Established in May 2006 with assistance from Birdlife International, the club is a brainchild of young scientists at the Institute for Ecology and Biological Resources and Hanoi National University.

Vietnam’s first-ever birdwatchers’ club now has some 50 registered members, including foreigners working in far away places like Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho city.

“The Club aims at creating a new forum for environmentally friendly people, especially those who love birds,” Le Manh Hung, head of Hanoi Bird Club, said.

“Trips to watch birds at national parks or nature reserves will further improve their love for environment.”

These visits are planned like professional tours for 20 members on weekends.

People wishing to become members can write to hanoibirdclub2006@yahoo.com or call (+84) 093294862.

Annual membership fees are respectively VND100,000 (US$6.25), $30, VND500,000, and $100 for Vietnamese individuals, foreign individuals, local organizations, and foreign ones.

Reported by Thu Hang, Hai Binh – Translated by Luu Thi Hong