Ho Chi Minh City Herping Tour Report 2025: March Dry-Season Expedition

* Note: Images from our most recent herping adventure are below — scroll down to check them out!

How A Typical HCMC Herping Adventure Looks Like

Setting Out: Sunset Departure

At 4:30 PM, our Viet Herping team gathered four eager guests—from South Africa, the Netherlands, and the USA—for a Ho Chi Minh City Snake-Watching Tour. As the sun dipped below the skyline, we shared a warming cơm niêu dinner just outside the city, fueling up for our Vietnam Herping Tour expedition into the nearby wetlands and green corridors.

First Stop: Flooded Rice Fields

By 7:00 PM we arrived at flooded paddies at the edge of town. Under dim moonlight, the first find appeared: a glossy Rainbow Water Snake (Enhydris enhydris) coiled beside a broken embankment. Our Dutch guest’s eyes lit up as she carefully photographed its iridescent scales. This joyful moment set the tone for the night’s herping Vietnam excitement.

Mangrove Boardwalk: The Common Bronzeback

Next, we ventured to a mangrove boardwalk. Here, a curious Common Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis pictus) slipped down from the roots of a mangrove tree. Our South African visitor exclaimed in delight, marveling at the snake’s agility. Guided by our local expertise, the group observed its sleek form before it vanished into the dark foliage.

Hidden Canal: Ornate Flying Snake

At a quiet canal bank, headlamps caught a flash of green and black: an Ornate Flying Snake (Chrysopelea ornata) stretched between two low branches. Our American guest, an amateur wildlife photographer, captured its unique pattern in multiple frames, his excitement echoing softly in the night air.

Urban Fringe: Murphy’s Mud Snake & Rat Snakes

Around 10:30 PM, we explored a hidden green corridor beside an abandoned warehouse. Beneath leaf litter, we found a secretive Murphy’s Mud Snake (Hypsiscopus murphyi) and later a trio of Indo-Chinese Rat Snakes (Ptyas korros) hunting insects. Our group huddled close, sharing whispers of amazement as each species revealed itself.

Target Species Hunt: Pit Vipers and Blue Krait

By midnight, we moved to the outskirts’ cooler embankments searching for pit vipers. Within minutes we located a White-lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus albolabris) camouflaged among fallen leaves—our guide’s headlamp revealing its emerald eyes. The final highlight was a stealthy Malayan Blue Krait (Bungarus candidus), discovered slithering along a mossy stump. Our guests’ hushed excitement spoke volumes: this was the pinnacle of our Ho Chi Minh City Herping Tour.

Journey Home: 3 AM Return

At 1:00 AM we wrapped up. By 3:00 AM, weary but elated, we returned to Saigon. Laughter and shared stories filled the van as photos flashed on screens—proof that herping tours in Vietnam create lifelong memories.

Since the beginning of 2025, we’ve organized many successful herping adventures in Hanoi. You can check out our latest trip reports here.

Date

March 20, 2025

Species encountered