Below is a list of Top 10 major national parks, possessing the most diverse and rich flora and fauna in Vietnam. You can refer to and choose for themselves a suitable destination for your journey.
1 - Ba Be National Park - top best national parks in Vietnam
Ba Be National Park is known to be home to 600 tree species, 65 species of mammals, 214 species of birds. 46 species of reptiles and 87 species of fish, in which, many are in the Vietnam Red List that need to be preserved. The most prominent are civet, black langur, acacia,... The total area of the national park is up to 7,610 hectares.
Ba Be National Park - Source: Mrlinhadventure
This Vietnamese national park is an ideal destination for tourists to get immersed in the natural beauty. Apart from the diverse ecosystem with a variety of species of flora and fauna, you can enjoy the cozy feeling when sitting on the boat, passing by Ba Be Lake - the largest natural fresh lake in Vietnam, arriving at Tien Lake to see mysterious human footprints on rocks, checking-in at Dau Dang Waterfall or encountering Hua Ma Cave which has several scared legends. Visiting this national park in Vietnam, another amazing activity is that you have the chance to taste special dishes made by minority ethnic people living here and taking part in local festivals.
- Location: Nam Mau Commune, Ba Be District, Bac Kan Province - about 250km from Hanoi to the north,
- Ticket price: 45,000 VND/person ($2)
- Ranking: On September 27, 2012, Ba Be National Park was officially ranked as "a special national monument" by Decision No. 1419 / QD-TT.
2 - Cat Ba National Park Vietnam
With a total area of 17,362.96 hectares, this is one of the best and largest national parks in Vietnam which is home to 1,585 plants and 343 species of animals. Specifically, there are numerous valuable wood species such as chaurasia tabularise, peltophorum tonkinensis, fagraea fragrans, uvaria tonkinensis,.. and many rare animal species such as Cat Ba langur or White-headed langur. In particular, Cat Ba National Park has an area of sea surface up to 6,450.65 hectares, equivalent to 37% of the area.
There are many different options for you to discover the scenery of this Vietnam national park. If you are an adventurous person, you can choose a sightseeing tour: trekking the forests of the park, contemplating “heaven on the ground” and getting away from the hustle and bustle of the hectic life. You could also enroll in a trip to explore the marine ecosystem, experiencing the joy of diving to the seabed, watching colorful coral reefs or kayaking on the emerald, rippling ocean surface. Don’t forget to drop in Frog Lake, a famous biodiversity tourist attraction here.
- Location: the east of Cat Ba Island
- Ticket price (updated 2021): 80,000 VND/adult ($3.6) & 50,000 VND/child ($2.3)
- Ranking: Cat Ba National Park was included in the World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
3 - Cuc Phuong National Park - the first national park in Vietnam
Cuc Phuong National Park - Source: Asiaeyestravel
Cuc Phuong National Park covers an area of 22,200 hectares. This is the habitat of 1,588 species of plants, 97 species of mammals, 137 species of birds, 46 species of amphibians, 76 species of reptiles, 11 species of fish, and thousands of insects. This is also where ecotourism sites, amusement centers, and cultural-historical research centers are located.
Visiting Cuc Phuong National Park promisingly brings you several unforgettable experiences such as going kayaking on the clear and green surface of Mac Lake and Yen Quang Lake, walking on the forests to explore the biodiversity of plants and wild animals, “hunting” clouds in May Bac peak. This Vietnamese national park is especially famous for its specialty of butterflies which has been attracting thousands of visitors coming to observe and take photos in recent years.
- Location: About 120km from Hanoi to the south, located on the area of 3 provinces: Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, and Hoa Binh
- Ticket price: 60,000 VND/adult ($2.6) & 10,000 VND/child ($0.5)
- Ranking: UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, ASEAN Heritage Park or Ramsar Site - Wetlands Convention of International Importance.
4 - Ba Vi National Park
Ba Vi National Park, about 50km from the center of Hanoi city, is one of the best destinations on the list of 10 fantastic national parks in Vietnam that attracts thousands of tourists each year. With a total area of 10,814.6 hectares, this is home to 1,000 species of plants with more than 200 kinds of valuable medicinal plants chukrasia tabularis, peltophorum tonkinensis, fagraea fragrans, uvaria tonkinensis,...; 45 species of animals, 61 species of reptiles, 115 species of birds and 27 species of amphibians.
Visiting this Vietnam national park, you should first go sightseeing in the natural forest to observe its high biological value, then come, check-in at fairy-tale-like Pine forest, challenge yourself to explore the mysterious, haunting Ancient Church, drop by the Cactus Glasshouse taking selfies with these cute, tiny plants or climb more than 500 steps to praise Mountain God at Thuong Temple. If you are lucky enough to come here at the right time, you also have a great opportunity to witness shiny yellow Gia Quy flower hills - a specialty of Ba Vi.
- Location: Ba Vi District, Hanoi - 55km from Hanoi city center to the west
- Ticket price: 60,000 VND/person ($2.6)
5 - Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park - top 11 national parks in Vietnam
Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park - Source: Lonelyplanet
Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park covers an area of 85,754ha and a buffer area of 195,400ha, belonging to the limestone karst area of 200,000ha. This national park is an important location for endemic conservation. It is the habitat of more than 419 endemic plants in Vietnam (including 28 orchids), 41 endemic animals in the Trương Son Mountain range, of which there are 30 species endemic to Vietnam and especially up to 23 species only found at this national park.
Along with all the treasure of flora and fauna, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Vietnam is at the same time famous for possessing beautiful, complicated cave systems which have been exploited for tourism service: Son Doong Cave - the world's largest cave, Phong Nha Cave - the world's cave with the longest underground river and the most beautiful underground lake, Thien Duong Cave - the longest dry cave in Asia,
- Location: Phong Nha Commune, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province, about 50km from Dong Hoi City to the west
- Ranking: In 2003, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park was officially recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage.
6 - Bach Ma National Park in Vietnam
With a total area of up to 22,030 hectares, Bach Ma National Park is home to more than 2,147 species of plants, including rare and valuable woods such as frankincense, dacrydium elatum,... and 1,493 species of mammals including some animals that are only available in Vietnam such as saola. Here, there are several waterfalls that are cast vertically from a height of 300m, which is extremely unique.
There are a lot of tourist attractions in this Vietnamese national park for you to endlessly visit and discover. The first place that you should arrive at right away is the Hai Vong Observatory where you can catch the whole view of Bach Ma mountain and forest and even catch sight of Lang Co beach, Canh Duong beach and Hai Van pass altogether. After that, you can move to Do Quyen Waterfall and Ngu Ho Stream for taking pictures and swimming in the cool freshwater. Trekking small paths inside the campus of the park is also a sheer joy for those who are nature lovers.
- Location: Phu Loc District and Nam Dong District of Thua Thien Hue province.
- Entrance price: 40,000 VND/adult ($1.72) & 20,000 VND/child ($0.86)
- Ranking: National-level Flora and Fauna Conservation Area.
7 - Nui Chua National Park - top national parks in Vietnam’s central region
Nui Chua National Park - Source: Gavin White
Nui Chua National Park has an area of 29,865 hectares where a variety of soils converge, from faded soil on Magma Acid rocks and sand; Dry yellow brown gray soil; Red yellow soil on Magma Acid; Sandy soil, Alluvial soil; Eroded soil;... Due to the diverse soil types and different elevations, the place also possesses extremely diverse flora and fauna.
Thanks to its natural resources, Nui Chua National Park is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Ninh Thuan Province and has top Vietnamese national parks. Some activities you should not miss here are checking in at Hang Rai to step on huge coral reefs with many shapes and sizes, trekking Chua mountain which demands a great resilience to conquer 6 peaks, or tasting sweet and juicy Ninh Thuan grapes at local farms.
- Location: Ninh Hai District, Ninh Thuan Province
- Entrance fee: Free
- Ranking: National-level flora and fauna conservation area
8 - Cat Tien National Park
Cat Tien National Park covers an area of 82597,4 hectares: 10% of the area is farming land; 40% of the area is bamboo forest and 50% of the area is green forest. In particular, the place is also the habitat of hundreds of rare and beautiful orchid species and is inhabited by the Ma and S'tie ethnic minorities.
If you have a chance to visit this national park in Vietnam, you should once try to spend a night at Bau Sau lake to observe how crocodiles hunt and reproduce, climb to a high hut to watch birds nesting, and see all the layers of mountains and forests here. In case you would like to take some photos, come to Tai Lai village to get to know the customs and traditions of local people.
- Location: Located in 03 provinces of Lam Dong, Dong Nai, and Binh Phuoc, 150km from Ho Chi Minh City to the north
- Ticket price: 80,000 VND/person ($3.4)
- Ranking: In 2001, Cat Tien National Park was ranked by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve site of the world (No.411).
9 - Phu Quoc National Park Vietnam
Phu Quoc National Park - an important Vietnam national park - Source: Dusitjourney
Tourism in Phu Quoc National Park has been growing fastly in recent years due to the diversity of places for entertainment. Your trip is always filled with amazing activities like swimming and bathing at Tranh stream or Da Ngon Stream, trekking Chua Mountain, the highest milestone of Phu Quoc island or just the forest with thousands of plants and animals within the park will take you days to explore.
- Location: Phu Quoc Island
- Ticket price: Free
10 - Con Dao National Park
Con Dao National Park in Vietnam includes two main parts: a sea area of 9,000 ha and a land area of 6,043 ha. The ecosystem is diverse with 1,321 marine species listed, 144 species of animals, and 882 different plant species. The unique and stunning scenery of this place creates favorable conditions for visitors to hang out and have a good time.
Some of the most popular activities that tourists often choose to experience here are diving underwater to see vivid coral reefs, watching turtles lay eggs, contemplating the poetic view at An Hai Lake, visiting Ma Thien Lanh Bridge - an ancient relic from the French War.
- Location: Con Dao Island, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province
- Ticket price: 60,000 VND/person ($2.6)
11 - Yok Don national park Vietnam - top national parks of Vietnam
Most of the forests in Yok Don National Park are natural dipterocarp forests that cover a large flat area of 115,545 hectares. This is home to many endangered species: gray cow, Eld's deer, tiger, red wolf,...Tourist activities are very exciting in Yok Don, especially watching elephants’ daily activities, elephant bathing, feeding elephants, strolling, cycling in the forest, visiting Seven Branch waterfall, Buddha waterfall ...
- Location: Krong Na Commune, Buon Don District, Dak Lak Province
- Entrance fee: 60,000 VND/person ($2.6)
Vietnam has a clearly divided North-Central-South weather pattern, creating many types of climate, suitable for the growth and development of many different types of flora and fauna. If you are a fan of nature and are passionate about experiencing and exploring, the list of national parks in Vietnam above is an extremely attractive and suitable suggestion.
— Duy Linh
