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

The road down from the Hai Van Pass was a quicker drive than the way up and we had made it to Da Nang in no time. Da Nang was one of the fastest growing hubs in Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, the United States has extensively invested in the area, with resorts, new airport and business facilities popping everywhere. This was in stark contrast to the calm, well maintained antiquity of the UNESCO site (town) Hoi An, 20 minutes to the south.

Before leaving Da Nang, we stopped in at the Marble Mountains, abrupt limestone outcrops south of the city. We visited the complex cave network beneath one of the outcrops and then a marble factory nearby where hundreds of statues and anything else you can make with marble were for sale. An enticing call, lead me to a non-breeding Blue Rock Thrush perched on one of the factories antennae.

It is very difficult to quickly summarize Hoi An, other than being simply beautiful. Based on the northern bank of the Thu Bon River in Central Annam and surrounded by paddyfields, it is one of Vietnam's oldest settlements and easily it's most preserved. Many of the homes and shops we visited were several hundred years old with many families having lived there for over 5 generations. The stunning weather we experienced during our stay only complemented the beauty of the town and surrounding countryside.

Main bridge over the Thu Bon River in Hoi An

We had 4 nights in Hoi An, our longest stay anywhere for the trip, I also experienced some great birding during this time and have compiled a species list according to sites visited below:

Chinese Pond-Heron - Stalking along the edge of the Thu Bon River, east of Hoi An.
Cinnamon Bittern - Flushed from paddyfields west of Hoi An.
Little Egret - Paddyfields between Hoi An and My Son (many).
Intermediate Egret - Paddyfields between Hoi An and My Son.
Great Egret - Island in the Thu Bon River.
Slaty-breasted Rail - Edge of reeds on the Thu Bon River, east of Hoi An.
White-breasted Waterhen - Edge of reeds on the Thu Bon River, east of Hoi An.
Bronze-winged Jacana - Roadside wetland west of Hoi An.
Common Sandpiper - Several along the Thu Bon River.
Little-ringed Plover - Mudflats along the Thu Bon River.
Common Greenshank - Mudflats along the Thu Bon River.
Pied Kingfisher - Flying along the Thu Bon River, east of Hoi An.
Blue-tailed Bee-Eater - Flying above the town itself.
Common Myna - West of Hoi An.
Racket-tailed Treepie - At the My Son ruins.
Tiger Shrike - One at the My Son ruins.
Brown Shrike - Banks of the Thu Bon River, east of Hoi An.
Crimson Sunbird - At the My Son ruins.

Most of the species seen come from a river cruise along the Thu Bon River and during a half-day trip to the ruins of Cham temples at My Son (about an hour west of Hoi An).

My Son ruins

We were sad to say goodbye to Hoi An and begin a wholly new experience in Vietnam's largest centre - Ho Chi Minh City (regularly referred to as Saigon). After the short flight from Da Nang, we went straight out onto the streets of Saigon, visiting the Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum and the Notre Dam Cathedral and Post Office. Above Saigon that afternoon were hundreds of House Swift, bats and several Silver-backed Needletails.

On the 29th we visited the Cu Chi tunnels NW of Saigon. It was an eye-opening experience, descending into  the cramped tunnels, observing the myriad of traps implemented by the Viet Cong and remnants of the war like B52 bomb craters and discarded armament. The visit was complemented by several new birds; Lesser-necklaced Laughingthrush, Green-billed Malkoha and Red Junglefowl (genuine chickens!).

Our last full day in Saigon was spent in the Mekong Delta. On the drive to Cai Be I spotted Little Cormorant, Black-winged Kite and Barn Swallow. The rain was pretty torrential upon arrival, but we embarked on a boat trip onto the mighty Mekong nonetheless. We visited the floating markets and then motored over to an inlet in the middle of a large island. Here we transferred to 3-man canoes and rowed silently down mangrove-lined creeks very 'Apocalypse Now-esque'. This short trip saw me tick off Plaintive Cuckoo, Greater Coucal, Coppersmith Barbet, Golden-bellied Gerygone, White-browed Fantail and Plain Prinia.

Conquering the Mekong by canoe

Back onto the big boats to another spot on the mainland for lunch - Ashy Tailorbird and Olive-backed Sunbird the only notables.

The drive back into Saigon was wet to say the least. After particularly heavy rain earlier in the day, recent record rainfall and the highest tide of the month, parts of the city close to the river were under severe threat of flooding, but from what I've later heard, it sounds like any flooding held off.

It was hard to believe our trip was already coming to an end, but we still had an excellent finale in store - Vung Tau.

We drove straight from Saigon to the giant statue of Jesus that looks over the mouth of the Mekong River to the south. The statue is very similar to that in Rio, but actually 2m taller according to Thi! Of note, were many Germain's Swiftlets circling around the mountaintop.

Vung Tau from Jesus' shoulder

From here on the trip entered its most relaxed stage. We spent one night at the Ho Tram Resort NE of Vung Tau and it was easily one the most luxurious destinations we had yet checked into. However, the best bit was yet to come... It was full of birds! What a fantastic way to tie off! It was close to dark when we arrived, but we weren't set to leave before noon the next day so I was up early and off to net as many lifers as I could before leaving the place.

Wetlands just outside the Ho Tram Resort

Over the course of the morning I encountered the following:

Black-winged Stilt
Asian Koel
Large-billed Crow
Striated Heron
Kentish Plover
Greater Sand Plover
Collared Kingfisher
Red-collared Dove
Zebra Dove
Paddyfield Pipit
Oriental Skylark
Brown-throated Sunbird
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Yellow-vented Bulbul
Streak-eared Bulbul
Arctic Warbler
Dark-necked Tailorbird
Plain-backed Sparrow

Streak-eared Bulbul

Brown-throated Sunbird

 We flew out of Saigon in the dark and arrived in Sydney just after sunset. It had been an action-packed 12 days that left me feeling as though I'd been there much longer. It really was a fantastic experience and something to cherish and reflect upon. The weather was great, the people were amazing, the food interesting and the birds tantalising.  If anything I have an even greater urge to travel the region in the future than I did before, it was an exceptionally valuable insight in that respect and a trip that I will certainly take a LOT away from.

Thank you Vietnam, I will be back!

Downtown Saigon