The national parks of Việt Nam from north to south - Part 3

Updated 11/22/2024

Việt Nam has 34 national parks, spreading fairly evenly in three regions: north, central, and south, with a total area of over 3,000,000 acres. Central Việt Nam has the most number of parks, 14, next is Northern Việt Nam, 11, and last is Southern Việt Nam, 9.

Source: Multiple authors, "Danh sách vườn quốc gia tại Việt Nam," vi.wikipedia.org. Last updated on September 20, 2024. https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danh_s%C3%A1ch_v%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dn_qu%E1%BB%91c_gia_t%E1%BA%A1i_Vi%E1%BB%87t_Nam

Central Plateau Việt Nam

Chư Mom Ray National Park

The park, bordering the Virachey National Park of Cambodia and Southeast Ghong Nature Reserve of Laos, is in Kon Tum province, with an area of more than 140,000 acres (600,000 acres if including the buffer zone), and between 600 and 5,800 feet above sea level. The three contiguous parks has a combined size of more than 1,700,000 acres, creating the largest park system in Indochina. Chư Mom Ray National Park, an ASEAN Heritage site, is name after the highest peak in the park, which stands 5,800 feet. It is known for having 192 kinds of precious wood, 100 rare orchid types out of 1,900 plant species, and 120 rare animal species out of 1,001's.

Source: http://vuonquocgiachumomray.vn/an-gi/dieu-tra-nghien-cuu/vuon-quoc-gia-chu-mom-ray-tu-hao-di-san-asean.html

https://kontum.gov.vn/pages/detail/50011/Khu-Du-lich-sinh-thai-Vuon-quoc-gia-Chu-Mom-Ray-ky-vong-se-tro-thanh-diem-nhan-du-lich-Kon-Tum.html

https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dn_qu%E1%BB%91c_gia_Ch%C6%B0_Mom_Ray

Image source: Huy Đằng, "Nắng sớm trong khu rừng Chư Mom Ray," 2021. Accessed via http://vuonquocgiachumomray.vn/an-gi/dieu-tra-nghien-cuu/vuon-quoc-gia-chu-mom-ray-tu-hao-di-san-asean.html Altered from source photo.

Kon Ka Kinh National Park

The park, an ASEAN Heritage site, is located on the Kon Tum plateau in Gia Lai province, with an area of 103,300 acres. Kon Ka Kinh National Park is named after its highest peak, which stands 5,735 feet. Natural forest occupies eighty percent of the park, that include 5,000 acres of mostly valuable pơ mu trees (Fujian cypress).

Kon Ka Kinh National Park has 687 flora species, that include magnolia, lily, and fern, and 428 animal species, that include Indochinese tiger and yellow-cheeked gibbon.

Source: Multiple authors. "Vườn quốc gia Kon Ka Kinh." vi.wikipedia.org. Last updated on April 12, 2023. https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dn_qu%E1%BB%91c_gia_Kon_Ka_Kinh

Multiple authors. "Kon Ka Kinh National Park." en.wikipedia.org. Last updated on November 10, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kon_Ka_Kinh_National_Park

Image source: Mai Chiến, "Thác K50 được tỉnh Gia Lai và Vườn Quốc gia Kon Ka Kinh tập trung khai thác du lịch," 2022. Accessed via https://diendandoanhnghiep.vn/gia-lai-vuon-quoc-gia-kon-ka-kinh-dinh-huong-phat-trien-du-lich-xanh-10059779.html Altered from source photo.

Yok Đôn National Park

The park is in Đắk Lắk province, with a size of over 285,000 acres (500,000 acres if including the buffer zone). Yok Đôn National Park borders the Sre Pok Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia to form the largest protected area in Southeast Asia. Eighty five percent of the park is forested land, that includes the khộp type. Khộp is a Laotian word for poor. Khộp forest is a type of forest where the trees are completely bare during the dry season. Yok Đôn is the only park of this kind in Việt Nam.

Yok Đôn National Park has 858 plant species and almost 500 animal's, that include endangered Indochinese tiger, clouded leopard, Indochinese leopard, and Indian elephant.

Source: Multiple authors. "Vườn quốc gia Yok Đôn," vi.wikipedia.org. Last updated on October 30, 2024. https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dn_qu%E1%BB%91c_gia_Yok_%C4%90%C3%B4n

Multiple authors. "Yok Đôn National Park." en.wikipedia.org. Last updated on June 20, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yok_%C4%90%C3%B4n_National_Park

Multiple authors. "Sre Pok Wildlife Sanctuary." en.wikipedia.org. Last updated on November 11, 2024.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sre_Pok_Wildlife_Sanctuary

Image source: Unknown photographer, "Yok Don National Park," 2022. Accessed via https://tour.yokdonnationalpark.vn/EN/Animals/Detail/5

Chư Yang Sin National Park

The park is also in Đắk Lắk province, with a total area of 145,750 acres (600,000 acres if including the buffer zone). The center of the park is Mount Chư Yang Sin, at more than 8,000 feet, the highest elevation in Central Việt Nam. Chư Yang Sin National Park has a large pine forest with a size of 26,000 acres, and the rest contains mostly of bamboos. It is also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in 2002. Eight restricted-range bird species and forty six mammal species have been recorded in this park, that include Germain's peacock pheasant, black-shanked douc, and yellow-cheeked crested gibbon.

Source: Unknown author. "Chu Yang Sin National Park." thiennhienviet.org.vn. Date unknown. https://thiennhienviet.org.vn/sourcebook/source_book/Central%20Highlands/SB%20Chu%20Yang%20Sin.htm

Multiple author. "Vườn quốc gia Chư Yang Sin." vi.wikipedia.org. Last updated on July 10, 2024. https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dn_qu%E1%BB%91c_gia_Ch%C6%B0_Yang_Sin

Image source: Dương Giang, "Quang cảnh thác Krông Kmar với những phiên đá lớn," 2018. Accessed via https://baotintuc.vn/van-hoa/can-dieu-chinh-quy-hoach-bao-ton-va-phat-trien-vuon-quoc-gia-chu-yang-sin-20180410132848225.htm Altered from source photo.

Bidoup-Núi Bà National Park

The park, one of the top five in Việt Nam, is in Lâm Đồng province, with a size of 173,000 acres. It is named after the two highest peaks, Bidoup, at 7,500 feet, and Núi Bà, at 7,100 feet, in the Lâm Viên plateau. Bidoup-Núi Bà National Park has 62 rare plant species such as pine of various types and similarly, 32 animal species such as Asian black bear, Owston's civet (toddy cat), and Asian dhole (wild dog).

Source: Multiple authors. "Vườn quốc giạ Bidoup-Núi Bà." vi.wikipedia.org. Last updated on June 27, 2022. https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Dn_qu%E1%BB%91c_gia_Bidoup_%E2%80%93_N%C3%BAi_B%C3%A0

Multiple authors. "Bidoup Núi Bà National Park." en.wikipedia.org. Last updated on February 19, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidoup_N%C3%BAi_B%C3%A0_National_Park#References

Image source: Unknown photographer, "Vườn quốc gia Bidoup-Núi Bà," 2019. Accessed via https://bidoupnuiba.gov.vn/gioi-thieu/ Altered from source photo.

Image source: Unknown photographer, "Pinus krempfii," 2016. Accessed via https://www.nybg.org/blogs/science-talk/tag/pinus-krempfii/ Altered from source photo.

Tà Đùng National Park

The park, in Đắk Nông province, consists of forty island on a very large lake, Tà Đùng, with the size of about 85 square miles. Tà Đùng National Park has 1,406 plant species of which 89 are endangered, and 574 animal species of which 37 are rare and 3 are endemic to Việt Nam. In addition, the park is part of an Important Bird Area (IBA) of the Lâm Viên (Đà Lạt) plateau.

Source: Author unknown. "Ta Dung National Park." vietnam online. Date unknown. https://www.vietnamonline.com/attraction/ta-dung-national-park.html

Unknown author. "Giới thiệu về Vườn quốc gia Tà Đùng." vuonquocgiatadung.vn. Date unknown. https://vuonquocgiatadung.vn/gioi-thieu/gio-i-thie-u-chung.html

Image source: Unknown photographer, "Vườn quốc gia Tà Đùng," Year unknown. Accessed via https://vuonquocgiatadung.vn/ Altered from source photo.

Even though Việt Nam has a later start, not until 1962, I am impressed that it now has 34 national parks, as of 2024. My next blog in this series will be about the national parks in Southern Việt Nam. Please leave a comment if you enjoy reading this.