Saola in Vu Quang National Park Vietnam Travel Postcard

Vũ Quang National Park lies in Hà Tĩnh Province of north-central Vietnam and protects roughly 550 km² of rugged Annamite mountain forest. Rising from lowland evergreen valleys to misty montane ridges, it harbors an exceptional variety of wildlife including over ninety mammal species, hundreds of bird species, and many rare plants. The park’s remote, steep terrain and dense canopy make it a key refuge for some of Southeast Asia’s most threatened animals, and it remains one of Vietnam’s least disturbed forest complexes. The park is world-famous as the place where the saola—also called the “Vu Quang ox” or “Asian unicorn”—was first discovered in 1992 when researchers found distinctive horns in a hunter’s collection. This critically endangered antelope-like bovid is one of the rarest large mammals on Earth, and despite decades of surveys it is still known from only a handful of camera-trap photos and local reports. Saola numbers are thought to be extremely low, and conservation in Vũ Quang focuses on anti-snare patrols, habitat protection, and collaboration with surrounding communities to preserve the deep forest ecosystem where this mysterious species survives.