Cuc Phuong National Park

Cuc Phuong consists of 222 km² (87 sq miles) of primary tropical forest. In 1963 Ho Chi Minh personally took time off from the war to dedicate this important national park and as a result it is one of the view places in Vietnam where nature was not damaged by the fighting. The reserve is home to animals such as yellow macaque and spotted deer. There are numerous grottoes, in some of which prehistoric stone tools have been found.

Cuc Phuong National Park is excellent for hiking. You can climb the region's highest peak (648 m, 2125 feet), or visit some isolated Muong villages. The Endangered Primate Rescue Center, which is run by German and Vietnamese biologists, is also in the park. In the center are several different types of rare Gibbon and Languer monkeys. The latter only exists in Cuc Phuong National Park, as a result of poaching. Cuc Phuong National Park is 1065 km north of Ho Chi Minh City and 80 km south of Hanoi.