Ba
Vi National Park
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Alternative site name(s)
None
Province(s)
Ha Tay
Area
12,023 ha
Coordinates
21o01' – 21o07'N, 105o18' – 105o25'E
Distance(s)
From Hanoi: 50 km
Eco-tours
Trekking, Bird watching… Contact
us for more information
Topography and hydrology
Ba Vi National Park is centred on Mount
Ba Vi, a mountain isolate situated about 50 km
west of Hanoi. The mountain rises steeply out of a plain
that rarely exceeds 30 m in elevation. In general, slopes
on the western side of Ba Vi mountain,
at an average of 25°, are steeper than those on the
east. Above 400 m, the slopes on the western side may reach
a gradient of 35° and rocky cliffs are present. Mount
Ba Vi has three peaks: the highest is Dinh Vua at 1,296
m, followed by Tan Vien at 1,226 m and Ngoc Hoa at 1,120
m. Because of the mountainous topography, the climate at
Ba Vi varies with altitude. Above 500 m, fog enshrouds the
top of the mountain on most days.
Except for the Da River on the western side of the national
park, Ba Vi has no large, permanent water
bodies. Streams in the national park are small, steep sided
and fast flowing. In the rainy season, the volume of water
flowing through these small watercourses and over the surface
of the ground is sometimes sufficient to cause landslides.
In the dry season, however, many of the streams are dry.
Biodiversity values
At Ba Vi National Park, natural forest
is mainly distributed at elevations above 600 m. The natural
forest types at Ba Vi are lowland evergreen forest,
lower montane evergreen forest and lower montane mixed coniferous
and broadleaf forest. In 1998, the national park supported
4,701 ha of forest, comprising 1,710 ha of natural forest
and 2,991 ha of plantation forest. The plantation forest
is still, however, in the early stages of development, with
only small trees present.
Ba Vi supports 812 species of vascular
plant, of which several species were described for the first
time from the site, for example Ixora balansae, Litsea baviensis
and Lasianthus langkokensis. Also according to the investment
plan, Ba Vi supports 44 mammal species,
114 bird species, 15 reptile species and nine amphibian
species.

Other documented values
The forest at Ba Vi National Park is
an important source of forest products for local communities.
For example, medicinal plant collection is a major economic
activity in the area. Between 1997 and 1998, an estimated
250 tonnes of medicinal plants were extracted from the national
park. It has been estimated that 80% of the Dao
ethnic group in Ba Vi commune
extract medicinal plants, which is their second most important
source of income.
During the French colonial period, Ba Vi
was developed as a hill station, and around 200 villas were
constructed on the mountain. In addition, a road was built
up the mountain to an elevation of 1,100 m. With a relatively
favourable climate, good infrastructure and close proximity
to Hanoi, Ba Vi already attracts large
numbers of visitors. Several tourism companies have developed
resorts and visitor attractions in and around the national
park. Ba Vi National Park is also an important
site for education and scientific research. Further major
tourism resorts are planned in and around the national park.
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