Vietnam is one of the most beautiful, friendly, and fascinating countries in Asia. An early-season visit there finds the country at its best, the climate mostly cool, dry, and enjoyable, the winter birds still in and the resident ones gearing up for breeding.

Vietnam hosts, according to how much you believe in splitting up species, no less than 14 true endemic species (and this number continues to increase as further work is done and new discoveries made), a further 7 or so restricted to Indochina and a number of very interesting and distinct “subspecies” (several of which are destined to be future taxonomic splits). A large range of Southeast Asian species of wider distribution, and a host of birds from further north wintering here add to the richness of this destination.