Vu Quang National Park

Vu Quang lies along the Lao border in Ha Tinh and covers over fifty thousand hectares of the Truong Son range, and it is where a joint Vietnamese and international survey team found the horns and skulls in village houses in 1992 that led to the description of the saola - Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, named for the two provinces - the first new large mammal described anywhere in over half a century. The giant muntjac was described from the same forests shortly after. It received ASEAN heritage park status in 2019. Visitor infrastructure is minimal and most access is for research.

Background

Vu Quang lies in Vu Quang District of Ha Tinh Province on the North Central Coast. Protected first as a forest reserve in 1986, it was raised to national park status in 2002 and covers about 550 square kilometres. Since the 1990s several new species of deer and antelope have turned up in its remote forests, some so new that they still await a scientific description, although local people already have names for them. The park is also home to five newly described species of fish, and a large cream-coloured slow loris has been seen here.

Source: Wikipedia, "Vũ Quang National Park"

The landscape

• Where the saola was found - from remains in village houses in 1992.
• Named for two provinces - Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
• The giant muntjac too - described from the same forests.
• Very little visitor infrastructure - most access is research.

When to go

October to April. Two days, with arrangements made in advance.

Good to know

This is not a set-up visitor park - access to the interior requires park permission and guides. Roads are rough. Leeches, heat and rain are constant. Wildlife sightings of any kind are unlikely.

Nearby

Pu Mat park is north along the border; Ha Tinh is east.

Key facts