First published January 2026 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle | Read time 15 minutes
Tom Divers is the founder and creator of Vietnam Coracle. In 2005 he moved from his native London to Vietnam, where he has been living, working and travelling ever since. He pays rent in Ho Chi Minh City but is more often on the road, riding his motorbike a quarter of a million kilometres across Vietnam to research guides to the farthest-flung corners of the nation. When he’s not in the saddle, you’ll find him on a beach with a margarita, in a tent on a mountainside or at a streetside noodle house: in other words, at the ‘office’. Read more about Tom: Q&A, About Page, Vietnam Tourism website.
Boating & Birding in the Mysterious ‘Plain of Reeds’
A rarely visited national park and the last stand of the mysterious sounding Plain of Reeds, Tràm Chim is a large protected wetland region, navigable by motorized canoe and rich in birdlife and flora. Deep among the vast open spaces of Đồng Tháp province, Tràm Chim National Park is a quintessential Mekong experience, but one that has almost entirely evaded the tourist radar. The Plain of Reeds was once a great expanse of flooded land, attracting hundreds of species of migratory birds. Today, Tràm Chim is essentially the last remaining corner of this primordial wetland, submerged under more than a metre of water for nearly half the year. Visitors can take a boat along the national park’s tree-lined waterways, spotting all kinds of birdlife along the way (including the tallest flying bird in the World: the extremely rare Sarus crane), and watching the sun fall over the wide, flooded plains, shimmering in the twilight, with the horizon broken only by silhouettes of eucalyptus and cajuput trees. Nearby, Tràm Chim village is a pleasant little place with some good accommodation, waterside cafes and food options. Walking, cycling and riding are also possible. Tràm Chim National Park is not too far from Hồ Chí Minh City, making it a good short break for city dwellers or an attractive alternative to more trodden Mekong destinations.❤️Please support this website with a donation or join my Patreon community if you enjoy my work – I run this website at a consistent loss. Thank you, Tom
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THE GUIDE:
A Rarely Visited National Park in the Mekong Delta
Tràm Chim National Park is located 40km due north of Cao Lãnh city in Vietnam’s western Mekong Delta region. ‘Floating season’ (September-December) is the best time to visit, but the park is also enjoyable year-round. Although rarely visited by foreign travellers, Tràm Chim can be popular with domestic visitors on the weekends. Try to visit on a weekday for a quieter experience. Click from the contents below for details. (For more Mekong Delta guides, see Related Posts. And if you enjoy Vietnam Coracle, please support it with a donation or join my Patreon community.)❤️
Contents:
🗺️ Map
📷 See & Do
🛌 Sleep
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MAP:
Tràm Chim National Park
Tràm Chim National Park:
One of the last stands of the mysterious sounding Plain of Reeds, Tràm Chim National Park (entrance fee: 20,000nvđ) covers over 7,500 hectares of protected wetlands, around 40km north of Cao Lãnh city in the western Mekong Delta region. Prior to large-scale drainage and the start of agricultural development from the 18th century onwards, the Plain of Reeds was a vast wetlands area rich is birdlife and flora, that was submerged under metres of water more than half the year. During the American War, much of the area was burned, bombed and destroyed for strategic purposes, leading to the degradation of the environment and its wildlife. Post-war conservation efforts began the mid-1980s, with the area established as a national park in the mid-’90s. In 2012, Tràm Chim became an official World Ramsar Site, a global mark for wetlands of international importance. With an average elevation of just one metre above sea-level, Tràm Chim is flooded under 2-4 metres of water for almost 6 months each year, typically during the rainy season (June-November). Dykes and sluices control water-levels in the region, but flooding is often beyond their capacity to contain.
Thanks to domestic and international help and investment, Tràm Chim National Park is still a place where visitors can spot a lot of wildlife, especially birds. The park is home to 100 vertebrates, 40 species of fish, and between 100-200 bird species. (The national park website has some information about wildlife, but it’s in Vietnamese only and, like many such sties in Vietnam, looks like it was designed in the noughties.) The most famous – and rarest – of the park’s inhabitants is the Sarus crane (Antigone antigone). These majestic, red-headed cranes – resembling a benevolent god-like creature from a Ghibli anime movie – are not only extremely rare, they are also the tallest flying birds in the World, reaching an astonishing height of just below 6 foot (1.8 metres)! Seen during the dry season (January-May), there are probably far fewer than 50 in the park today and the chances of seeing one are very low. However, you are highly likely to see many other birds, such as kingfishers, herons and cormorants. There’s also lots of beautiful and interesting flora in the park, such lotuses and lilies.
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See & Do:
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There’s enough to see and do in and around Tràm Chim National Park to fill a couple of days. The highlight is taking a boat trip deep into the park’s wetlands where all the birds are. It’s also possible to do some walking and cycling, and the nearby village is a nice place to explore, eat and drink.
Tràm Chim National Park HQ:
Located on the east side of the road, just 1.5km north of Tràm Chim village, the national park HQ (entrance: 20,000vnđ) is a sprawling collection of administrative buildings, exhibition rooms, ticket offices and restaurants, not to mention a towering and conspicuous observation deck. The latter was closed for maintenance at the time of research (January 2026), but when it reopens there will surely be excellent views across the national park wetlands from the top. The main ticket office is in front of a large, thatched, circular building which houses a rather sad-looking permanent exhibition, featuring various models, photographs and taxidermy animals with information displays. The effort is there, but the quality is not. There’s also a lotus pond, restaurant and scaled 3D map model on the national park, but again the quality isn’t great. A foot bridge across the road leads to the waterside where the national park boats are moored (see below). Several waterfront cafes are good places for a relaxing drink, especially at dusk from about 5pm.
Boat Trips & Bird-Watching in the National Park:
Currently, the only way to explore the national park is by boat. This is highly recommended and is the only way you’ll have any chance of spotting the park’s considerable birdlife. Tickets can be purchased at the national park HQ or through some accommodations, such as Wildbird Hotel. Boats leave from the pier opposite the park HQ or from the back garden of the Wildbird Hotel (if you’re a guest). There are two boat routes available. The shorter one (12km; 90 minutes; 700,000vnd per boat; see the red line on my map), known as Năng Ống Route, takes you on a triangular course along several channels, with an optional stop at a restaurant towards the end of the trip. It’s very scenic and you’re guaranteed to see birdlife, including various cranes, herons and kingfishers. The longer trip (21km; 3 hours; 1,000,000vnđ per boat), known as Cà Na Route, goes deeper into the park and possibly includes a visit to one of the handful of observation towers. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times for bird spotting and light. The boats consist of two narrow, wooden canoes tied together to form a covered seating platform, including photos and descriptions of the park’s bird- and plant-life. However, this is powered by another boat in front with a noisy outboard motor, whose exhaust tends to blow straight toward the passengers. Prices are per boat, so going in a group is cheaper. Maximum capacity is 10, but you don’t have to wait for the boat to fill up: if there’s only two of you, just split the cost and go. See the boat chart below:
| Boat Route | Time | Price | |
| Năng Ống (12km) | 1.5 hours | 700,000vnđ* (1-10 people) | |
| Cà Na (21km) | 3 hours | 1,000,000vnđ* (1-10 people) |
*All prices are subject to park entrance fee (20,000vnđ):
Walking:
Although there aren’t yet any established hiking trails within the national park itself, a couple of short walking routes are laid out near the park HQ. The first of these is the Wildbird Trail (the purple line on my map), which doesn’t come close to living up to its name, but is nonetheless a pleasant stroll through a stand of cajuput trees growing in a spooky swamp and along the main waterway into the national park. The trail begins on the opposite side of the road from the park HQ and ends – rather abruptly and untidily – at the Wildbird Hotel. It only takes 10 minutes to walk. The second option is the Hoa Mai Trail (the blue line on my map). This begins behind the Wildbird Hotel beside a pretty creek and then follows the tree-lined banks of the national park channel, ending at a tall observation tower which, with a bit of charm and smooth talking, you may be allowed to climb. In addition to these trails, exploring the village of Tràm Chim on foot, as well as some of the surrounding lanes, can be good (but hot) fun.
Cycling or Motorbiking:
If you ask around at your accommodation and the national park HQ, you will (eventually) find a few bicycles and scooters to rent by the hour or for the day. Riding along the grid-like network of paved roads and lanes that lead around the Tràm Chim National Park boundaries (both to the west and the east of the HQ) can be fun. Some of the roads have a fair amount of traffic, but many of them are smaller, quiet, dyke roads leading alongside channels and canals with tall trees on one side and flooded land on the other. However, you cannot actually ride inside the national park. Two wheels are also a good way to explore the pleasant village of Tràm Chim, just over a kilometre south of the HQ, as well as the crop fields that lie beyond it.
Sleep:
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The closest place to stay to the national park HQ is Wildbird Hotel [BOOK HERE] – in fact, there’s direct access to the wetland waterways from the hotel’s backyard! From the outside, Wildbird looks extremely bland and a bit uninviting. But inside, the rooms are clean and comfortable and, at the back of the property, there’s an attractive open-sided restaurant leading onto a channel, plugging straight into the national park – indeed, boat tours actually leave from here. Room rates hover around $30/night, including a lovely little breakfast by the water. Tràm Chim village is just 5 minutes due south of the national park HQ, where there are several more good accommodation options. By far the most atmospheric is Việt Mekong Farmstay (read my full review), featuring cosy, rustic wood-and-thatch huts raised on stilts above flooded rice fields and lily ponds. Alternatively, try View Hotel and Trường Hạnh Hotel on the town’s quiet backstreets, both with good, clean, modern rooms for $10-$30/night. You’ll also find some cheaper nhà nghỉ (local guest houses) around the village.
If you’d rather stay somewhere with more accommodation options, Cao Lãnh city is 40km due south of Tràm Chim, where there are lots of good value mini-hotels to choose from. B.O.B has two properties, each with large, clean mid-range rooms, a rooftop cafe and city views, or Cao Lanh Hotel has a swimming pool, or Mango Trail (just outside of the city) is a superb boutique near the riverside. You can browse and book a selection of hotels in Cao Lãnh on this page.
Eat & Drink:
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Tràm Chim village has a good smattering of rice and noodle eateries, street food snacks and a surprising number of serene coffee shops. Wander around the intersection of the main roads (DT844 and DT843) and the back streets surrounding the market, and you’ll find lots of tempting food and drink, particularly in the early mornings and late afternoons. Quán Cơm Kim Chi is a classic local rice eatery for a hearty lunch, while Senta Restaurant, on the waterfront at Wildbird Hotel, offers delicious Mekong-style dishes for a cosy dinner. Breakfasts, including noodle soups, bánh mì and much more, can be found around Tam Nông Market. For decent espresso-style coffee and fruit juices, pop into one of several leafy waterside cafes with chairs and tables set outside next to a channel clogged with water hyacinth, or step into the more modern, urban-style Trung Nguyên E-Coffee instead.
Getting There:
The regional hub for transportation is Cao Lãnh city, about 40km due south of Tràm Chim. Buses depart Ho Chi Minh City’s Miền Tây bus station for Cao Lãnh at least every hour from dawn until dusk. The journey takes about 4 hours. Several different bus companies operate on the route, but the most frequent is Phương Trang (Futa). Check bus times and book tickets on this page.
From Cao Lãnh bus station, Futa City Bus No.668 (to Tân Hồng) stops just outside the park entrance every 30 minutes. However, you may find it easier to use a ride-hailing app, such as Grab or Xanh SM, or take a local taxi or, if overnighting in Cao Lãnh, arrange the ride via your accommodation.
If coming to Tràm Chim on your own two wheels, there are several different route options from Ho Chi Minh City, but all of them are pretty uninspiring: traffic-clogged for the first third of the journey, scattered with potholes for the second third, and then excellent and scenic for the final third. Leave very early in the morning (4am) if you want to avoid the worst of the traffic. The distance is roughly 150km depending on the route.
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Thank you.” Tom
*Disclosure: I never receive payment for anything I write: my content is always free and independent. I’ve written this guide because I want to: I like this national park and I want my readers to know about it. For more details, see my Disclosure & Disclaimer statements and my About Page
