Vietnam sites update (3 Viewers)

[Jon Gallagher]

A few notes from a recent visit end of March 2025:

Cuc Phuong National Park: Entrance fee 70,000 dong, cheapest accommodate on site 350,000 dong. Cheapest access from Hanoi by bus to Nho Quan and then taxi.

Sapa: Weather issues (fog and wind). Pale-throated Wren-babbler responsive at Love Waterfall site.

Tam Dao: Unless others know different, only access nowadays is the tower trail. The old "contour" or "watertank" trail is blocked by padlocked gate. See photo. When asked who had a key, the rather enigmatic response was "the Prime Minister"!

 

[James Lowther]

What a shame! It was I think supposed to be closed (to foreigners?) when I visited in 2018 but I arrived very early in the morning before the guard house was occupied and walked in unopposed. a few friendly Vietnamese drove past me on their mopeds as I walked along the track. I got a telling off when I left so didn’t try a second time.
Birding along the track was very good whereas the tv tower steps were terrible on my first foggy visit and not bad on subsequent attempts.
I was unable to identify any other access points to the huge area of montane forest….
Cheers
James