Vietnam (The North): My First Taste of Tropical Birding

Before I begin, I must stress the fact that this was by no means a 'birding trip'. During the September/October (20th to 4th) holidays I was lucky enough to participate on a school organised trip to Vietnam to experience a completely alien culture and way of life. I made the trip along with about 30 fellow students and three excellent teachers and it will be a trip that I remember well for years to come. Not only as my first real insight into a truly foreign society, but also because of the taste I got of the intoxicating birding South-East Asia has to offer.

The trip had a shaky start for me. Just a week before the departure date I was hospitalised with appendicitis, but managed to recover enough after the operation to have the opportunity to spend my holidays overseas.

The monotony of plane flights is something I'm beginning to get well accustomed to, but the equatorial heat as we walked out onto the tarmac at Ho Chi Minh International Airport is something I certainly was not prepared for! Although the average temperature and high humidity in Vietnam was shocking, it was also exhilarating.

An hour later we had boarded our transfer flight north to Hanoi, but not before I spotted my first lifer of the trip - White-vented Myna over the runway and a bunch of Eurasian Tree Sparrows outside the domestic terminal. The sparrows undoubtedly became the most regularly seen species of the trip, but House Swift probably took the award for most abundant species.

It was dark and wet when we arrived in the capital, but meeting our bubbly and legendary guide Thi Nguyen at the airport lifted everyone's mood. I think it'd be worth pointing out at this moment that I would challenge anyone reading this to find a race of people who are so happy, yet whom have so little than the Vietnamese. Their generosity, manners and integrity continued to surprise me throughout the trip and even more so after learning about many of the atrocities they as a society have suffered in the past, and even today.

I woke the next morning on our 8th storey hotel room to observe a city shrouded in thick fog around me. Admittedly my first thought was "I knew the smog in Vietnam was bad, but this?!" However, it soon began to burn off and reveal more of Hanoi. Another initial surprise was the amount of calling I could hear from below me; Red-whiskered Bulbuls and what sounded like Japanese White-eyes. I scanned the street trees, but it took me atleast 10 minutes to realise the calls were coming from several cages above a courtyard on top of someone's house! Vietnam 1: Max 0.

Central Hanoi shrouded in fog

I soon got used to the myriad of birds locked away in cages outside people's shops or for sale, but it was fairly depressing to see beautiful White-rumped Shamas being drowned out by the sea of motorbikes/scooters passing by in the street.

Our time in Hanoi was a whirlwind. We all felt as though we'd spent a week there already after just the first day in a city that literally never sleeps. The first full day in Hanoi was highlighted, for me, by a trip to the Ho Chi Minh (they really love this guy in Vietnam) Mausoleum, Presidential Palace and One Pillar Pagoda. Walking through the gardens that adjoined all three sites, I was able to tick off Common Tailorbird (so loud, for such a tiny bird), Oriental Magpie-Robin, White-throated Fantail and add genuine Red-whiskered Bulbuls. That afternoon at the hotel I was also able to spot a lone House Swift wheeling above the bustling street below.

Grounds of the Presidential Palace

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum during an evening parade

On the 22nd we departed Hanoi for Hue, via an hour long domestic flight. Cattle Egret, Feral Pigeon and Eurasian Tree Sparrow were obvious on the drive out to Hanoi Airport, but the birds really started to pick up once we reached the old capital - Hue.

The heat was much drier in Hue than the <80% humidity we'd just started to acclimatise to in Hanoi. We were driven straight from the small airport at Hue to our first temple/tomb complex, Minh Mang, about 30 minutes SW of the city. On the drive I got identifiable, but frustrating views of Indian Roller, Long-tailed Shrike, Black Drongo and White-throated Kingfisher - all common, but fantastic looking birds.

The temple complex was situated in a stunning setting, encircled by a lily-fringed lake, with large trees, distant mountains and an approaching storm-front framing the ancient buildings. While listening to Thi, I also heard loud and inviting calls coming from 100m to the right - Grrrr. As we were released, I raced over and quickly got onto a noisy flock of Grey-headed Parakeets. A group of Blue-throated Bee-Eaters passing overhead was next, then a Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker and Black-collared Starling calling strongly from an open branch, finishing off with a quaint Common Kingfisher perched above an ornamental pond.

Minh Mang Temple Complex

We spent two days in Hue, visiting the ancient citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda (more parakeets) and several fabulous bars and restaurants. Each evening, I was able to watch hundreds of House Swifts screaming around the hotel balcony, coming into roost in a nearby building and flocks of Cattle Egrets making their way to roost after feeding in the paddyfields all day, all the while sitting back with a drink and watching the Sun set.

Grey-headed Parakeets at Thien Mu Pagoda

Hue from the hotel balcony

The next day we set out for a scenery-filled drive from Hue to Hoi An. We watched the paddyfields and estuaries, backdropped with forest-clad mountains pass by as our driver sped around mopeds and dodged oncoming trucks. A brief stop on the edge of an estuary to see Water Buffalo properly gave White-winged Tern and better views of Long-tailed Shrike.

Near Lap An, Bach Ma National Park visible

The winding road up to the Hai Van Pass was particularly scenic, as was the view at the pass itself. To the north lay the winding coast road, and the long beach running to Hue. Turning south, you could just make out the major city of Da Nang on the edge of a huge bay and a wide expanse of fertile lowlands. The Hai Van Pass is the metaphorical and physical border between the north and south of Vietnam and smack bang in the demilitarized zone during the Vietnam War. Therefore it seems a suitable point to end this part of the report and begin the next half. More to come!

Looking south from the Hai Van Pass, Da Nang barely visible