Frequently Asked Questions

Click the "Book Now" button at the end of the post for the trip you choose, or message our WhatsApp directly to book an available tour or tailor-make a Vietnam wildlife watching tour just for you. After successfully registering and agreeing to the terms, Viet Herping will send a registration confirmation to your email. Then our support staff will assist you with trip information and answer your questions.

1. About the Backpack

• Type of Backpack: You should use a supportive backpack, preferably one with hip straps to evenly distribute the weight and reduce strain on your back during the journey.

• Rain Cover for the Backpack: If you are going on difficult trails such as those in "Cao Nguyên Lâm Viên (Lâm Đồng), Fansipan Mountain (Lao Cai), Ma Thiên Lãnh Peak on Hon Son Island," it’s advisable to bring a rain cover for your backpack to protect your belongings from getting wet, especially when unexpected rain occurs.

2. Clothing

• Prepare according to the trip’s duration and terrain: You should pack clothing suitable for the duration of the trip (short or long) and the type of terrain (forest, beach). Once you register with Viet Herping, we will send you detailed information about the clothing you should prepare for the trip.

3. Footwear

• Trekking Shoes: Due to the challenging terrain, you will be climbing rocks and crossing water multiple times. It’s essential to have shoes that provide good traction and comfort. It’s best to choose shoes with soft soles made from flexible rubber to ensure a good grip on slippery surfaces.

• Wellingtons (Boots): If the journey involves walking through streams and experiencing frequent rain, rubber boots are a great choice.

• Avoid Gore-Tex Shoes: Gore-Tex shoes or waterproof footwear may absorb water and become heavy, making it harder to move. However, if you are used to wearing them and they have good traction, you can still bring them along.

4. Trekking Poles

• Should you bring trekking poles? If you are accustomed to using trekking poles on your hikes, it’s a good idea to bring them, especially for longer treks.

5. Water Bottle

• We provide a water bottle: We will provide a 1.0-liter water bottle at the starting point of your journey.

• Should you bring your own water bottle? If needed, you can bring your own water container. All water bottles can be refilled as necessary with filtered water from specialized tools or by the tour guides.

6. Personal Items

• Personal items you need to bring: You should pack personal items such as sunscreen, mosquito repellent, a flashlight, and a power bank.

• Weight limit for personal items: To ensure the best experience, it’s recommended that you keep your personal belongings under 4kg, which will make it easier to move around during the trip.

You should only bring the essentials, such as: toothbrush, toothpaste, sunglasses, insect repellent spray, deodorant, talcum powder, antifungal powder, essential medicines, biodegradable and eco-friendly organic soap to minimize our impact on the environment. Female participants should also prepare personal hygiene products they may need during the tour beforehand, as it might be difficult to find the specific products you need at local markets.

Typically, the trips are quite easy, with flat and easy-to-walk trails. However, since they are in forested areas, there might be some light climbing involved. It’s recommended to maintain a good level of fitness, such as walking 5 km daily. Additionally, for wildlife watching trips at altitudes above 3000 meters, we require participants to ensure they are in good health and purchase insurance before joining the trip.

Please inform Viet Herping in advance about any health issues you may have. Our team of experts will help assess whether you can participate in the tour. Please note that the tours will take you deep into the forest, far from major medical facilities, so it is essential to undergo a health check before joining.

Please bring along your prescription or any over-the-counter medications you may need. First aid supplies are intended for emergency situations or if your medication runs out. If you are undergoing treatment for a serious illness, please bring extra medication and hand it over to the tour guide in case you lose or damage it. Additionally, please store any important medications in a waterproof bag and keep them in the most accessible place.

You are required to purchase comprehensive travel and health insurance to cover any unexpected accidents that may occur during the tour. Your insurance should also include coverage for situations where flight delays or cancellations prevent you from joining the tour at the last minute, as per our cancellation/refund policy.
You can contact us to purchase travel insurance for your wildlife watching trip. For the night wildlife watching adventure tours, the insurance cost is $7 per day with a coverage amount of 100 million VND. For more information about the insurance policy, please click on the following link (click here).

Viet Herping always offers discounts for group bookings. Please check each specific tour for the group discount details.

Viet Herping always provides discounts for customers who have previously joined a tour. Simply provide your information, and our staff will verify your past participation and apply the discount for you.

Please notify Viet Herping in advance and provide us with a list of foods you are allergic to, dislike, or inform us about your vegetarian diet. We will handle these matters by arranging suitable meals for you.

At Viet Herping, we are committed to ensuring the best possible chances of encountering reptiles during your tour. Our Optimize Encounter Percentage (OEP) policy is designed to maximize your experience and give you the thrill of seeing wildlife in its natural habitat.

To make sure you have the best chances of spotting snakes, we take the following steps:

• We monitor snake activity weekly, collecting statistical data and updating it regularly on our website. This helps us stay up-to-date on snake movements and behaviors.

• We create natural shelters, such as caves and holes, to provide safe hiding places for snakes, while also ensuring these locations have water sources to keep the snakes comfortable and healthy.

• We actively maintain the biodiversity of the herping locations by ensuring that food sources (for example: frogs, rats, lizards,…) are always plenty for the snakes. We also create rainwater collection holes to support their habitat.

In the rare case that we do not encounter any of the expected snakes during your tour, rest assured that we will continue the tour until we find one, no matter how long it takes. We are passionate about ensuring your experience is memorable, so if no snakes are found during your tour, we will offer a free follow-up herping trip on the next day or on a day of your choice. This is our commitment to making sure you get the most out of your tour. But don’t worry, this situation has never happened before.

In the event that the latest statistics (updated weekly) show a low encounter rate—below 90%, for example—we may temporarily stop accepting new bookings to maintain the quality of the experience. However, if a guest still wishes to proceed despite the low chances, we will provide a discount for the tour. This situation typically occurs during times of low snake activity, such as the winter months (December to February), when snakes hibernate.

For tours that do not fall under the OEP policy, we still prepare by checking snake activity at least a week before the tour. While these tours may not have the same level of detailed tracking as OEP tours, we still ensure that the areas are prepared for herping activities.

Currently, OEP policy is being applied to the following tours:

• Hanoi Urban Herping Tour

We track encounter rates for each of our tours that apply OEP to ensure the best experience for our guests. This data is continuously updated and is available on our website for transparency. Click on the tours listed above to visit their detail pages and view the latest statistical data for each tour.

At Viet Herping, we understand how exciting it is to encounter reptiles in the wild, and we are dedicated to providing you with the best experience possible. Whether it's through our OEP policy or our careful planning, we are here to ensure that you leave with great memories of your herping adventure.