Nam Cat Tien National Park has an interesting recent history. Located 93 miles (150 km) from Ho Chi Minh City, and 186 miles (300 km) from Buon Ma Thuot, it was heavily sprayed with defoliants during the Vietnam War but the large older trees survived, smaller plants recovered and the wildlife made a comeback
It is an extremely popular park with bird watchers due to the astounding variety of birdlife: it boasts 348 species of birds, 439 species of butterfly and over 100 mammals including wild cats, deer, elephants, monkeys and the rare Javan rhinoceros.