Travel website reveals top 10 best Vietnamese national parks

Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 for its ancient karst formations and again in 2015 for its biodiversity, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is part of Asia’s oldest karst mountains and dates back a staggering 400 million years. Phong Nha cave is widely praised for having the most beautiful underground river, the largest cave entrance, the most spectacular underground rock formations, the most impressive underground lake, and an array of majestic stalactites. At eight km in length, Phong Nha is also the world’s longest cave. (Photo: James Kelley / Getty Images)

According to the website, Phu Quoc National Park is home to more than 1,000 species of plants and 200 species of animals. An increasingly rare old-growth forest runs directly throughout the park, with the site featuring dipterocarp trees which can grow to over 30m, equal to 100ft in height. Activities such as hiking and camping are also easily accessible from Ganh Dau village. (Photo: Andreas Rose / Alamy Stock Photo)

Nui Chua National Park is a place best visited by motorbike and also boasts one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the country nearby. The Culture Trip states that within the confines of the semi-arid park, bears and primates freely roam the hillsides, while wild bats and birds soar through the skies. The shoreline is of particular importance due to it being the home to the nesting grounds of a number of endangered turtle species. (Photo: Hemis / Alamy Stock Photo)

Covering an area of over 71,900 ha across three provinces, the Cat Tien National Park is now one of six world biosphere reserves in the nation. The park is home to a rich flora with 1,610 species, including 39 listed within the Red Book whilst it also boasts 105 species of fauna. (Photo: Anders Blomqvist / Alamy Stock Photo)

Cat Ba National Park in Hai Phong city is home to 32 species of mammal, including the majority of the world’s 65 remaining golden-headed langurs which are known as the world’s most endangered primate. Of the mammals found in the park, the most common include macaques, deer, civets, and several species of squirrel, including the giant black squirrel. In addition, 70 bird species have been spotted here, including hawks, hornbills, and cuckoos. (Photo: Daliusposus / Shutterstock)

Ba Be National Park in the northeastern province of Bac Kan is considered to be a “green lung” situated in the vast Viet Bac forest and is a complex of “river-lake-mountain”. At the end of 2004, the national park was officially recognised as an ASEAN Heritage Garden and a special national relic site. (Photo: J Marshall – Tribaleye Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

The Culture Trip state that the largest Vietnamese national park is Yok Don, with the site also being home to some of the last remaining wild elephants and leopards in the country. Nevertheless, the park is able to retain an off-the-beaten-track feel and is seldom visited by foreign tourists. The best way to discover the site is by going on a guided day or overnight treks through the dry forests. (Photo: Stefan Liebhold / Alamy Stock Photo)

Cuc Phuong National Park is located just over 100 km from Hanoi. The region can be explored on foot, motorbike, or bicycle and visitors are encouraged to spend at least two or three days travelling around the area. The website notes that minority villages can be found around the lands and can be visited on a number of guided treks. The park is also home to a vast array of flora and fauna, as well as some of the most endangered turtles in the world. (Photo: Hemis / Alamy Stock Photo)

Con Dao National Park lies on the main island of Con Son and encompasses some of the most untouched coral reefs and white-sand beaches nationwide. Endangered sea turtles typically nest along the shoreline, while the strange and friendly dugong, which is a cousin of the manatee, lounges in the clear waters of the park.

Bach Ma National Park lies hidden just west of the former imperial capital of Hue in the centre of the nation. Dilapidated French villas which are overrun by pine forests peer through the wilderness as mile-high peaks float in the distance. The park is also home to some of the densest and pristine ribbons of jungle in central Vietnam.