Birds of Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, Vietnam
June 8, 2025
Vietnam is home to a plethora of Bird species, most of which are quite unique, with many endemic subspecies found in the Da Lat plateau of Central Vietnam. During the 2025 Vietnam Bird Race, these are some of the birds spotted during race day and the day before.
A couple of our highlights include: lots of BIF action with House Swifts; a chance encounter with the Dalat Red Crossbill; Up close with a Snowy-browed Flycatcher; and our first Malkoha encounter of the trip with the Green-billed Malkoha!
The Black-throated Sunbird and the Streaked Spiderhunter were some of our trip favorites, with both of them being encountered the day before the Bird Race. We still got lucky seeing the Streaked Spiderhunter again during the race!
First time participating in the Vietnam Bird Race! I am incredibly honored to represent my country through the Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines - WBPP, alongside Chin Fernandez, Jay Fernandez, and Ugin Bxu, as we take on the thrilling chase of photographing Vietnam's hidden avian wonders in its second iteration
Although we did not win any prizes, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Vietnam over the past week. During the Bird Race day, we managed to photograph around 47 species of birds, many of which were lifers for us, as first-time birders in Vietnam (it was also my first time in Vietnam, hehe!). Some of the birds we saw were the Near Threatened Yellow-billed Nuthatch and the Vietnamese Red Crossbill!
Many thanks to the organizers of the event for inviting the Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines to participate and represent the Philippines in the bird race. We're glad to have connected and met many like-minded and energetic birders from Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and all over the world!
Shoutout to Nguyễn Thành Tài, our guide, who gave us a short birding tour across Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, days before the Bird Race proper, and for accommodating us throughout our stay in Vietnam!
We extend our sincerest gratitude to Mr. Bao Hoai Nguyen and Mr. Henry Goh, the masterminds behind the entire event for inviting us; and to the Vietnam Wildlife Photography Club, Wildtour Co. Ltd., and Bidoup Núi Bà National Park for their competence and generosity in making this event possible!
Maraming Salamat! (Thank you very much!)
