Xuan Son National Park

Xuan Son covers about fifteen thousand hectares of limestone and forest in Phu Tho and is one of the few national parks in the country set on a karst landscape - dozens of caves are recorded in it, several open with guides. Dao and Muong villages live inside the boundary, with homestays in stilt houses, and the local speciality is ga chin cua, the nine-spurred chicken - a breed with several spurs on each leg, raised by Dao families here and tied in Vietnamese legend to the marriage contest of Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh. It was raised from nature reserve to national park in 2002, and surveys list 241 bird and 76 mammal species. The park is quiet and takes very few foreign visitors.

Highlights

• Karst with extensive caves - dozens recorded, several open.
• Dao and Muong villages inside - with homestays in stilt houses.
• The nine-spurred chicken - a local breed with legendary associations.
• Very few visitors - the park is quiet.

When to go

September to November and March to May. Two days.

Before you go

Caves need guides arranged at the park. Roads in are winding and the last stretch is rough. Homestays are simple. Leeches in the wet season are a factor. English is limited.

Nearby

Long Coc tea hills are east; Thanh Son is on the road in.

Key facts