Vietnam Birding Trip Report March-April 2025

Day 1; 24th March – Arrival, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

All members of the group made their own way to Ho Chi Minh City, being met at the airport by our local guide, Tai, and taken to the very comfortable Holiday Inn Airport Hotel. Most of us had dinner together in the hotel restaurant with only Ted joining us early the next morning after arriving fairly late at night. The food in the hotel was good and the rooms were very nice allowing us to get a good night’s sleep before heading out early in the morning of the next day.

Day 2; 25th March – Ho Chi Minh City – Ma Da Forest

We left Ho Chi Minh City in the early morning to avoid the worst of the city’s traffic, with some breakfast to eat along the way. After a couple of hours we were close to Ma Da Forest, where we would spend the day, but there was time for a short stop at a coffee shop which had a pleasant view across some unusual rock formations. While we enjoyed our coffee we kept our eyes open for birds with a couple of Little Cormorants fishing in a pool and some Ashy Woodswallows huddled up on an overhead wire. In the trees around the coffee garden we found a Common Iora, some streak-eared Bulbuls, an Asian Brown Flycatcher and some Yellow-vented Bulbuls but it was time to stop mucking around and go to see some serious birds.

A short drive down the road and we arrived at Ma Da Forest where we would spend the rest of the day watching an amazing assortment of birds, with our time split between two permanent hides. Settling in, on our somewhat wobbly chairs, it didn’t take long for the first birds to arrive with an adult male Siberian Blue Robin moulting its head feathers, a pair of furtive, little Buff-breasted Babblers and a boldly-marked Puff-throated Babbler. These were followed by a female White-throated Rockthrush, Ochraceous Bulbul, a pair of Indochinese Blue Flycatchers and a smart Scaly-crowned Babbler, a bird that some authorities might propose to be split as Indochinese Babbler and the first of many distinct subspecies in the region that are potential splits.

However, these would all play second fiddle to the bird that arrived next: Blue-rumped Pitta. This was a bird that was no doubt much-anticipated by all when looking at the list of potential species for this Vietnam birding tour and exactly the type of reward we were hoping for by sitting and waiting at this hide. A male Blue-rumped Pitta fed in front of us for quite some time time, allowing us to admire it and get some photos of this exciting bird before it hopped off back into the forest. A collective release of held breath followed the departure of the pitta accompanied by a shuffling of chairs as we all shifted position to get ready for the rest of the show. While some of the previous birds made repeat appearances the next species to create a “wow’ moment was Silver-breasted Broadbill which arrived at the same time as a pair of noisy Ochraceous Bulbuls. Silver-breasted Broadbill is a bird most usually seen in the foliage as it forages so it was a really amazing thing to see it at such close quarters and at eye level; this pair certainly attracted a lot of camera clicking!

The remainder of the morning resulted in most of the birds already seen, repeatedly visiting but a gang of stunning White-crested Laughingthrushes was another uplifting moment as these garrulous birds bounced around, chattering, feeding and arguing with other species before returning to the forest. Before we departed for lunch the Blue-rumped Pitta returned, this time with partner alongside so that we were able to enjoy a pair of these magical birds. A short drive took us to lunch and an opportunity to stretch out legs and take a break before returning to the forest to visit a second hide.

The new hide was a bit more comfortable than the first and over the next couple of hours we were treated to a real show, with some exciting species to add to our list. Point blank views of Laced Woodpecker were fantastic and a male White-throated Rockthrush was satisfying considering the morning’s female. There were plenty of repeats from the morning but it was nice for the photographers among us as the light was better here and a lovely Orange-headed Thrush was very welcome. A calling Banded Kingfisher refused to show itself, but there would be opportunities later, while a pair of Common Flamebacks were the first of several of this superb bird that we would see over the next few days. Up in the treetops a Lesser Yellownape was spotted while in front of us a Little Spiderhunter amazed us with its extensive bill. Although less showy, it was nice to be able to study a Pale-legged Leaf Warbler as it fed on the ground in front of us and a Blue-winged Leafbird was another nice addition before we moved back to the first hide where Tai hoped we could have an appointment with another very special bird.

After settling in it did not take long for many of the smaller birds that we saw earlier to turn up but after around 30 minutes the star of the show arrived: Siamese Fireback. Although this is the national bird of Thailand it is also found in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and on this occasion we were able to watch a smart male feeding in the leaf litter for a long period, an absolutely wonderful bird to see to finish the day with. After this, we headed out and started the journey to Cat Tien National Park, around 2 hours and we arrived just after dark, checking in to our rooms and going straight for dinner with three full days in the national park to look forward to.

Days 3-5; 26th-28th March – Cat Tien National Park

After breakfast at park HQ, on our first day at Cat Tien National park, we were keen to make the most of the early morning bird activity with an Asian Barred Owlet viewable through the telescope as soon as we had assembled as a group. Green-billed Malkoha followed along with a couple of Thick-billed Green Pigeons perched on top of some exposed trees but it was the morning song of Yellow-cheeked Gibbons that really drew our attention and it wasn’t long before we were watching these amazing animals moving effortlessly through the forest canopy.

The first few hundred metres of the track were full of birds in the early morning and Coppersmith, Blue-eared and Green-eared Barbets were all added quickly with Red-breasted Parakeets squawking overhead and Vernal hanging Parrots feeding on flowering trees. The action continued with Racket-tailed Treepie, Scarlet Minivet but it was some woodpeckers that got us most excited with a nice Lesser Yellownape, a pair of Common Flamebacks and the rare Pale-headed Woodpecker all in quick succession. With perfect sunny conditions but cool air the weather was perfect and this resulted in the early call of Orange-breasted Trogon. Given that this species has the habit of sitting still and calling it did not take us long to track down a male of this wonderful bird that always provides a welcome splash of colour. Hanging around, watching this amazing looking bird gave time for another magnificent species to join us; Black-and-red Broadbill. This is one of my favourites and I am always happy to share a great experience of it with other birders, so this was another good bird. A Rufescent Prinia scolded us from some grassy patches and a stunning male Violet Cuckoo came in and landed very close to us; a bird that seems to be unusually abundant at Cat Tien. A little kiosk selling drinks gave us a chance to take a short break before we heard the nearby call of Banded Kingfisher. As this bird had eluded us on the previous day it made us even more determined to find it this time and it actually proved unusually easy to spot in this area of widely spaced small trees.

For those that like cute birds then Collared Falconet was a great species. Viewed through the telescope this bird is a very smart little creature indeed as it sallied for prey, mostly insects such as butterflies and dragonflies. As the morning drew on and got much warmer the bird activity started to slow down but we managed to get nice photos of Grey-faced Tit Babbler, a regional endemic, and a small flock containing Large Woodshrike, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Great Iora and some Blue-winged Leafbirds. We ended up walking quite a long way down the track but as things got warmer the rate at which we found birds dramatically slowed so we decided that these birding trips are marathons and not sprints and headed back for lunch and a break from the building heat.

One of the highlights, as well as some of the most anxious waits, was a hide that we visited twice hoping for Germain’s Peacock Pheasant to appear. While we eventually found it both out in the forest and from a hide, this local speciality let us down at this particular “reliable” hide. However, there were some awesome views of awesome birds still to be had there. The undoubted highlight here was a pair of Bar-bellied Pittas. The female was the first to emerge and triggered a wave of excitement through us but when the male arrived it seemed almost luminescent on the dark forest floor. Both male and female spent a lot of time out in the open on both of our visits allowing us to really get to grips with this superb bird and cement it in our memories.

Laced Woodpeckers and Black-and-red Broadbills were amazingly colourful birds to watch at such close range and Scaly-breasted Partridge was also a wonderful species to see here, even if they did only come in once for a few minutes before slipping off into the shadows. Black-headed Bulbul was a new bird here while Buff-breasted Babbler, Indochinese Blue Flycatcher and Puff-throated Babbler were already becoming familiar friends to us. At one moment a flash of green and red was a Pale-headed Woodpecker landing in front of us and then flying off and there was a constant quarrel between Oriental Magpie Robin and White-rumped Shama among a myriad of other common forest birds.

On our second afternoon at Cat Tien we did something different, taking one of the national park vehicles along a track through the grassland parts of the of the national park. At first we took a walk, waiting for the vehicle to catch us up, finding a Rufous Woodpecker that gave us reasonable views before flying off but also more prolonged views of a nice pair of Black-and-buff Woodpeckers. A real change of pace was a brief visit to a small wetland area where we picked up Little Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Pied Bushchat, Purple Heron, several species of egrets, Red-wattled Lapwing as well as an Indochinese Cuckooshrike in the nearby trees; always nice to see a lot of birds quickly and easily. Driving along in the open-topped vehicle we stopped to check out a couple of Red-whiskered Bulbuls and while doing so a few Oriental Pied Hornbills flew by. The sound of Lineated Barbet instigated a search for this striking bird which we found calling from an isolated tree but the sound of a Germain’s Peacock Pheasant was what really got us excited.

Given how this species had frustratingly eluded us at the hide it “regularly” appears at we tried to work out a plan to see this one. Quite frankly, it seemed unlikely that we would see it in the tangled undergrowth of the forest patch it was calling from and equally as unlikely that we could lure it out into an open field of short grass. However, the latter was the only chance of seeing the bird so I placed my speaker in the field and started some call playback. Incredibly, it did not take very long before we spotted the bird on the forest edge and over the next few minutes we got nice views of this prime target bird in the most unlikely of circumstances. This was one of those moments that makes birding exciting.

Further along the track our wild “chicken” collection was added to with a splendid Green Peafowl and then an excellent Chinese Francolin, a bird that can be really tough to see. We continued adding birds to our list until we reached an observation tower where a flock of smart Orange-breasted Green Pigeons put on a display for us while we waited for nightjars. As the sky became a dark orange we heard the first distant calls of Great Eared Nightjar before spotting them in the distance but the best was to come with several of these mighty birds cruising right overhead. We were treated to wonderful views of this impressive nightjar before also seeing a fluttering Large-tailed Nightjar too. This would have been a great ending to the day but we had time to stop at a Brown Boobook territory where we got a great view of this peculiar owl on our way back to headquarters and dinner. I love it when a plan comes together.

Of the morning of our final full day at Cat Tien National Park we took a drive much further along one of the tracks than we had previously been, to a different part of the forest, with the aim, of course, of finding different birds. Tai knew a location to look for Dusky Broadbill so we stopped there and it did not take long before a small group of the largest of Vietnam’s broadbills arrived in the treetops. Walking along through the forest here birds were not exactly leaping out at us but with patience we added plenty of birds to our list and got some nice views of these and others that we had seen before too. Purple-naped Spiderhunter gave itself away by its strident, chipping call, its streaky breast the most obvious feature in the shadows of the forest rather than its purple nape. A couple of Yellow-bellied Warblers repeatedly teased us, flitting back and forwards in dense bamboo before eventually showing themselves, only for our attention to be switched to a pair of flashy Banded Broadbills, calling loudly from the mid-storey of the forest. Many of the birds we were becoming familiar with were also present with Black-hooded Oriole, Large Woodshrike, Great Iora and Vernal Hanging Parrot just a few examples, while improved views of Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Ashy-headed Green Pigeon and Green-eared Barbet all very welcome too.

Pale-headed Woodpecker arrived unexpectedly and although it was tricky to see, most of us managed to get our binoculars onto it. Common Flameback and Lesser Yellownape were more easily seen and the tiny White-browed Piculet was an excellent bird to see, at really close range, foraging in the tangles. This smart little bird entertained us for several minutes distracting us from a nearby Blue-winged Leafbird and a White-rumped Munia collecting nest material. With things warming up considerably and having had a very good morning we drove back to a little drink stop to take a quick break and from where we located Heart-spotted Woodpecker, but once again this species would be seen briefly but escaped giving us a good view; something to work on later.

In the afternoon there was one final hide for us to check out at Cat Tien too. Driving deep into the forest we walked a short distance into the undergrowth to take our seats in the late afternoon. It didn’t take long before many of the birds we had become familiar with at the hides appeared. Species such as Indochinese Blue Flycatcher, Grey-eyed Bulbul, Puff-throated Babbler and White-rumped Shama are a few examples but we also had a few different birds including a pair of Pin-striped Tit Babblers coming to bathe and a couple of Greater Coucals crashing around in the undergrowth and repeatedly coming out into the open to provide a bit of variety. Colour was provided by yet another superb Black-and-red Broadbill, Cat Tien really is the best place I know to see this amazing bird such is their level of abundance, and a pair of Laced Woodpeckers. However, what we were really waiting for was Germain’s Peacock Pheasant and after around an hour one slowly crept towards us, eventually emerging from the forest to give us an amazing view. Although we had successfully found this key target species the “old-fashioned” way previously, this view allowed us to study the incredible intricacy of the plumage; a really amazing bird.

With this success we moved to another very nearby hide, just a few tens of metres away, to see if we could get lucky with another skulking forest-floor dweller. This time the light was getting really low and only a few of the commoner birds were to be seen, however, after some time a shadowy shape appeared from the left and suddenly we had a Slaty-legged Crake nervously walking around in front of us. This fantastic bird repeatedly came in and out of the forest over the next half an hour or so giving us a very satisfying experience with it. All that remained was for us to get our ride back to our accommodation and celebrate these sightings over dinner and a beer.

Day 6; 29th March – Cat Tien National Park – Di Linh

On our final morning at Cat Tien we took a walk along the main track from the headquarters to see if we could get improved views of Heart-spotted Woodpecker and anything else that might show up. Many of the birds we had seen previously were seen again but with nice opportunities to photograph Collared Falconet, Thick-billed Green Pigeon and, once again, Black-and-red Broadbill there was no hardship in that. An area with some fruiting and flowering trees was really good for a bagful of birds with Coppersmith Barbet, Green-eared Barbet, Scarlet Minivet and Golden-fronted Leafbird among the many species taking advantage of the abundance of food here. While enjoying this a pair of Golden-crested Mynas flew in; new birds for the trip even at this late stage of our stay at this location, collecting nest material rather than food.

This area had been good for woodpecker previously and so it turned out again this morning with an excellent view of Rufous Woodpecker, illuminated in the morning sun, a close up, if somewhat backlit, view of Pale-headed Woodpecker in a clump of bamboo and, finally, a great view of Heart-spotted Woodpecker. With this funny little hammerhead having repeatedly avoided most of the group’s binoculars on multiple occasions this was a satisfying bird to see on our final morning here. A couple more repeat observations included Orange-breasted Trogon and Red-breasted Parakeet but at our turnaround spot we took a view over the river where a smart Stork-billed Kingfisher was looking for prey from a wire that stretched across the water. This was our cue to walk back to the accommodation, check out and start our journey to Di Linh, our first opportunity to find some of Vietnam’s highland specialities.

A few hours later we were checking in at our rather charming accommodation at Di Linh where great views over nearby rice fields provided us with a few birds including Black-collared Starling, several Vinous-breasted Starlings and a small flock of White-shouldered Starlings, including one bird that appeared to have been dyed yellow! After some lunch we took a short break and then headed uphill, into the forest to visit a hide where our fingers were tightly crossed for a very special bird. This hide was somewhat more spacious than some of the others we used in Vietnam and it did not take long for the first birds to arrive: Orange-headed Thrush. In fact there were several of those extremely smart birds and it was amazing to see that there were a wide variety of plumage types including the two know subspecies from the region, innotata and aurimaculata, but also, seemingly, the form formerly known as gibsonhilli, but is now part of citrina, which has not been recorded from this area. We will have to study the photos carefully. As well as the, by now, familiar Buff-breasted Babbler there were also some Ochraceous Bulbuls but our attention was drawn to a female Siberian Thrush, followed by two fantastic males, one of each subspecies; davisoni and sibirica. The first of what would be many Mugimaki Flycatchers seen on the trip also showed up but the real star of the show did not keep us waiting too long.

Such was its visual impact of our main target, there was almost an audible intake of breath when Indochinese Green Magpie first emerged from the forest, bouncing around in thick foliage before an incredible unobscured view resulted. An amazing combination of green, yellow, red and black plumage coupled with a crazy crest made this bird an instant front runner in the bird of the trip competition. A pair of these wonderful birds took turns to drop onto a log in front of us to feed so that we were able to enjoy repeated and lengthy views of these stunning creatures. Given that we were told that Indochinese Green Magpie had become a difficult bird to see and one which required a fair bit of luck to connect with, we were very grateful indeed and despite the fact that a Blue Pitta called nearby for some time without showing itself, we went back to our accommodation very happy indeed, having had some great views of some amazing birds.

Back at our accommodation we enjoyed a shower in the dark, due to a village-wide power outage, followed by a very excellent gastronomical interlude, provided by our hosts, and some home-brewed beer by candlelight. Doing the daily bird list under these conditions was challenging!

Day 7; 30th March – Di Linh

With a pleasant sunrise as we ate our breakfast we quickly headed uphill in good birding weather to make the most of this birding location. Despite our high expectations things would not quite work out as hoped for a number of ways, although at the end of the day we had seen a lot of really great birds. Stopping at the roadside the sound of barbets filled the air and a single dead branch protruding above the forest canopy proved to be a good place to see them with first an Indochinese Barbet perched atop it and then a pair of Red-vented Barbets which would turn out to be the only ones seen on this birding trip. A Streaked Spiderhunter and a couple of Ashy Bulbuls joined them for this nice start to the day but after this flurry of birds we moved into the forest in search of Streaked Wren Babbler. It didn’t take more than about half an hour before we were enjoying fantastic views of this cryptic little skulking bird before we decided to return to roadside birding.

The weather was perfect, the habitat looked great but after an hour of birding we had only seen a few Black Bulbuls and a Flavescent Bulbul. Rather strange, so we decided to take a short break at a coffee shop where White-rumped Munia was nesting in a palm tree and a male johnsi Black-throated Sunbird entertained us briefly. This subspecies is endemic to a small part of Vietnam and is so different to Black-throated Sunbirds in the rest of the range that it seems possible that this is a future split to be known as Langbian Sunbird as it is in the Lynx Edicions field guide.

A couple of Wedge-tailed Green Pigeons flew by but Tai decided to take us to look for Annam Prinia in a nearby cemetery, Things started to go a bit wrong here. On the journey I started to feel very ill, dizzy and nauseous and by the time we were at the cemetery I was unable to function. At this time of the day there was no response from the prinias and suddenly something gave me a violent reaction that meant I needed to go to bed. The others continued birding near the accommodation, seeing Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker and Burmese Shrike but it wasn’t until after lunch and, in my case, a lie-down, that we resumed birding in the forest.

Back uphill we walked into the forest to a different hide set up for us to watch birds coming in to feed. There were great expectations and even as we were taking our seats a pair of Indian White-eyes were dancing around in front of the hide. Soon after we were enjoying a procession of species including lots of Mugimaki Flycatchers of various plumages, ages and both sexes, Ashy Bulbuls, Grey-eyed Bulbul, Siberian Blue Robin, White-bellied Erpornis and a gang of four Grey-throated Babblers. As the skies started to cloud over and reduce the light conditions things were illuminated by a few Orange-breasted Thrushes and once again there were at least two different subspecies present. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo arrived to demonstrate what a fabulous bird it really is and a pair of Silver-breasted Broadbills were also fantastic. For me, and several other in the group, the star bird was a Scaly Thrush. This cryptic bird is usually really hard to see at all, never mind get a point-blank view of, so this was a really special moment. If we hadn’t already seen Blue-rumped Pitta the pair that arrived would have probably been the highlight but as wonderful as they were, Scaly Thrush was the pinnacle of our session in this hide.

Back out on the road the weather was getting worse and light was failing but in an exposed tree we found a couple of Velvet-fronted Nuthatches, an Indochinese Barbet and a Blue-bearded Bee-eater but the rain started then so we decided it was time to call it a day.

Day 8; 31st March – Di Linh – Dalat

Having had an early breakfast we took a quick look in the rice fields next to the accommodation where I had heard an Indian Cuckoo. There were the common local birds present such as Black-collared Starling and Edible-nest Swiftlet but within the rice I spotted something creeping around which proved to be a nice Male Watercock. It was so well hidden in the rice that it took some of us a while to get onto it, but when I mimicked its call, it poked its head up above the rice like some sort of periscope. As we enjoyed this strange bird the calling Indian Cuckoo flew over our heads and we decided to move on and look for one of Vietnam’s endemic birds.

At the cemetery we had so unsuccessfully visited on the previous day we had far higher hopes arriving, as we were, in the early morning. Indeed, Tai played the call of Annam Prinia only briefly before getting a response and it did not take long before a pair emerged from the long grass to show themselves. The incredibly long tail in proportion to their size was the most impressive thing about this little brown bird but they gave us the best show that they could by hopping onto a low-slung cable and singing their song while cocking their tails madly; a little brown job for sure but a nice performance and an endemic! We also added a flypast Eurasian Jay to our list but moved on to an area of farmland where we found a couple more Jays and a pair of Green-backed Tits that gave us a nice chance to photograph them. However, with more birds to find in the forest we headed back uphill to where we had finished the previous day, only to find that the weather was miserable; heavy grey skies and persistent drizzle.

We were able to take shelter in a worker’s hut where they served us tea. From here we could spot a few birds; Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Indochinese Barbet, Large Woodshrike, Scarlet Minivet, Streaked Spiderhunter and Black Bulbul but try as we might, things were not fruitful in these conditions, although we also found a Dark-sided Flycatcher during one of the short dry spells. Instead, we decided to go back into the hide we were in the previous afternoon and hope that something new would turn up. Well, it didn’t take long for most of the previous day’s birds to arrive, including the stunning Scaly Thrush but despite much waiting nothing new came to feed although a White-spectacled Warbler showed itself well in the undergrowth nearby. During our wait one other bird of note was seen; a male Red-headed Trogon that kept flapping around in the mid storey of the forest nearby. It was a challenge for everyone to see it from the various seats in the hide but we did manage to get everyone a decent view in the end. Eventually we decided it was time to move on as the weather was against us, so it was back to the accommodation, pack our bags, an early lunch and start the journey towards Dalat.

A couple of hours later we had checked into our accommodation for the next three nights in the town of Dalat and we took a short break before heading out to do our first birding on this famous plateau, well-known as one of the best locations for many Vietnamese endemic species. We stopped on a road along the west side of Tuyen Lam Lake which had some promising looking forest either side of it. However, the poor weather conditions had followed us and although we heard some good birds, the light conditions were bad and nothing would show itself apart from a very nice view of a male Fire-breasted Flowerpecker.

In between the drizzle there were some dry periods in which we found our first Necklaced Barbet, excavating a nest hole and a small party of the plain orientalis subspecies of Blue-winged Minla, but generally it was hard to get a good view of much at all. Birding often produces these types of challenges but in our case persistence brought us a few interesting birds with a pair of Mountain Tailorbirds coming in close and a flock of lovely Black-throated Tits of the endemic orientalis subspecies, another potential split as Grey-crowned Tit. In the same area of pines as the tits we located our first Vietnamese Greenfinches, a species that we would see frequently in small numbers throughout our stay in the Dalat area.

As things started to get dark we decided to wait for a couple of “night” birds that are regularly seen in the area. Although there was still some drizzle, as dusk came we heard the call of several Grey Nightjars and soon after we saw this crepuscular species flying overhead and then perch on a broken pine branch: magical. Then we waited for darkness for oriental Scops Owl and although we heard it, this bird never came close enough to see, probably due to the worsening rain so we decided that it was time to go back and get some dinner and a good night’s rest.

Days 9-10; 1st-2nd April – Dalat

Our hotel provided a very well-organised early breakfast and the weather, although not bright and sunny, was rather better than the forecast had predicted. Our first stop saw us at the Ta Nung Valley, a quiet area where a track descended down into a small valley where some sort of disused sculpture garden existed. The birds started to appear as soon as we arrived with Green-backed Tit and a small party of Chestnut-vented Nuthatches to start with as well as a flyover Mountain Imperial Pigeon. Walking through the pine forest there were more Vietnamese Greenfinches, Black Bulbuls and a Eurasian Jay before we found the first of our target species: Black-headed Sibia. This robertsoni subspecies, sometimes known as Spectacled Sibia, is endemic to this small area of Vietnam and it was nice to watch a pair of them singing from the top of pine trees in the early morning. Scarlet Minivets provided the colour as did a Verditer Flycatcher that was very accommodating for photographs. Perched atop a bare tree were our first Blue-and-white Flycatchers, a pair, while a pair of Asian Red-rumped Swallows cruised the skies.

As we got a little further along, the forest type changed to a more moist, broadleaved habitat and we heard the call of another of the major targets: Grey-crowned Crocias. We followed the sound of this bird for a long time, with it refusing to give us a decent view until eventually it emerged on some bare twigs several times for a tickable view. With this success we turned our attention to a clump of flowering bushes where a small flock of White-cheeked Laughingthrushes were feeding, jumping in and out of the bushy foliage. These are very smart birds, as are so many of the laughingthrushes, and they gave us every opportunity to watch them at length. Also attracted to the flowering bush were several sunbirds; three or four of the distinctive johnsi subspecies that is unique to the region and at least one male Mrs Gould’s Sunbird. Several species of bulbuls provided some distraction but as we began to walk back up the slope a pair of Silver-eared Mesias called and some of us saw these wonderfully colourful birds before they slipped away into some trees across the valley. A Hill Prinia posed nicely for us in some tall grasses before we finished our morning walk back at the vehicle. Clouds were beginning to build so we wanted to make the most of the dry weather, with the plan to return to the area we had been birding in on the previous afternoon.

On arrival there was very heavy cloud and with it, very low levels of bird activity. A few species were heard but they would not show themselves until a Banded Bay Cuckoo came in. This one posed for photos but after that things were very hard with only a Blue-bearded Bee-eater glimpsed and a couple of Black Bulbuls before we eventually gave up and went for lunch.

After lunch we spent time in some lovely pine forest further out of town. Again, things were very slow because of the heavily overcast skies but some persistent mimicry called in a Collared Owlet to the trees above our heads. A Long-tailed Minivet was the first of the trip and while everyone was photographing the owlet I saw an Oriental Cuckooshrike fly past; the others would catch up with this one later. All the time we had been admiring the Collared Owlet Tai had been looking for one of Vietnam’s most-wanted birds, with little luck. I stood around fifty metres away from him and just listened, after some time picking up a quiet “pipping” call that sounded like the sub call of Vietnamese Cutia. All eyes were scanning the foliage and shortly after we saw bits of movement and, ultimately, a small party of Vietnamese Cutias. This was another of those birds that was one of the most desired on this Vietnam birding trip and it was nice to be able to watch them at length, foraging along lichen-covered branches. These were wonderful birds and proof that a slow and frustrating afternoon can change on the sighting of just one good bird. With this success Tai had another hide for us to visit so we hopped back onto the van and moved on down the road.

Just a short walk into the forest and again we were sitting and looking into a mossy area of forest, waiting to see which species would arrive. It did not take long to find out with a male Mugimaki Flycatcher immediately taking advantage of the food we had supplied, followed by a female Large Niltava and a Snowy-browed Flycatcher. A smart male White-tailed Robin followed, another of those birds that can be extremely shy and difficult to see under normal circumstances. While these birds repeatedly flitted in and out a larger shape with a slower movement caught our eye; this proved to be a fantastic male Silver Pheasant of the subspecies annamensis. Creeping around on the forest floor and on mossy logs this was yet another in an ever-growing list of ground-dwelling birds that we would have little chance of seeing well without the benefit of these hides. After the pheasant slinked off into the forest again our attention turned to another little flycatcher darting around in the low undergrowth. After waiting a little we were rewarded with Rufous-browed Flycatcher, a superb little bird that is an extreme skulker most of the time. A pair of Black-headed Sibias were not exactly skulking, barging their way in to scoff down as much food as they could but it is the peculiarity of birders that we all spent more time savouring a stumpy little Grey-bellied Tesia, tossing leaf litter around on the forest floor than we did the more showy Sibias.

Overall, the weather had made birding slow throughout much of the day but with persistence and visiting a variety of slightly different habitats as well as using different birding styles, we ended the day having seen a lot of really memorable birds.

On our second full day at Dalat we decided to spend the whole day back up the road along which we had spent the previous afternoon and beyond. For the first part of the morning we took several walks through the pine forest coming across several nice flocks of birds with the first containing another group of Vietnamese Cutias as well as White-browed Shrike Babbler, Clicking Shrike Babbler, Blue-winged Minla and large numbers of Black-throated Tits. We spent plenty of time following the Cutias through the forest, enjoying this beautiful bird to its full and succeeding in getting a few nice photos as well.

Another flock of birds gave us a second view of Grey-crowned Crocias with a supporting cast of Long-tailed Minivets, Mountain Fulvettas and Mountain Bulbuls. Further along we took a long walk along a wide trail, spotting a Common Crossbill perched atop a pine tree, tracked down by hearing its call and lots of small flocks of Chestnut-vented Nuthatches, Black-throated Tits, Green-backed Tit and other small, common birds. We added Grey Bushchat to our list as the weather deteriorated, making finding birds hard. Overall this was a pleasant and birdy morning, although short on our remaining target species so by mid-morning we decided to visit another hide in hope of something new.

Once again, we saw some great birds at this next hide, although the only new species was Lesser Shortwing, the unique-to-the-region langbianensis subspecies, however, a group of three Silver Pheasants, two males, one female, were also fabulous as were our best views of White-throated Fantail and three White-tailed Robins. This session led us into lunch at a roadside coffee shop along the road, set in an area of pine forest and farmland where there was another Crossbill, a Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker and several Vietnamese Greenfinches.

After lunch we had an appointment in another hide and once again we hoped for good things. At first we were reacquainted with species such as Verditer Flycatcher, close-up views of Little Pied Flycatcher, White-tailed Robin, Lesser Shortwing and Large Niltava. However, there were some more “A-list” birds to come with the warm up act being a pair of White-browed Scimitar Babblers, a bird that is always striking when seen well, rather than skulking around in thick vegetation. Less showy, perhaps, but a much more range-restricted bird was a Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler. Formerly known as Indochinese Wren Babbler this is one of those birds that is best seen in Vietnam and having had to work so hard to see one in the past it was great to be able to watch this one unobstructed. Things were to get even better as a dark shape darted around on the left hand side of our viewing area with a Spotted Forktail appearing. However, something completely unexpected then happened, another local birder made a disturbance and walked out to scare all of the birds away! We were shocked, particularly as not everyone had seen the forktail. This guy proceeded to sweep the area, do extensive housekeeping before eventually leaving. What was that about? Luckily for us it did not take too long before the forktail reappeared and treated us to a fantastic and memorable performance. This was a really wonderful and unexpected bird, particularly given the tiny range of this robsoni subspecies in South Vietnam. There was one more incredible bird to enjoy though, when from the shadows in the rear a Rusty-naped Pitta gently hopped into view, never emerging right into the open but given us a very prolonged and clear view of this incredibly difficult to find bird. This was a really wonderful session in the hide and afterwards a short walk around nearby could not eclipse any of these birds so it was time to go back to the town of Dalat for a much-needed shower.

Day 11; 3rd April – Dalat – Ho Chi Minh City

The weather on our final morning at Dalat was pleasant and as such we hoped to track down one or two of the birds we had missed up to this point. Our first port of call was an area we hadn’t visited before, not far from town, a track starting through forest on a valley side before opening up to a grassy area. Creeping around in the undergrowth the sound of Rufous-capped Babbler allowed us to get good views of this little bird before Mountain Tailorbird performed well. The ubiquitous Kloss’s Leaf Warbler gave us good, eye-level views in the shady areas but it was in the open, grassy habitat that our main quary would be found. A noisy Hill Prinia was seen at first, as the early morning sunshine lit up the hillside, but soon we heard the insect-like buzzing song of Dalat Bush Warbler. This group of birds is a really hard one to see but we got lucky with this little brown endemic species singing away in the long grasses close by, where we could see it relatively well.

A little further along the trail a patch of forest surrounding a small pool of water seemed to attract a decent number of birds with (Plain) Blue-tailed Minlas, a couple of White-throated Fantails, a pair of Scarlet Minivets and some Mountain Fulvettas. Up in the treetops we spotted some Eyebrowed Thrushes which we got a good view of through the telescope and three Lesser Racket-tailed Drongos dramatically flew back and forth overhead. Unfortunately, a Grey-cheeked Warbler ended up being a leader-only sighting before we walked back towards the vehicle and moved onto the Ta Nung Valley.

The hope here was to find a few missing species from our most-wanted list and while we actually did not find them we did see plenty of birds here. pretty much most of the species we had seen before, such as Vietnamese Greenfinch, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Green-backed Tit and Verditer Flycatcher to name a few. We did add the smart little Chestnut-crowned Warbler to our list and also get improved views of the stunning Silver-eared Mesia for those in the group who missed them previously as well as getting some nice views of Grey-crowned Crocias once again. We put a fair amount of effort into locating new species but we only came up with a Crested Goshawk that flew across the valley and then kindly perched on top of a tree. Eventually things got hot and it was time to go back for some lunch and prepare for the next part of our journey by taking an early evening flight back to Ho Chi Minh City where we had a nice dinner in our hotel.

Day 12; 4th April – Ho Chi Minh City – Mang Den

With birding options in Ho Chi Minh City itself being extremely limited we all decided to take a lie-in and enjoy the excellent breakfast buffet in the hotel before taking an early afternoon flight to Pleiku. From here we were met by our driver and started a journey of a few hours to our accommodation at Mang Den, a nice, comfortable hotel, where we had a good dinner and looked forward to the birding on the following day. For a bit of fun we spotted a couple of Feral Pigeons and Eurasian Tree Sparrows at the airport just so we could submit an eBird list for the day and post on the platform on every day of this Vietnam birding trip.

Day 13; 5th April Mang Den

Sometimes things turn out much better than expected. At breakfast another birding group told us how difficult their day’s birding had been at Mang Den on the previous day. Poor weather conditions and very low levels of bird activity had made things hard for them so our expectations were set back quite low after hearing this. However, after a 45 minute drive we found ourselves in bright sunshine as we stopped where the forest began and enjoyed a flurry of birds. A pair of Vinous-breasted Mynas were first up with a couple of Black Bulbuls in the treetops and a Flavescent Bulbul on overhead wires. A small flock of birds in the forest included some Mountain Fulvettas chattering away and a colourful little Clicking Shrike Babbler. However, the call of one of the endemics we had missed at Dalat got us really excited and a bit of scanning of a large tree in front of us revealed a wonderful Yellow-billed Nuthatch which proceeded to scale to the top of an exposed branch so that we were able to get close and personal views through the telescope. While this bird was still viewable the distinctive sound of Asian Emerald Cuckoo came from behind us and there was a beautiful male sitting out in the open for us to enjoy. It was soon joined by a female.

We had little time to take this all in before the call of a Sultan Tit alerted us to the presence of this black crowned form which is sometimes known as Annam Sultan Tit before we rounded off this little stop with a calling Necklaced Barbet in a low tree. Further up the road we took a walk into an area of farmland and forest patches where a Long-tailed Shrike was sitting on an infield post and a Large-billed Crow flew overhead. As we got close to a forest patch we were treated to a wonderful display by a couple of Yellow-cheeked Tits angrily calling from some low trees while overhead we spotted a Jerdon’s Baza, one of the raptors that seems to be a little bit of a speciality of this area. A pair of Necklaced Barbets was another nice sighting here but a tiny Speckled Piculet was something that took us a while for everyone to get a good view of; this is always a good bird. A walk along some narrow forest trails was a bit of a challenge with little activity although we did manage to find a Pale-blue Flycatcher singing softly from the mid-storey of the forest and as we exited the trail we were treated to the sight of a pair of Grey-headed Parrotbills proving that persistence can produce good results.

Our last stop of the morning took us to an area of forest where there were some small fruiting trees that were attracting various birds to feed. Here we saw a pair of Mountain Bulbuls and some Mountain Fulvettas before a group of three Black-chinned Yuhinas arrived. Their chattering calls preceded their arrival and we were particularly pleased to see these cute little birds having missed them at Di Linh due to the poor weather we had experienced there. The fruits also attracted the only Orange-bellied Leafbird of the trip, a female, and some Mrs Gould’s Sunbirds. Another new bird for our Vietnam birding trip was the colourful Rufous-faced Warbler. Its high-pitched trilling song allowed us to follow it as it darted around in tangled twigs but after some persistence we all got a nice view of this attractive bird. By this time we were ready for a break and some lunch which we took at a roadside coffee shop and nearby making an owlet call attracted lots of small birds including Grey-chinned Minivet, Black-throated Tit, Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Yellow-cheeked Tit and Blue-winged Minlas, this time the more widespread blue winged version which looked very attractive in the sunshine.

In the afternoon we looked unsuccessfully for Hooded Laughingthrush, although we heard several groups of them and flashes of dark shapes in the forest, until it was time for us to visit another hide.

This one was something of a secret and required a five-minute walk down a slippery trail to get to and another ten minutes to erect. Tiny stools to sit on were uncomfortable but we got into position and waited. Then we waited some more, and waited again. Contrary to other hides we had visited there was no supporting cast here and we just sat and stared at a big, mossy, fallen log for over an hour and a half. As the time drew on and the light began to fail the tension built to a point that I think that most of us were about ready to give up, but then a miracle happened. Suddenly, from the forest beside us we saw a flash of movement and within thirty seconds our target arrived on the mossy log: Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush. Tension turned to joy and relief as we were treated to a twenty minute show from this intricately plumaged and highly localised bird posing photogenically on the log. Wonderful!

We slipped and slided our way back up the trail, emerging quite tired from the long and tension-filled wait, but full of satisfaction; everyone with a smile on their faces, but it would have been very different had Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush been a no-show. The only thing left was to go back to our hotel for a much-needed shower, dinner and some celebratory cans of beer.

Day 14; 6th April – Mang Den – Ngoc Linh

We headed back into the forest at Mang Den in the early morning but this time with far different weather conditions. Thick cloud and the hint of drizzle made for far lower levels of bird activity than we had experienced on the previous day. Things were much slower but we saw several Black-throated Sunbirds of the more widespread variety in contrast to the subspecies that we saw at Dalat, and we added some Puff-throated Bulbuls to our list. Golden Babbler was a new bird for the trip and was seen a couple of times in small flocks of birds that typically included Black-throated Tit, Mountain Fulvetta and Rufous-faced Warbler. Our main target was Hooded Laughingthrush and although we, once again, heard several groups and got the briefest of glimpses of flashes of movement, nobody managed a tickable view. Common Cuckoo called from roadside treetops and gave us a flyover view and a couple of Black-winged Cuckooshrikes added a little variety. Perhaps the most satisfying sighting of the morning were a few Maroon Orioles, a species that had been heard only for most of the group up until this point in the birding tour.

We went back to our accommodation to pack up and check out and this was followed by lunch at a nearby restaurant and a visit to an air-conditioned coffee shop. With this break complete we went to a slightly different area of forest with the unlikely aim of finding Hooded Laughingthrush in the heat of the day, the clouds having cleared by now. We tried several spots, again hearing several flocks but zero views until, all of a sudden, a group of these birds were calling really close to us along a forest trail. It was still no simple task to actually see them but most of us got lucky as one bird landed out in the open on a branch fallen across the trail and then some of us managed to get our binoculars onto these striking birds as they bounced around in the forest.

Having had some level of success with the laughingthrushes it was time to start driving to our hotel at Ngoc Linh. The journey took us through rural villages and some nice scenery and we arrived in the small town in good time to check in to the hotel. Looking on online maps I had identified a nearby area of rice fields, next to a river for us to take a look at for an hour of birding. We quickly found Wire-tailed Swallow but then the heavens opened. Luckily there was a coffee shop overlooking the river so we sat back and had some refreshments to avoid being struck by lightning while at the same time looking out for birds. Big numbers of Asian Red-rumped Swallows passed by as well as a couple of House Swifts while a Blue Rockthrush flew across the river and perched on a building opposite us. After the rain stopped we took a walk along the river, finding a Common Sandpiper, Plain Prinia, Chinese Pond Heron and a few Amur Stonechats but time decreed that we got ready for dinner in a local restaurant and some beer from the on-site microbrewery.

Day 15; 7th April – Ngoc Linh Reserve

Unfortunately any accommodation closer to Ngoc Linh Reserve was, by multiple accounts, totally unacceptable to stay in due to many reasons so we had a long drive to this birding location. It took us around one hour forty five minutes to get to some of the most beautiful high altitude forest any of us had ever seen and certainly the most lush and undisturbed that we had experienced on this Vietnam birding trip. It was cool and cloudy which made the walk along the trail towards the hide more bearable in terms of the temperature but as we had been told, it did involve some steep up and down sections and crossing of some small streams which was challenging for some of the group but we went at a slow pace that allowed us all to stick together.

Going down one steep section of trail we came across a small feeding flock of birds. Given the nature of the forest it was a little tricky to make out some of the birds but we did spot a couple of Rufous-winged Fulvettas and a pair of Red-tailed Minlas creeping around on mossy branches as well as a tiny Yellow-browed Tit nest-building. Continuing we got to the hide and settled in for another wait. This time we didn’t have to stare at a mossy log for long before something came to entertain us; a pair of Rufous-winged Fulvettas, birds that would repeatedly revisit throughout our time sitting in the hide here. Another species that would be present throughout was Blyth’s Leaf Warbler, a pair of which were nest-building right in front of us, allowing us to study this little bird which is so often seen as a greenish flash in the foliage. A pair of Snowy-browed Flycatchers turned up to increase the cast of the show and then a Large Niltava followed. However, it was when Black-crowned Barwing appeared that we got really excited. This highly localised endemic species was one of the most-wanted from this part of the birding tour so it was awesome to be able to watch a pair of these smart birds out in the open, repeatedly visiting to feed.

This was shortly followed by a pair of Brown-capped Scimitar Babblers, a bird with a wider range in Asia but not common anywhere within it. Again, we were able to enjoy wonderfully prolonged views of these birds repeatedly returning, apparently to gather food to feed young as they were arranging worms in rows in the bills. One of these birds was partially leucistic and part of a pair, so that when another pair arrived without a leucistic bird it would appear that we had two pairs visiting. Not out in the open but seen well in the surrounding tangles was a Spot-throated Babbler, a really skulking bird so another very good one to see, while a Yellow-cheeked Tit came down to check us out briefly. Another couple of birds in the tangles surrounding the main performance area were Mountain Tailorbird and Rufous-capped Babbler but we continued the wait for a couple of other key birds.

While watching the array of birds that had already arrived, coming and going suddenly a flash of red in the background made us all look up. I have been lucky enough to see many great birds on my travels and we had already enjoyed a lot of wonderful moments on this trip too but as one, two, three Red-tailed Laughingthrushes piled in it was one of the most magical moments of my lengthy birding career.

As with many of the other birds that we saw from the hide, these Red-tailed Laughingthrushes repeatedly came to feed, bringing so much colour that we almost needed our sunglasses to look at them. Another nice bird was Rusty-capped Babbler, a pair of which eventually emerged from vegetation on the ground; one of those understated but smart birds that most birders appreciate. The final addition from the hide was the engelbachi subspecies of Black-headed Sibia that is listed as Brown-backed Sibia in the Lynx Edicions field guide and is perhaps a potential split in the future. However, after having our lunch in the hide we had a lot more waiting and this time for a bird that did not show up! Golden-winged Laughingthrush was absent on this occasion, which was a shame but we had enjoyed a lot of great birds and it was time for us to negotiate the trail back out to the road where we found time to do a little birding as the light was failing due to cloud building up. A nice Green-tailed Sunbird showed up close to the van and a little further along we found a Bay Woodpecker briefly before we decided it was time to make the long journey back to the hotel.

Day 16; 8th April – Ngoc Linh – Ho Chi Minh City

The quality of the habitat at Ngoc Linh reserve made us consider making the two hour each way drive again but in reality it would not work with the timing of our flight back to Ho Chi Minh City so we decided to drive a short distance along the road to a patch of forest that, seemingly, nobody had previously spent any time birding within. It only took around forty minutes to reach the area we had identified as having some potential and proceeded to go birding by simply walking along a quiet road. Things started off slowly with a few Flavescent Bulbuls, a Spotted Dove and a flock of eight Mountain Imperial Pigeons flying past. Strolling slowly along the road we came across a couple of Indian White-eyes and some Asian Red-rumped Swallows before a bird flying overhead caught our attention. We were able to get out binoculars on it, in its somewhat erratic flight path and could see that it was one of the Treron Green Pigeons with a long tail but were unable to see exactly which of the two local options it was. Fortunately, it proceeded to land on a distant exposed tree and through the telescope we were able to get a decent view of a Pin-tailed Green Pigeon; a new bird for the trip on the last morning wasn’t a bad result.

A grassy patch of habitat turned up a Radde’s Warbler, another new trip bird, while in nearby bushes a Yellow-browed Warbler was calling. Burmese Shrike was a colourful diversion but Chestnut-headed Bee-eater was even more welcome, giving nice opportunities for photographs of this colourful bird and yet another trip tick on the final morning! A distant Long-tailed Shrike gave us all the opportunity to test our long range photography with a few Blue Rockthrushes also in the area for some further amusement. We came across one patch of trees that seemed to be attracting a good number of birds, including some copulating Scarlet Minivets, where we turned the “leader only” sighting from earlier into the trip of Oriental Cuckooshrike into one seen by all. On this trip we had seen a good variety of barbets and we were able to add another to our list with a nice Moustached Barbet calling away from a treetop. As the morning was starting to get hot we were thinking about moving back to our accommodation when a flock of swifts were spotted; these turned out to be White-throated Needletails, a scarce bird and a welcome one.

Heading back to the accommodation in order to start our journey back to Ho Chi Minh City we stopped briefly at some rice fields where the diminutive Grey-breasted Prinia was the final addition to our Vietnam bird list with a few Amur Stonechats and a Cattle Egret the only birds in the fields, probably due to the hot weather. It was definitely time to pack, check out and start travelling to the airport. Check in was efficient, the flight more or less on time and before we knew it we were landing in Ho Chi Minh City.

Transfer from the airport to our comfortable hotel was swift and smooth so that all that remained was to enjoy the last dinner together, a few celebratory drinks and reflection on the many wonderful encounters with many wonderful birds that we had enjoyed on this Vietnam birding trip. A little fun was the vote for the bird of the trip with everyone naming their top five, with points allocated to come up with the following list.

Bird of the Trip

1. Red-tailed Laughingthrush
2. Indochinese Green Magpie
3. Bar-bellied Pitta
4. Germain’s Peacock Pheasant
5. Scaly Thrush

In this selection the overall impressiveness of the birds and the quality of the views were a major part of most group member’s choices. However, the scarcity of the bird and, in one case, the story of how we saw the bird, were also factors.