Da Lat – The second Viet Nam Bird Race brought together over 200 participants, including about 100 avid nature lovers and photographers in 24 teams in the mountains of Bidoup–Nui Ba National Park, one of Viet Nam’s most important protected areas for bird conservation given its concentration of unique and threatened bird species. The race was jointly organised by Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park, WildTour, Viet Nam Wildlife Photography Club and BirdLife International, with sponsorship from Mapletree Investments and Canon Viet Nam, and support from Lexar and BH Asia. The event also drew over 130 school children from Lam Dong, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City for a series of educational rambles to learn about wild birds, plants and unique fungi of the montane forests by nature experts.

Starting with a welcome ceremony on Friday (6 June 2025), more than 200 people gathered at the park headquarters for the opening reception and dinner, including the director and management team of Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park, and senior government representatives of the People’s Committee of Lam Dong Province. Bird race teams were briefed on the rules of the race, schedules and given guidance on where to find birds in the sprawling park, a mountainous landscape larger than Singapore. This year’s race brought together 24 teams, with representation from nine countries, including Viet Nam, Malaysia, Singapore, China and the Philippines.

Early in the morning on 7 June, race participants set off in teams of three to four on pre-arranged buses at 6 am to see and photograph as many species as possible in the pine and broadleaved forests of the park over a 27-hour period. The team ‘O Tac’, represented by birdwatchers from the Mekong Delta region won the 1^st prize this year with a total count of 71 species photographed. Vo Trong Trai, team member of O Tac shared, “We are excited to be part of this race and got to see more than 70 species. However, looking for birds in the montane forest is more challenging than in the wetlands which we are more used to.”

Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park is among Viet Nam’s best known and visited parks and is a highlight for many nature lovers visiting Viet Nam and local birdwatchers. The national park lies in the southern mountains of Viet Nam, which is recognised for its highly unique bird fauna, with several species found nowhere else in the world, for instance the Collared Laughingthrush. BirdLife International and conservation authorities recognised the importance of these wonderful ecosystems as an Important Bird Area (KBA) and an Endemic Bird Area (EBA). 2025 is a particularly timely moment to have a bird race here, given that this is the 10-year anniversary of Langbian Biosphere Reserve, which Bidoup-Nui Ba is a part of. 

Global real estate group Mapletree worked with BirdLife International and WildTour to launch the first ever race in 2024, following a series of successful bird race events held in both Singapore and Malaysia, which have drawn steady interest. Mr. Edmund Cheng, Chairman, Mapletree, added, “Aligned with the Environment pillar of our CSR Framework, Mapletree recognises the importance of protecting biodiversity. We strive to enrich communities in markets where we operate through impactful initiatives such as the Viet Nam Bird Race, while actively raising awareness on the conservation of migratory birds across Asia.”  

“The Viet Nam Bird Race is not only a playground for birders and photographers but also effectively a call to action to protect the environment and connect nature lovers in Viet Nam and around the world. Educating the younger generation about the nature of our country is a key step to protecting Viet Nam’s precious natural heritage,” observed Mr. Nguyen Hoai Bao, director of WildTour and the organising team leader.  

“We are excited at how fast the race has grown over a short period of just three years, and exposing the birding community in Viet Nam to different national parks across the country,” shared Dr. Yong Ding Li, the head of flyways and species conservation for BirdLife International in Asia.  

The organisers and supporters of this event plan to build on the success of this year’s event and introduce new elements to attract more bird enthusiasts from across the country. The Viet Nam Bird Race will take place annually and the next iteration is now being planned for the winter season.

Table 1. List of winning teams, and the number of species observed.

Table 2. Winning photographers in photography competition component.