Skip to content What Cuc Phuong is
Cuc Phuong was the first national park in Vietnam, established in 1962, in the hills of Nho Quan district at the edge of Ninh Binh province. It is a large area of tropical forest on limestone with about 300 bird species, nearly 100 mammal species and some 2,000 species of vascular plants, plus insects beyond count.
Poaching and hunting have wiped out most of the park’s tigers, wild dogs and Asiatic black bears, and leopards and jungle cats are rare, if they survive at all. What remains is still worth the journey: primates, the black giant squirrel, which can grow to about 60 cm in body length with a tail as long again, and a great deal of birdsong.
The rescue centres
The Endangered Primate Rescue Centre looks after well over a hundred primates of many species and subspecies, including several critically endangered langurs. It rehabilitates, breeds and researches them. The Turtle Conservation Centre is easy to add and is popular with children. Both are conservation programmes first and visitor attractions second, so ask at the park office what is open, and expect a small fee or donation.
Walking, cycling and birds
Trails of various lengths lead into the forest from the park headquarters, and you can hire a bicycle or take a guide, which is worth it for finding wildlife and not getting lost. Birdwatchers should go early. Weekday mornings are quietest.
Practical details
- Entry: about 60,000 dong for adults (2025 and 2026 listings).
- Getting there: about 2.5 hours from Hanoi by car; 40 to 55 km from Ninh Binh city.
- Where to sleep: rooms and a restaurant near the entrance.
- Best time: the dry months, roughly October to April; summer is hot and wet.
Cuc Phuong is covered on the Ninh Binh page as a day out from Tam Coc and Trang An, and the Hanoi guide has the capital’s other excursions. For the rest of the country’s parks, see Phong Nha-Ke Bang.