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Exploring the natural side of Vietnam reveals a country rich in landscapes, wildlife, and cultural heritage. From misty highlands to coral islands, national parks in Vietnam protect some of Southeast Asia’s most diverse ecosystems. These parks offer more than just scenery—they’re home to rare animals, limestone caves, and ancient forests. Whether you’re trekking through dense jungle, kayaking on quiet lakes, or watching wildlife in their natural habitat, each park offers a unique experience. Discover peace, adventure, and the spirit of conservation all in one unforgettable journey.
Top 10 National Parks In Vietnam
National Parks in Vietnam include caves, lakes, islands, and forests that shelter rare animals and cultural sites. Visitors can hike, take boat trips, snorkel, and enjoy nature across the country.
1. Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng National Park
Photo: Channel OI / Shutterstock
Located in Quảng Bình Province, Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng National Park is Vietnam’s most spectacular karst landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is globally famous for its enormous cave system, with more than 220 kilometres of passages surveyed so far. Among its highlights is Sơn Đoòng, the world’s largest known cave, though access is limited to specialist expeditions. Paradise Cave extends for more than 30 kilometres, and wooden walkways guide visitors through wide chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites. The Phong Nha Cave is reached by a quiet boat ride along the Son River, which takes travellers into limestone halls lit to show their shapes.
Location: Quảng Bình Province, north-central Vietnam
Highlights: Paradise Cave boardwalks, river boat to Phong Nha Cave, jungle treks
2. Cát Bà National Park
Photo: Stcyngyn / Shutterstock
On the largest island of Hạ Long Bay, Cát Bà National Park combines sharp limestone peaks with evergreen forest and bright coral under the sea. The park covers both land and sea, and it shelters the critically endangered white-headed langur, one of the rarest primates in the world. Trekkers often make the climb to Ngu Lam Peak for wide views of the island’s sharp karst hills, while others walk into Trung Trang Cave to see its dramatic rock formations. Away from the forest, the mangroves and seagrass beds hold a variety of marine life, making snorkelling and diving popular here.
Location: Cát Bà Island, Hải Phòng, northeastern Vietnam
Highlights: Trung Trang Cave, Ngu Lam viewpoint, reef snorkelling by permitted operators
3. Cúc Phương National Park
Photo: Mike Workman / Shutterstock
Founded in 1962, Cúc Phương National Park was the country’s first reserve, about 120 km southwest of Hanoi. The park spreads over 22,000 hectares of limestone mountains and rainforest, and it draws researchers as well as curious travellers. People can wander beneath towering trees, some more than a thousand years old, or step into caves where ancient tools and bones show signs of early human life. Inside the park, the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre is a highlight, giving people a rare chance to see langurs and gibbons as they are prepared for release back into the wild. The blend of cultural heritage, rich nature, and convenience is what draws people here.
Location: Ninh Bình Province, northern Vietnam
Highlights: Endangered Primate Rescue Centre, thousand-year-old trees, botanical garden
4. Cát Tiên National Park
Photo: Nghiem Hoai Trung / Shutterstock
Cát Tiên National Park spreads across three provinces in the south of Vietnam and is listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Inside are lowland tropical forests, swampy wetlands, and winding rivers, making it one of the most diverse areas for plants and animals in the country. Rare birds live here along with Siamese crocodiles, and visitors often hear the calls of gibbons and langurs in the early morning. A main stop is Bàu Sấu, or Crocodile Lake, where you can hike in or join a guide to watch wildlife in a quiet stretch of wetland.
Location: Đồng Nai, Lâm Đồng & Bình Phước Provinces, southern Vietnam
Highlights: Crocodile Lake (Bàu Sấu), birding, guided night drives
5. Ba Bể National Park
Photo: Ekrem Canli / Wikimedia Commons
Ba Bể National Park in Bắc Kạn Province is built around Ba Bể Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam, said to be more than 200 million years old. The setting is a mix of steep limestone cliffs, green valleys, caves, and waterfalls. Travellers can take a small boat across the quiet water and stop at places like An Mã Temple, Puông Cave, where bats swarm at dusk, or Đầu Đẳng Waterfall that crashes at the far end of the lake. The Tay people live here too, in wooden stilt houses near the water, and their daily routines give the park a living heartbeat.
Location: Bắc Kạn Province, northeastern Vietnam
Highlights: Ba Bể Lake cruises, Puông Cave, An Mã Temple
6. Phú Quốc National Park
Photo: 27Tula / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Off the coast, visitors who snorkel or dive find coral reefs alive with fish and other marine life. With its mix of forest, beaches, and reefs, Phú Quốc is often listed as one of the top Vietnam national parks in Southeast Asia, chosen by travellers who want both time to rest on the island and chances to see nature up close. It stays quieter than mainland parks yet still offers marked trails and local tourism run by nearby communities. Quieter than the parks on the mainland, it continues to provide good trails and tourism programs run with the support of local people.
Location: Phú Quốc Island, Kiên Giang Province, southern Vietnam
Highlights: Ganh Dầu and Bai Thom areas, forest treks, viewpoints
7. Bạch Mã National Park
Photo: Austriacus / Shutterstock
Bạch Mã National Park sits about 40 km from Huế and feels like stepping into another world. Spread across more than 37,000 hectares, the area mixes thick forest, mountain ridges, and waterfalls that never seem to run dry. The peak of Bạch Mã rises to 1,450 meters, and on a clear day, you can look across the coast, the shimmering lagoons, and endless rolling hills. Walking through the park, you notice the variety, over 1,700 plant species, orchids clinging to rocks, and birds that flash through the canopy, from hornbills to the elusive crested argus.
Location: Thừa Thiên Huế Province, central Vietnam
Highlights: Hai Vong Dai summit area, Do Quyen waterfall trail
8. Hoàng Liên National Park
Photo: Viethavvh / Wikimedia Commons
Hoàng Liên National Park sits above Sa Pa, with Mount Fansipan pulling most visitors here. The climb is steep, muddy after rain, and the mist often hides the view. On the trail, you pass bamboo thickets and mossy rocks, sometimes a rhododendron in bloom. Birds call from the canopy, though spotting animals is rare. Local guides, often Hmong or Dao, share stories of the forest and point out herbs they still use. Villages appear along the lower routes, with rice terraces cut into the slopes and smoke drifting from wooden houses. It doesn’t feel polished or made for tourism; the weather, the height, and the sheer scale remind you this is a wild mountain range.
Location: Lào Cai Province, northwestern Vietnam
Highlights: Fansipan routes, rhododendron zones, birdlife with Himalayan species
9. Yok Đôn National Park
Photo: DorSteffen / Shutterstock
Yok Đôn National Park, located in Đắk Lắk Province, is the most extensive forest preserved in Vietnam, with an area of over 115,000 hectares along the Cambodian border. Contrary to the foggy highland parks in the north, Yok Đôn is a forest characterised by dry deciduous trees, where tall teaks, dipterocarps, and oil trees get their leaves off in the dry season, and thus, the ground is covered with yellow and brown. The park is traversed by the Sêrêpôk River, which offers boating and fishing. Needless to say, the sandy trails going through the forest are used for trekking and birdwatching.
Location: Đắk Lắk Province, Central Highlands, western Vietnam
Highlights: Birding, cycling, boat trips on the Sêrêpốk, and ethical elephant experiences
10. Côn Đảo National Park
Photo: El Paco 33 / Shutterstock
Côn Đảo National Park is the Côn Đảo archipelago, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province, and it includes the park’s ecosystem, which spans 16 islands. With an area of over 20,000 hectares of both land and water, the park is composed of tropical forests, mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds. The marine shelter of the park has more than 1,300 species of sea creatures. Dolphins, dugongs, and sea turtles are the stars to be seen. The islands are one of the most remarkable nesting places of the green turtles in the whole country of Vietnam, so tourists can participate in night tours to watch the release of hatchlings into the sea.
Location: Côn Đảo Islands, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province, southern Vietnam
Highlights: Guided turtle releases in season, snorkelling and diving, coastal hikes
Going to the national parks in Vietnam lets you explore forests, rivers, and far-off valleys. Misty peaks, nesting beaches, and quiet trails show different sides of the country. These parks protect nature and the traditions of people who live close to the land. Whether you’re seeking challenge or calm, each visit offers something new. With TripXL, planning is easier—so you can focus on the journey, not the logistics.
Cover Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons
