The national park is located in San Sa Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van and Ban Ho communes, Sa Pa district, and Muong Khoa and Than Thuoc communes, Than Uyen district. The total area of the national park is 29,845 ha, comprising a strict protection area of 11,875 ha, a forest rehabilitation area of 17,900 ha and an administration and services area of 70 ha. In addition, there is a buffer zone of 38,724 ha. On 17 and 18 December 2003, the environment ministers of the ASEAN nations amended the ASEAN Declaration on Heritage Parks and included four ASEAN Heritage Parks in Vietnam, including Hoang Lien National Park.
Topography and hydrology
Mount Fansipan (3,143 m), the highest peak in Vietnam, is part of the Hoang Lien National Park, which is situated in the Hoang Lien mountains. The national park is primarily over 1,000 meters, with a lowest point of 380 meters. The mountains have extremely steep slopes. The Muong Hoa valley, which widens toward the east of the national park, is located between Mount Fansipan and Sa Pa town (Tordoff et al. 1999).
The Nam Po river and the Red River are fed by the Muong Hoa and Ta Trung Ho rivers, which drain the portion of the national park in the Sa Pa district. The Black River’s catchment encompasses the portion of the national park located in the Than Uyen district.
Biodiversity values
A diverse range of habitat types can be found within the national park: lower montane evergreen forest can be found below 1,800 meters, upper montane evergreen forest can be found between 1,800 and 2,500 meters, sub-alpine forest can be found between 2,500 and 2,800 meters, and dwarf bamboo stands with scattered, stunted trees predominate above 2,800 meters. The forest has nearly completely been cut below 1,000 meters, and artificial habitats such as secondary grasslands, scrub, and agriculture have taken its place. At higher elevations, secondary habitats can also be discovered (A. Tordoff pers. obs.).
In comparison to other protected areas in Vietnam, the plant species richness (2,024 vascular plant species documented) and endemism (one-quarter of endemic species) are both quite high (Nguyen Nghia Thin and Nguyen Thi Thoi 1998). These factors led the IUCN Plant Conservation Programme to designate the site as a Centre for Plant Diversity (Davis et al. eds. 1995).
Due to intense hunting pressure, mammal abundance is comparatively low. On the other hand, a wide variety of different animal species are supported by Hoang Lien National Park. In and around the nature reserve, 347 different bird species have been identified, including 49 that are unique to north-west Tonkin in Vietnam (Tordoff et al. 1999). Together with the neighboring Hoang Lien Son-Lai Chau planned natural reserve (see site card), the national park is eligible to Vietnam designated as an Important Bird Area due to its support of several globally vulnerable and restricted-range bird species, such as the Beautiful Nuthatch Sitta formosa (Tordoff 2002).
The national park has the highest reported amphibian species richness of any protected region in Vietnam, supporting around one-third of the country’s known amphibian species. Approximately 10% of the amphibian species found in the national park are threatened worldwide, and several amphibian species are only known to exist at this location.
The variety of invertebrates is likewise quite remarkable; numerous species of invertebrates found at the location are unique to the world (Hreblay et al. 1999, Tordoff et al. 1999).
Hoang Lien National Park has the highest biodiversity value grade of “A” in the Biodiversity Action Plan for Vietnam (Government of SRV/GEF 1994).
Conservation issues
Hoang Lien National Park’s native vegetation cover is being rapidly destroyed by overuse of natural resources, forest clearing for agriculture, and unintentional fires. Only around half of the national park is currently covered by natural forest, and the remaining portion is at risk due to ongoing human disturbance. It will take a long time for a forest to regrow in areas where it has been removed or burned due to a decrease in soil fertility (Tordoff et al. 1999).
One human activity that can significantly affect the biodiversity of Hoang Lien National Park is cardamom farming. Cardamom plots retain some canopy trees, but unchecked tree clearance can reduce canopy cover by as much as 80%. Additionally, more firewood is required for current cardamom pod drying methods than can be produced in the plots. Indirect effects include things like hunting and the usage of non-timber forest products by farmers who spend a lot of time in the forest during planting and harvesting seasons.
A management board has been formed and the national park officially established. The national park’s borders have been marked, a headquarters building has been constructed, and signs outlining management guidelines have been put up. Currently, the national park’s employees are carrying out fire safety measures. In order to preserve natural forests, restore degraded forests, and replant bare forest area, they are also putting forest management plans into practice. To a greater or lesser extent, locals are participating in the implementation of these initiatives. However, the national park administration lacks the means to implement management restrictions beyond social forestry and fire control (Tordoff et al. 1999).
Future tourism development that is not sustainable could endanger Hoang Lien’s biodiversity. Plans are in place to transform the nearby town of Sa Pa into a resort city; it is now a popular tourist destination (Vietnam News 2002). Particular risks from unsustainable tourism development include the construction of roads and trails within the national park, which may make it easier to exploit natural resources; hiking and camping within the park, which may raise the risk of unintentional forest fires; and an increase in demand for forest products like orchids.
Other documented values
Numerous plant species in Hoang Lien National Park have been shown to have medicinal, decorative, culinary, or woody purposes. While the national park is already used to obtain medicinal plants for study and production, its full potential is still untapped. For the many locals who rely significantly on these resources—including building materials, fuel, food, medicine, and income—the national park is a vital source. The Red River system as a whole as well as the local population, for whom the availability of water limits agricultural productivity, benefit greatly from the national park’s contribution to watershed conservation.
In this sense, high-elevation forest is especially significant since it helps to stream flow by capturing water through condensation. With planned excursions to climb Mount Fansipan, the area’s natural resources and visual beauty offer considerable potential for tourism development, which has already started (Tordoff et al. 1999).
