Terraced padi fields at Sapa (northern tip of Vietnam near China)

Vietnam is a large country. It is beautiful with many scenic places that rival the best in Asia. It will not be long before more of those obscure locations are developed to fully harness the tourist dollar.

While struggling to provide for infrastructural needs to cater to their country’s rapid growth, it was surprising to see how decent the facilities in the national parks are. The popular national parks have good access with smooth tarmac roads even though many parts of the country still rely on pothole-ridden or dirt roads. Although simple by foreigners’ standards, the amenities in the national parks are head and shoulders above what is available for the neighbouring villages.

Birders would be pleased to know that much has been done to their conserve Vietnam’s forests. On a governmental level, large areas have been gazetted and lots of rangers employed to guard it. Birds there seem to be thriving well. Yet, in villages, towns and cities, one just can’t find many (if any) birds along the streets. Kids seem to enjoy shooting birds with their slingshots. Every afternoon in Sapa, kids in school uniform would walk out of school with their slingshots ready in hand. No wonder the poor Eurasian Treesparrows (a common species throughout SE Asia and well known to allow close approach) there are so jittery and fearful of humans there.

Being 1650km long, Vietnam has enough room for a wide range of habitats to cater for over 800 species of birds. The country is generally divided into 3 zones – Northern, Central and Southern. Those on an “Endemics Quest” should focus on the south as it is home to 6 endemic species. The Central and Northern zones each have 2 endemic species. The northern area near Sapa is interesting due to the overlap of some southern Chinese species.

Vietnam is at the initial stages of adapting to a free market so the wealth divide is still fairly stark. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, lifestyle amenities and the latest tech gadgets are available for the elite. But for the great majority of the Vietnamese, life still remains very simple.

Baguettes for sale in the cool highlands of Dalat.

Bargaining appears to be part of their way of life so visitors should be to engage in some healthy bargaining before sealing any deal.

A Budget Birder's DREAM DESTINATION!

Vietnam has around 850 species of birds all over along the long country. Fortunately, transport costs there can be kept very low. You can transverse the entire country with a prepaid Open Tour Bus Ticket which costs just US$28! Note that taking the train will cost significantly more.

Guesthouses there offer the best value-for-money around South East Asia. In 2006, a decent clean private air-conditioned room with an attached toilet and shower ranged from US$4 - US$8 a night. That often includes a satellite TV with HBO and Star Movies in your room. If you do your legwork, it is not difficult to find gems such as the guesthouse in the right panel.

Food is inexpensive especially if you choose to eat local food. Should you choose otherwise, be warned that the prices can spiral upwards very quickly. At upper middle to top establishments, expect prices to be fairly near to those of your home country.

You can spend up to 6 months here and still not break your bank! As a ballpark estimate, my entire 50 days birding trip cost me less than US$1,000. This figure includes my return air-ticket to Singapore. Birdwatchers who would like to spend more than a month twitching in Asia should seriously consider Vietnam as a destination of choice.

clean air-conditioned rooms....

and even  satellite television.