HCM CITY — The night wildlife watching has become a popular activity at Cát Tiên National Park in Đồng Nai Province.

Located 150 kilometres north from HCM City, the park has been recognised as a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO and has become a major tourism destination for night excursions.

The one-hour trip, which costs VNĐ150,000 (US$6.5) per person, allows visitors to sit on an open-top truck. Spotlights are used to observe the animals coming out to feed at night. The 71,000-ha national park is home to about 1,500 species of animals including Asian elephants, sun bears, gaur and a variety of smaller mammals.

Đinh Sỹ Đạt, a ranger at the national park, said wildlife-watching tours attracted around 10,000 visitors every year.

"The purpose of nighttime wildlife watching tours is to raise public awareness of conservation efforts. It has become a popular adventure experience," he said.

In 2001, the park was listed by UNESCO as the 411th biosphere reserve zone in the world. — VNS