Topography and hydrology

Bach Ma National Park is situated towards the southern end of the Annamite mountains. The national park lies on a high mountain ridge that runs west-east from the Laotian border to the East Sea at the Hai Van pass. This ridge interrupts the coastal plain of Vietnam, and, therefore, forms a biogeographic boundary between the faunas and floras of northern and southern Vietnam. This ridge also affects the local climate at the national park, which is probably the wettest place in Vietnam: the mean annual rainfall at the summit of Mount Bach Ma is 7,977 mm. The geology of the national park is dominated by granite, with some overlying areas of sandstone, schist and gneiss. The topography is generally steep and rugged, formed by heavy dissection of the substrate by surface water. The national park is dominated by a west-east ridge with several peaks above 1,000 m, the highest of which is Mount Bach Ma at 1,448 m. The lower slopes and hills are less steep, and are bordered by a narrow alluvial plain. There are many springs on the lower slopes and foothills of the national park. Generally, the north of national park is drained by the Truoi river, which flows north in to the lagoon area of the coast just below Hue city. The south of the national park is drained by tributaries of the Ta Trach river, which leaves the park heading westwards. To the east of the national park, natural sand bars have created large lagoons such as Cau Hai and Lang Co.

Biodiversity values

The Bach Ma area has long been noted for its rich biological diversity. One reason is that, within a relatively small area, the area supports a wide range of habitat types, from coastal lagoon to montane forest. Additionally, Bach Ma is situated at a biogeographic boundary between northern and southern Vietnam, and between the Annamite mountains and the coastal plain. The main forest types found within the national park are lowland evergreen forest below 900m, and montane evergreen forest above this elevation (Gilmour and Nguyen Van San 1999). As a result of human disturbance, however, no undisturbed forest now remains, and the dominant habitats at the national park are scrub and grassland, characterised by Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, Melastoma candidum and Imperata cylindrica. Natural regeneration of scrub and grassland is slow, particularly as a result of periodic burning, and these areas are of little conservation importance. Overall plant diversity within remaining forest areas is, however, still high. The wider Bach Ma-Hai Van area is considered to be one of Vietnam’s seven globally important ‘Centres of Plant Diversity’. The mammal fauna of Bach Ma is incompletely known, and only 48 species have so far been confirmed to occur in the national park. A large number of mammal species of conservation concern have been recorded at Bach Ma National Park, for example, recorded Red Shanked Douc Langur Pygathrix nemaeus nemaeus and Buff-cheeked or White-cheeked Gibbon Hylobates gabriellae/leucogenys in 1990. However, the current status of many of these species at the national park is unclear.

Bird fauna - Birding

Around 330 bird species have been recorded at Bach Ma National Park. Most notable is a recent record of the globally endangered Edwards's Pheasant close to the park. However, extensive loss of forest at low elevations means that it is unlikely that the park itself supports a significant population of this species, and the chances of seeing this bird at there are virtually nil. There are, however, plenty of other galliforms to attract birders, including Annam Partridge, Rufous-throated Partridge and the beli subspecies of Silver Pheasant. Bach Ma is most famous for its population of Crested Argus, although this species is more often heard than seen. In addition, the abundant and diverse forest avifauna of Bach Ma provides visiting birders opportunities to observe many other birds, such as Blyth’s Kingfisher, Brown Hornbill, Ratchet-tailed Treepie and Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler.

Most highlights

Rufous-throated Partridge, Annam Partridge, Silver Pheasant, Crested Argus, Red-collared Woodpecker, Red-vented Barbet, Brown Hornbill, Red-headed Trogon, Blyth’s Kingfisher, Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo, Blue-rumped Pitta, Bar-bellied Pitta, Long-tailed Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, White-winged Magpie, Indochinese Green Magpie, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Orange-headed Thrush, Siberian Thrush, Japanese Thrush, Sultan Tit, Masked Laughingthrush, White-crested Laughingthrush, Lesser-necklaced Laughingthrush, Black-throated Laughingthrush, Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler, Grey-throated Babbler, Spot-necked Babbler, Grey-faced Tit Babbler, Black-browed Fulvetta, Fork-tailed Sunbird.

Birding routes

Bach Ma offers a range of trails for visitors. Each trail takes less than one day and many small trails can be explored from the road to the summit. Visitors can get details from the park visitor centre.

Rhododendron Trail: begins at the summit road, about 2 km below the summit, and passes through montane forest to the top of a waterfall. From there, a steep path with 689 concrete steps leads to the bottom of the cliff, 300 m below. From the bottom, visitors can retrace their steps or continue to the Five Lakes Cascade Trail.

Pheasant Trail: starts 5 km from the park entrance and leads through lowland evergreen forest to a series of waterfalls. As the name suggests, several galliform species can be found along this trail, including, with a lot of luck, the elusive Crested Argus. Brown Hornbill and White-winged Magpie are among the other interesting species that can be seen along the Pheasant Trail as well as the rare Blyth’s Kingfisher on the river.

Good birding is also possible from the main road 2-3 km downhill from the park headquarters, past Khe Su village. This area, within the park’s buffer zone, is a known site for Annam Partridge. The surfaced road from the park headquarters to the summit can also yield many species, and the area around the summit guesthouses is particularly good for Long-tailed and Silver-breasted Broadbills, Sultan Tit and Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler.

Transportation

Car or motorbike. Bach Ma National Park is 40 km from Hue city, which can be reached by train, bus or scheduled flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The park headquarters are located 3 km from Cau Hai town on National Highway 1A. It is easy to take a taxi or motorbike from Hue to the park headquarters, from where transport to the summit of Bach Ma, mountain 20 km away, can be arranged.

Accommodations

Bach Ma National Park has six guesthouses. Two guesthouses, providing 10 rooms, are close to the park entrance, and four guesthouses (Bach Ma, Saola, Do Quyen and Kim Giao), with a total capacity of 26 rooms, are situated near the summit, at an altitude of 1,250 m asl.