Guests: Yatish and his wife, from India
Duration: 4 nights
Locations: Cat Tien National Park + Ho Chi Minh City
Guide: Diep Tung
Summary:
This is a short trip report for a recent 4-day/3-night tour with Yatish and his wife, two herpers looking for a variety of specialist targets and endemics in Vietnam. The trip was led by our principal herping guide (Diep Tung) and mainly featured time in Cat Tien NP as well as a final night in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 1 – Arrival & First Night at Cat Tien
I met Yatish and his wife in Ho Chi Minh City and together we traveled to Cat Tien National Park, arriving just before sunset. After an early dinner, we began our first night of herping under a light rain (great for herping!). Despite the on-and-off weather, the night was very successful, resulting in a total of five snake species:
- Ruby-eyed Pit Viper (Trimeresurus rubeus) – endemic to southern Vietnam, with striking ruby-red eyes
- Striped Kukri Snake (Oligodon taeniatus)
- Siamese Red-necked Keelback (Rhabdophis siamensis)
- Painted Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis pictus)
- Berdmore’s Slug Snake (Pareas berdmorei unicolor)
Day 2 – Birding, Mammals & Herping
The morning was spent birding and mammal-watching around the park. A few notable sightings included:
- Black-shanked Douc Langur
- Common Long-tailed Macaque
- Southern Yellow-cheeked Gibbon
- Samba
- Collared Falconet
- Racket-tailed Drongo
After an afternoon rest, we resumed herping after dinner. The first find was a juvenile Green Cat Snake (Boiga cyanea), showing its beautiful reddish body and green head, a lifer for the guests. Other highlights included:
- Several Ruby-eyed Pit Vipers (T. rubeus)
- Nganson Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis ngansonensis)
- A nice white morph of the Asian Whip Snake (Ahaetulla prasina)
All were lifers for Yatish and his wife. Around 11 p.m, just minutes before returning to our accommodation, we encountered a Siamese Cat Snake (Boiga siamensis) crossing the road! This is a very rare and exciting find in Vietnam. The second night ended with several new lifer snakes and amphibians, a great way to finish the day.
Day 3 – Rain & Repeats
Unfortunately heavy rain limited our activity and there were no new lifers located despite our efforts. We observed several species already recorded in previous nights including some great sightings and photo opportunities. After finishing the session, we returned to Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 4 – Ho Chi Minh City Herping & Final Night
Our final night of herping went smoothly and brought two new species for the guests:
- Southern White-lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus albolabris fario)
- Long-nosed Whip Snake (Ahaetulla fusca)
Both were beautifully green and helped the trip finish off with a great list of snakes and new lifers.
Trip Summary:
In total, Yatish and his wife observed around 40~ individual snakes over four nights. It was a successful and memorable herping journey through southern Vietnam. The guests continued their travels to explore Central and Northern Vietnam after the trip.
If you’d like to learn more about our Vietnam Herping Tours or our specialist Cat Tien Herping Trips, please visit our tours page or get in touch with us!
