Cat Tien National Park

Cat Tien National Park is a treasure trove of biodiversity. Here, in the tropical forests of southern Vietnam, live many of the world's most endangered species. The topography of the national park is characterized by steep hills and large flat areas. Many springs and streams in the national park flow into the Dong Nai River, the second largest river in southern Vietnam. Established to protect Cat Tien's precious wildlife, this is one of the largest national parks in the country. Covering an area of 74,319 hectares, Cat Tien National Park has preserved its original natural soil with a diverse ecological system and many rare and valuable species of animals listed in the Red Book of Endangered Animals. The scenery surrounding the national park is majestic, and the local ethnic people maintain rich customs and traditions full of national cultural identity.

To reach Cat Tien National Park, travelers can take National Highway 20 from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat. At Km 174, at the Tan Phu intersection, turn left, and you will see a sign for "Cat Tien National Park - 24km".

Entering the forest, you will walk on a trail covered with tree leaves. Sunlight filters through the layers of foliage. The air is humid, and the cicadas sing throughout the forest. Don't forget to admire the 400-year-old conifer here. A little further, you can see another ancient tree called “bang lang” (Lagerstroemia corniculata), nearly 300 years old. Its trunk, nearly 3 meters in diameter, sprouts 6 ivory-colored sub-trunks. The forest also features many other unusual trees, to name a few: a redwood tree with a diameter of 3.7 meters, a Benjamin fig with fasciculate roots running along the stream that can shade about 20 people, and a banyan tree with a hollow trunk large enough for 3 people.

So far, in Cat Tien National Park, 1,610 species of plants have been classified, belonging to 75 families, 162 genera, and 724 species, many of which are also listed in the Red Book