Protecting #Vietnam’s vast caves may have sparked a #wildlife comeback
by Joshua Zukas, 13 Nov 2025
Excerpt: "After 15 years of stringent #conservation efforts, both Thín and Limbert say that wildlife populations are rebounding. 'When we were surveying Sơn Đoòng, we rarely saw any primates,” Limbert says. 'Now, we see big groups of Hatinh langurs [Trachypithecus hatinhensis] on nearly every trip.'
"These charcoal-black monkeys with salt-and-pepper beards and messy mohawks were once hunted for their meat and purported medicinal properties. They’re endemic to Vietnam and Laos and are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. More elusive animals in the park include the saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), an antelope-like bovine with straight sharp horns and a black-and-white patterned head. So rarely seen that it borders on legend, the saola is often referred to as the 'Asian unicorn.'
"National parks in Vietnam lack the resources to measure wildlife population numbers, but increased sightings of endemic species indicates a comeback, and Oxalis has begun incorporating this into some of its tours. In 2022, it launched the #HangBa Deep Jungle Expedition, which visits six caves over four days in one of the most remote corners in the national park. Instead of looking for wildlife, Limbert says, visitors study animal tracks and look at photos taken by camera traps. 'It’s more of an expedition than a tour, with a maximum of six tourists. We insist everyone is quiet, we ask them to wear darker clothing and we keep away from the animals.'
"Though not opposed to Oxalis positioning wildlife as part of the appeal of their tours, Đoàn maintains the measured critical thinking of an academic. 'It’s hard to know if it’s a good idea to include wildlife elements [in the tours] because we don’t know the full story … are these animals returning, or is it that the animals were always there and we weren’t aware?'
"Đoàn also points to #Laos, which he says has failed to make the same strides in combating poaching as Vietnam. Without good data, he says, how can we know that animals aren’t arriving in Vietnam after being driven away by hunters in Laos?
"Limbert echoes Đoàn’s concerns for what’s happening on the Laotian side of the border, but remains optimistic for the future. In 2025, UNESCO expanded its recognition area again to include both #PhongNhaKẻBàng National Park and #HinNamNo National Park in Laos, forming a #transboundary natural #WorldHeritageSite. Plans are already underway to increase conservation efforts in this remote part of Laos, and Limbert is mustering a team to help diffuse knowledge and experience across the border.
" 'I’m sure we will see the same kind of change as Vietnam,' Limbert says. 'It’s happened in Phong Nha, and I’m sure it will happen in Laos too.' "
#SolarPunkSunday #Rewilding #ProtectingNature #NatureBasedTourism #NatureBasedLearning #SoutheastAsia
