Cat Tien National Park

There are several impressively massive, hundreds-of-years-old trees, accessible on short walks down well-labelled side trails off of the main road, and one halfway along the longer Crocodile Lake trail. The tung tree on the Crocodile Lake trail is the most massive (if hiking solo at a non-busy time, you may regret not having anyone to take your picture with it), though the tung tree on the short three-tree trail closer to park headquarters comes in a respectable second place. The "six-rooted intersecting ficus", down a short trail about halfway between headquarters and the Crocodile Lake trailhead, is maybe the most interesting. Smaller but still quite big and tall trees are common in parts of the forest, especially the stretch of dirt road just beyond Heaven's Rapids.

Perhaps the second-best scenic spot in the park, after Crocodile Lake. The river makes a horseshoe-bend here, with stereotypical jungle trees hanging over both banks, and the water rushing fast away from you on the downstream side.

At the end of the park's main popular longer-distance hiking trail (5- to 6-km walk, trailhead 9km from park headquarters), this is a large natural lagoon surrounded by green meadows at low-water times, and forest further back. You get a good, modestly-elevated view from the lodge and surrounding boardwalks, which are on tall stilts. Good for observing water birds and the namesake Siamese crocodiles, an endangered species that looks to be doing well here after being reintroduced years ago. In daytime you'll mostly see crocodile heads and tails cruising through the water, while if you spend the night (see below), they often come out and can be observed from a distance by flashlight. You may be able to hire the lodge staff to take you on a boat ride during the day, or a guided wildlife walk at night if you're staying over.

A nice place to get a view of the river, at spot where it's relatively shallow, with a pretty landscape of rocks and water plants, at least during dry season when the water isn't too high. Accessible by a very short trail from the road's most prominent snack stand, not too far from park headquarters.

Not so much a garden as a large section of native forest with trees and vines extensively labeled by species and family (Latin and Vietnamese names), with a network of short access trails for visitors wanting to get up close and personal with the jungle. The area extends roughly between the Lower Rapids and the Heaven's Rapids, on both sides of the road, though many trees beyond that area are labeled as well. There's essentially no further interpretive information, so if you're not a bit of a plant nerd or just enjoy being in the jungle, you may find it boring.

A natural history museum very close to the park headquarters, which includes a park-run outdoor wildlife rehabilitation center for bears, gibbons, deer, and possibly other animals. Don't get your hopes up too much - previous visitors have reported that it was overcrowded because of limited funds (and lots of rescued bears), while at a recent glance in the gates it wasn't clear if there were many animals at all. May include a tour and only be available at certain times - ask ahead if it's important to you. There is now a new, larger Cat Tien Bear Sanctuary that seems to be only accessible by appointment - it's unclear whether the original center still house bears or not. It is interesting to compare the approaches taken by Go East (see "Do") and the national park. (There is also a gibbon rehab enclosure directly behind the park reception building, which you can get a distant glimpse of from the bathroom area or the bike rental center; wild gibbons, by some accounts those previously released from here, often come to visit and can be spotted in the surrounding trees.)