The wildlife of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

is rich in flora and fauna as reflected by its unique biodiversity. Rare and endemic antelope-like animal, categorized under the bovine subfamily, was found in 1992, in Bạch Mã National Park. In the 1990s, three other large mammal species, the deer-like Truong Son muntjac,

giant muntjac The giant muntjac (''Muntiacus vuquangensis''), sometimes referred to as the large-antlered muntjac, is a species of muntjac deer. It is the largest muntjac species and was discovered in 1994 in Vũ Quang, Hà Tĩnh Province of Vietnam and in cen ...

and

Pu Hoat muntjac The Pu Hoat muntjac (''Muntiacus puhoatensis'') is a species of muntjac only known from Pu Hoat region in Vietnam, which is bordering Laos. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with Roosevelt's muntjac, and its habitat and behavior are li ...

, were also discovered, the first two in the same park. Conservation protection and scientific studies of the ecology of Vietnam, particularly in the protected forest areas, have been given priority attention by the Government of Vietnam. Laws were enacted to set up Xuân Thủy Wetland National Park, four UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, and Hạ Long Bay and Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Parks; the last two are also designated as

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s. The rich diversity of Vietnam's wildlife includes 11,400 species of

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...

s, 1030 species of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

, 310 species of mammals, 296 reptile species, 162 amphibian species, 700 freshwater species of fish and 2000 species of marine fish. There are about 889 species of birds and over 850 species of land

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s. However, a study by the WWF has reported that nearly 10% of the wildlife in the country is threatened with extinction. Vietnam is placed 16th highest among 152 countries studied in terms of the proportion of its wildlife species found to be in danger.

National parks

While the national reserves cover small areas of scientific significance with restricted access, the national parks also cover wetlands of Ramsar designated areas and

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

inscribed bird areas. The largest of the national parks initially covered were the Cuc Phuong National Park, the Cat Tien National Park, the Con Dao National Park and Con Dao National Park, which to start with, were forest areas cum reserves or prohibited areas. The objective for creating national parks was to allow access to the reserved areas as a part of

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

and cultural needs with full attention to the basic approach of conservation of natural environmental resources. The national parks and reserves, as per present status, (as reported by the national parks of Vietnam) conforming to the topography of the country which cover terrestrial, deltas of rivers, and coastal zones are: Five national parks and four reserves in the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

; two national parks in the northeastern area; five reserves in the north western area; three parks in the Red River Delta; two parks and one reserve in the North Central Coastal area; two reserves in South Central Coastal area; three parks and one reserve in Central Highlands; one park and one reserve in south eastern area.

Flora

The flora of Vietnam has existed in its current form since at least the Oligocene, as evidenced by the assemblage known as the Ha Long megafossil flora from the Oligocene-aged Dong Ho Formation, which outcrops in the Ha Long region. The country was once totally covered with forests but over the years due to the war and deforestation and anthropological pressures some areas have lost their biodiversity value. The floral richness of the rain forest habitats comprise a broad range of evergreens. According to the Conservation International List Vietnam is identified as the fifth biodiversity hot spot in the world, on account of its exotic flora and fauna. Between 1997 and 2007, almost 1000 new species have been discovered. However, many areas still remain to be explored, and more species are likely to appear in the future. Natural forests are at higher elevations in the northwest and mangrove swamps are in the coastal areas. Rainforest in the hilly region has wild rhododendrons in the northwest along with dwarf

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

s and numerous types of orchids. The central dry region has

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

s and the river deltas have mangrove forests. The largest and the most conspicuous find in recent years is of the plant species in the Halong Bay area known as

Halong fan palm Halong may refer to: * Ha Long, also known as Hong Gai, the capital city of Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam * Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam * Halong naval base, an Indonesian Navy (previously Dutch) ...

. The largest species was the gum tree. Considered one of the world biological diversification centers, the flora estimated is of the order of 12,000 species (veined flora) of which 9,628 have been recorded under 291 families. It includes 1000 endemic species. Trees, which provide timber, are of 1,000 species. Timber plants are 100 species. Commercially usable species are 352 species including 42 listed as precious tree species. Further categorization of the flora relates to 76 aromatic spices, 160 species providing vegetable oils, and also herbal species. Some of the well known herbal species are: ginseng, '' Coscinium fenestratum'', '' Coptis teeta'', '' Panax vietnamensis'', '' Stephania'' spp.

Fauna

Faunal species noted are accounted as 11,217 species of animals, in Vietnam's hot and humid climate. These are broadly: Indian elephants,

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

s ( black bear and honey bear), Indochinese tigers and

Indochinese leopard The Indochinese leopard (''Panthera pardus delacouri'') is a leopard subspecies native to mainland Southeast Asia and southern China. In Indochina, leopards are rare outside protected areas and threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation as w ...

s as well as smaller animals like pygmy lorises,

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...

s (such as snub-nosed monkey), bats, flying

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

s and

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

s. Reptiles such as

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

s and

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

s are also reported. Specifically the faunal species which are endemic to Vietnam are the following. While many variety of animals have become extinct like the Northern Sumatran rhinoceros, the protection of large animals have been addressed. The

Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros The ''Vietnamese Javan Rhino'' (''Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus'') also known as the '' Indo-Chinese Javan Rhino'' is a possibly extinct subspecies of the Javan rhinoceros that formerly lived in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, and may ...

used to live throughout the region of Vietnam but was declared extinct in 2010 when the last remaining individual was found dead with the horn removed. There are also 2,470 species of fish, more than 23,000 species of

corals Corals are marine invertebrates within the class (biology), class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important C ...

and many species of invertebrates recorded in the wildlife of Vietnam.

Mammals

Primates

Red-Shanked duoc in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park

* Hatinh langur * Francois' Langur * Black-crested gibbon *

White-cheeked gibbon ''Nomascus'' is the second-most speciose genus of gibbons (family Hylobatidae). Originally, this genus was a subgenus of ''Hylobates'', and all individuals were considered one species, ''Hylobates concolor''. Species within ''Nomascus'' are char ...

Southern white-cheeked gibbon The southern white-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus siki'') is a species of gibbon native to Vietnam and Laos. It is closely related to the northern white-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus leucogenys'') and the yellow-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus gabriellae'') ...

* Red-shanked douc *

Black-shanked douc The black-shanked douc (''Pygathrix nigripes'') is an endangered species of douc found mostly in the forests of Eastern Cambodia, with some smaller populations in Southern Vietnam. The region they are mostly found in is called the Annamite Range, ...

* Gray-shanked douc *

Tonkin snub-nosed monkey The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey or Dollman's snub-nosed monkey (''Rhinopithecus avunculus'') is a slender-bodied arboreal Old World monkey, endemic to northern Vietnam. It has black and white fur, a pink nose and lips, and blue patches around the ey ...

Stump-tailed macaque The stump-tailed macaque (''Macaca arctoides''), also called the bear macaque, is a species of macaque native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. In India, it occurs south of the Brahmaputra River, in the northeastern part of the country. Its range ...

* Pygmy loris Stump-tailed macaque eating

Crab-eating macaque The crab-eating macaque (''Macaca fascicularis''), also known as the long-tailed macaque and referred to as the cynomolgus monkey in laboratories, is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. A species of macaque, the crab-eating macaqu ...

* Pig-tailed macaque

Cats

* Indochinese tiger *

Leopard cat The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by hab ...

* Marbled cat * Jungle cat *

Clouded leopard The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a cl ...

Asian golden cat The Asian golden cat (''Catopuma temminckii'') is a medium-sized wild cat native to the northeastern Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China. It has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2008, and is threatened by poach ...

Civets

Large Indian civet The large Indian civet (''Viverra zibetha'') is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The global population is considered decreasing mainly because of trapping-driven declines in heavil ...

* Large-spotted civet * Small Indian civet *

Owston's palm civet Owston's palm civet (''Chrotogale owstoni'') is a civet native to Vietnam, Laos and southern China. It is listed as Endangered by IUCN because of an ongoing population decline, estimated to be more than 50% over the last three generations, inferr ...

* Asian palm civet * Binturong * Masked palm civet *

Small-toothed palm civet The small-toothed palm civet (''Arctogalidia trivirgata''), also known as the three-striped palm civet, is a palm civet native to dense forests of Southeast Asia, from the Assam district of India to Indochina and the Malay Peninsula and on Sumat ...

Deer

Giant muntjac The giant muntjac (''Muntiacus vuquangensis''), sometimes referred to as the large-antlered muntjac, is a species of muntjac deer. It is the largest muntjac species and was discovered in 1994 in Vũ Quang, Hà Tĩnh Province of Vietnam and in cen ...

* Indian muntjac * Truong Son muntjac *

Vietnamese sika deer The Vietnamese sika deer (''Cervus nippon pseudaxis'') also known as the indochinese sika deer is one of the many subspecies of the sika deer. It is one of the smaller subspecies, due to the tropical environment they live in. They were previously ...

Sambar deer The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...

Elephants

* Indian elephant

Bovine

Banteng The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of cattle found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their domesticated counterparts, but are otherw ...

Kouprey The kouprey (''Bos sauveli''), also known as forest ox is a forest-dwelling, wild bovine species native to Southeast Asia. A young male was sent to the Paris Zoological Park in 1937 and was described by the French zoologist Achille Urbain who d ...

Saola The saola (''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis''), also called spindlehorn, Asian unicorn, or infrequently, Vu Quang bovid, is one of the world's rarest large mammals, a forest-dwelling bovine native to the Annamite Range in Vietnam and Laos. It was descr ...

* Gaur *

Water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

Rhinoceros

* Northern Sumatran rhinoceros which is officially

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

in Vietnam and on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

. *

which is officially

in Vietnam and on the

Cetacea

Chinese white dolphin The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (''Sousa chinensis'') is a species of humpback dolphin inhabiting coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. This species is often referred to as the Chinese white dolphin in mainland Chi ...

Finless porpoise ''Neophocaena'' is a genus of porpoise native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the freshwater habitats of the Yangtze River basin in China. They are commonly known as finless porpoises. Genetic studies indicate that ''Neophocaena'' is ...

( Narrow-ridged finless porpoise) * Irrawaddy dolphin * Spinner dolphin

Sirenia

* Dugong

Reptiles

Turtles/Tortoises

* Elongated tortoise ''Indotestudo elongata'' *

Vietnamese pond turtle The Vietnamese pond turtle or Annam leaf turtle (''Mauremys annamensis'') is a species of turtle in the family (biology), family Geoemydidae. It can be distinguished from its relatives by its color pattern: the head is dark with three or four ye ...

''Mauremys annamensis'' *

Asian forest tortoise The Asian forest tortoise (''Manouria emys''), also known commonly as the Mountain tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia. It is believed to be among the most primitive of living ...

''Manouria emys'' *

Green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

''Chelonia mydas'' *

Hawksbill turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is large ...

''Eretmochelys imbricata'' *

Leatherback sea turtle The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...

''Dermochelys coriacea'' * Asian giant softshell turtle ''Pelochelys cantorii'' * Yangtze giant softshell turtle ''Rafetus swinhoei''

Lizards

Agamids

Chinese water dragon The Chinese water dragon (''Physignathus cocincinus'') is a species of agamid lizard native to China and mainland Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Asian water dragon, Thai water dragon, and green water dragon. The genus name is Greek for " ...

''Physignathus cocincinus'' *Short-footed lizard ''

Acanthosaura brachypoda ''Acanthosaura brachypoda'' is a species of agama found in Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland South ...

'' *Mountain horned-dragon ''

Acanthosaura capra ''Acanthosaura capra'' is a species of Agamid lizards: commonly known as the mountain horned dragon, it is also called the Indo-Chinese spiny lizard or the green pricklenape. Distribution and description ''A. capra'' can be found in the tropic ...

'' *Crowned spiny lizard '' Acanthosaura coronata'' *Brown pricklenape ''

Acanthosaura lepidogaster ''Acanthosaura lepidogaster'', commonly known as the brown pricklenape, is a species of agamid Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are ...

'' *Murphy's agama '' Acanthosaura murphyi'' *Natalie's agama ''

Acanthosaura nataliae ''Acanthosaura nataliae'' is a species of agama found in Vietnam and Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນ ...

'' *Phong Dien agama '' Acanthosaura phongdienensis'' *Short-spined agama '' Acanthosaura prasina'' *Banded japalure '' Diploderma fasciatum''

Geckos

* Adler's gecko ''

Gekko adleri Adler's gecko (''Gekko adleri)'' is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern China and northern Vietnam. Etymology The specific name, ''adleri'', is in honor of American herpetologist Kraig Adler. Geograp ...

'' * Ba Na dwarf gecko ''

Hemiphyllodactylus banaensis The Ba Na dwarf gecko (''Hemiphyllodactylus banaensis'') is a species of gecko. It is endemic to Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, a ...

Monitors

Clouded monitor The clouded monitor (''Varanus nebulosus'') is a species of monitor lizard, native to Burma, Thailand and Indochina to West Malaysia, Singapore, Java, and Sumatra. They are excellent tree climbers. It belongs to the subgenus ''Empagusia'' along ...

''Varanus nebulosus'' * Water monitor ''Varanus salvator''

Skinks

* Chinese short-limbed skink '' Ateuchosaurus chinensis''

Snakes

Venomous

* Mountain pit viper ''Ovophis monticola'' *

Sharp-nosed viper ''Deinagkistrodon'' is a monotypic genus created for the venomous pit viper species, ''D. acutus'', which is endemic to Southeast Asia. No subspecies are currently recognized. Description ''Deinagkistrodon acutus'' is light brown or greyish b ...

''Deinagkistrodon acutus'' *

Jerdon's pit viper ''Protobothrops jerdonii'', also known commonly as Jerdon's pitviper, Brown JH (1973). ''Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes''. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 184 pp. LCCCN 73–229. . the yellow-speckled pit v ...

''Protobothrops jerdonii'' *Brown-spotted pit-viper ''Protobothrops mucrosquamatus'' *Three-horned pit-viper ''Protobothrops sieversorum'' *Stejneger's bamboo viper ''Trimeresurus stejnegeri'' *Ruby-eyed pit-viper ''Trimeresurus rubeus'' *White-lipped pit-viper ''Trimeresurus albolabris'' *King Cobra ''Ophiophagus hannah'' *Monocled cobra ''Naja kaouthia'' *Indochinese spitting cobra ''Naja siamensis'' *Chinese cobra ''Naja atra''

Non-venomous

*Reticulated python *Burmese python *Gonyosoma oxycephalum, Red-tailed green ratsnake Siamesecroc

Crocodilians

*Saltwater crocodile, which has been extinct in Vietnam since at least the 1980s. *Siamese crocodile which is critically endangered on the

and, in Vietnam, is currently only found within Cat Tien National Park, but was much more widespread historically.

Birds

Rare and little known birds have been identified such as the Edward's pheasant which was believed to be extinct, the white-winged wood duck and the white-shouldered ibis. The country lies on the east Asian flyway of Siberian birds and is an important stopover for migratory waders. According to the

records of 2011, the avifauna recorded are of 889 species, which includes 18 endemic species, 44 globally threatened species and 6 introduced species. The globally threatened species are listed under the following three categories, excluding vulnerable category. ;Near-threatened: The near threatened species listed by IBA are: *Falcated duck (''Anas falcata'') *Ferruginous duck (''Aythya nyroca'') *Chestnut-necklaced partridge (''Arborophila charltonii'') *Siamese fireback (''Lophura diardi'') *Germain's peacock-pheasant (''Polyplectron germaini'') *Platalea minor (''Ichthyophaga humilis'') *Gray-headed fish-eagle (''Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus'') *Cinereous vulture (''Aegypius monachus'') *White-rumped falcon (''Polihierax insignis'') *Laggar falcon (''Falco jugger'') *Corn crake (''Crex crex'') *Band-bellied crake (''Porzana paykullii'') *Malaysian plover (''Charadrius peronii'') *Eurasian curlew (''Numenius arquata'') *Black-tailed godwit (''Limosa limosa'') *Asian dowitcher (''Limnodromus semipalmatus'') *Black-bellied tern (''Sterna acuticauda'') *Nicobar pigeon (''Caloenas nicobarica'') *Blue-rumped parrot (''Psittinus cyanurus'') *Long-tailed parakeet (''Psittacula longicauda'') *Black-bellied malkoha (''Phaenicophaeus diardi'') *Ward's trogon (''Harpactes wardi'') *Blyth's kingfisher (''Alcedo hercules'') *Black hornbill (''Anthracoceros malayanus'') *Great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis'') *Austen's brown hornbill, Brown hornbill (''Anorrhinus austeni'') *White-crowned hornbill (''Aceros comatus'') *Red-collared woodpecker (''Picus rabieri'') *Japanese paradise-flycatcher (''Terpsiphone atrocaudata'') *Collared crow (''Corvus torquatus'') *Yellow-billed nuthatch (''Sitta solangiae'') *Streaked bulbul (''Ixos malaccensis'') *Black-headed parrotbill (''Paradoxornis margaritae'') *Chinese grassbird, Rufous-rumped grassbird (''Graminicola bengalensis'') *Short-tailed scimitar-babbler (''Jabouilleia danjoui'') *Black-hooded laughingthrush (''Garrulax milleti''); *Vietnamese cutia (''Cutia legalleni'') *Scarlet-breasted flowerpecker (''Prionochilus thoracicus'') *Mekong wagtail (''Motacilla samveasnae'') *Vietnamese greenfinch (''Chloris monguilloti'') *Asian golden weaver (''Ploceus hypoxanthus'') ;Endangered: The endangered list covers the following species. Male edwards' pheasant

*White-winged duck (''Cairina scutulata'') *Baer's pochard (''Aythya baeri'') *Scaly-sided merganser (''Mergus squamatus'') *Orange-necked partridge (''Arborophila davidi'') *Edwards's pheasant (''Lophura edwardsi'') *Vietnamese pheasant *Black-faced spoonbill *Lesser fish-eagle (''Platalea minor'') *Nordmann's greenshank (''Tringa guttifer'') *Collared laughingthrush (''Garrulax yersini'') *Gray-crowned crocias (''Crocias langbianis'') *Sooty babbler (''Stachyris herberti'') ;Critically endangered: The list of critically endangered species identified by IBA is given below. Eurynorhynchus pygmeusIbis1869P012AA

*Christmas Island frigatebird (''Fregata andrewsi'') *White-shouldered ibis (''Pseudibis davisoni'') *Giant ibis (''Pseudibis gigantea'') *White-rumped vulture (''Gyps bengalensis'') *Indian vulture (''Gyps indicus'') *Red-headed vulture (''Sarcogyps calvus'') *Bengal florican (''Houbaropsis bengalensis'') *Spoon-billed sandpiper (''Eurynorhynchus pygmeus'')

Molluscs

Marine molluscs

The marine molluscan fauna of Vietnam includes numerous species of chitons, Gastropoda, gastropods, tusk shells, cephalopods and Bivalvia, bivalves.

Non-marine molluscs

Vietnam's fauna of non-marine molluscs comprises various species of freshwater gastropods, freshwater bivalves and terrestrial gastropods. The terrestrial gastropod fauna is highly diverse and includes more than 850 described land snail and slug species; many species inhabit Karst, limestone karst hills.

Threats and conservation

The protected areas in Vietnam have suffered a decline over the past several decades. The reasons adduced to this situation are; the Vietnam war, deforestation, hunting, export of animals under CITES agreement which is generally violated by illegal activity due to inadequate patrolling. Illegal wildlife trade, Illegal trade in wildlife is flourishing in Vietnam as there is great demand for these animals in China and also within the country. They have commercial value both at home and abroad Trade in wildlife resources in Vietnam is of considerable value. In respect of faunal species, trade varies between 3,700 and 4,500 tons; the use of faunal species are also for medical purposes, pets, and as food and ornamentation but excludes trade in aquatic species. Insects are also a valuable source of trade with ''Coleopterus'' and ''Lepidoptera'' species contributing towards a major share. Medicinal plants are also harvested and its trade is of the order of 20,000 tons. Continuous conservation efforts by the Government of Vietnam have brought more and more areas under protected status. Logging operations have been banned. The conservation efforts are showing positive results with wildlife becoming re-established in many reforested areas. Mangrove forest areas are on the rise due to renewed planting. Fish fauna and crustaceans are proliferating and birds are seen more frequently. As a result of conservation efforts, Siamese crocodile numbers have recovered on account of their reintroduction to ponds within the parks.

References

Bibliography

* {{Vietnam topics Fauna of Vietnam, . Environment of Vietnam Natural history of Vietnam Wildlife by country, Vietnam