestnut-eared, Red-tailed, and Black-hooded Laughingthrushes, the recently discovered Black-crowned Barwing, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Green Cochoa, Indochinese Fulvetta and Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler.

Continuing north, we cross over the Sa Mu Pass for Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush before arriving in Bach Ma National Park where highlights include Hodgson’s Frogmouth, Masked Laughingthrush, Rufous-throated and Black-browed Fulvettas, Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler, White-gorgeted Flycatcher and Silver Pheasant.

We complete our comprehensive tour of the southern and central specialities in the limestone forests of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which harbours mouth-watering specialties such as Red-collared Woodpecker, White-winged Magpie, the exceedingly localised Sooty Babbler, Austen’s Brown Hornbill and the recently described Limestone Leaf Warbler.

Now that peace reigns over the once troubled land of Vietnam, we invite the keen birder with a taste for the exotic to explore this incredible country.

Top Birds

Chinese Francolin; Bar-backed, Orange-necked & Green-legged Partridges; Siamese Fireback; Silver Pheasant; Germain's Peacock-Pheasant; Green Peafowl; Hodgson's & Blyth's Frogmouths; Great Eared Nightjar; Silver-backed Needletail; Ashy-headed & Yellow-vented Green Pigeons; Rufous-winged Buzzard; Oriental Scops Owl; Orange-breasted & Red-headed Trogons; Great Hornbill; Banded Kingfisher; Blue-bearded Bee-eater; Red-vented, Necklaced, Moustached & Indochinese Barbets; White-browed Piculet; Heart-spotted, Black-and-buff, Great Slaty, Black-headed, Freckle-breasted, Stripe-breasted & Pale-headed Woodpeckers; White-rumped Falcon; Collared Falconet; Blossom-headed Parakeet; Long-tailed, Silver-breasted & Dusky Broadbills; Blue-rumped, Bar-bellied & Blue Pittas; Great Iora; Swinhoe's Minivet; Indochinese Cuckooshrike; Dalat & Clicking Shrike-Babblers; Slender-billed Oriole; White-winged Magpie; Indochinese Green Magpie; Ratchet-tailed & Racket-tailed Treepies; Sultan Tit; Dalat Bush Warbler; Red-billed, Coral-billed, Red-billed & Short-tailed Scimitar Babblers; Grey-faced Tit-Babbler; Black-crowned, Indochinese, Golden-breasted, Rusty-capped & Black-browed Fulvettas; Collared, Sooty & Spot-throated Babblers; Vietnamese Cutia; Grey-crowned Crocias; Collared, Orange-breasted, Black-throated, White-cheeked, Chestnut-eared, Golden-winged, Red-tailed, Rufous-cheeked, Masked & Black-hooded Laughingthrushes; Black-crowned Barwing; Rufous-backed & Black-headed Sibias; Black-headed, Black-throated & Grey-headed Parrotbills; Yellow-billed & Burmese Nuthatches; Hume's Treecreeper; Golden-crested Myna; Orange-headed Thrush; Green Cochoa; Indochinese & Hainan Blue Flycatchers; Spotted Forktail; Lesser Shortwing; White-throated Rock Thrush; Mrs. Gould's (Annam); Black-throated (Lang Biang) & Fork-tailed Sunbirds; Indochinese Yuhina; Vietnamese Greenfinch & Red (Vietnamese) Crossbill.

Top Mammals

Gaur; Black-shanked & Red-shanked Doucs; Hatinh Langur; Indochinese Lutung; Northern Yellow-cheeked Crested & Red-cheeked Gibbons; Pygmy Slow Loris; Wild Boar; Northern Red Muntjac; Sambar; Long-tailed (Crab-eating) & Northern Pig-tailed Macaques.

Habitats Covered

Lowland & montane evergreen & deciduous forests, evergreen coniferous forests, grasslands, scrub & thickets, secondary forest, small freshwater wetlands & rivers

Expected Climate

Hot, humid but usually dry (very little rain at this time of year) in the lowlands. Warm days and cool nights in the highlands. Some rain can be expected in the highlands.

Max Group Size

8 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

Moderate. Many long days with hot & humid conditions at some sites. Several evening owling sessions (optional). Food variability is limited.

Accommodation

Mostly comfortable to good standard. Some more basic lodges, but all have hot water and air-conditioning where necessary.

Ease of Birding

Moderate to difficult. Large number of scarce/rare or localised target species. Some forests can be very quiet at times. Sightings can be distant or fleeting, playback & feeding stations are critical

Number of Species Expected

+- 300

Other Attractions

Scenic drives, an interesting history, some beautiful, intact forest still remaining in many areas

Photographic Opportunities

Worthwhile to challenging, typical forest photography difficulties, some dedicated hides.

What our clients say about us

Glen Valentine
JT, Vietnam

Overall a very good tour. Excellent group and of course, Glen Valentine was brillant and our in country local guide was both a valuable addition and an entertaining and delightful companion.

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