Đồng Nai

For many travelers, Đồng Nai is little more than the scenery outside the car window between Saigon and Dalat. Yet the province holds one of Vietnam's most biodiverse rainforests, along with reservoirs, orchards and vast rubber plantations. A trip to Đồng Nai is especially rewarding for nature lovers who want to escape the bustle of the metropolis for a few days.

Location and Landscape

The province borders Ho Chi Minh City to the northeast and, since its merger with Bình Phước in July 2025, stretches all the way to the Cambodian border. The Đồng Nai River, for which it is named, flows through it from northeast to southwest and forms the boundary with the metropolis. In the south, around Biên Hòa, Long Thành and Nhơn Trạch, industrial parks and new housing developments dominate. The farther north you go, the more rural it becomes: red basalt soils, pepper and coffee gardens around Xuân Lộc, rubber forests near Chơn Thành and Bình Long, and cashew plantations around Đồng Xoài. In the northeast the land rises toward the Central Highlands, and large forest areas protect the last wilderness of the south. Around 4.4 million people live in an area of roughly 12,700 square kilometers.

Sights in Đồng Nai

Cát Tiên National Park is the best-known attraction. Located about 150 kilometers north of Saigon, it protects tropical lowland forest along the Đồng Nai River, home to gibbons, langurs, deer and more than 300 bird species. In the morning, the calls of yellow-cheeked crested gibbons echo through the forest, and if you set out early, you can observe them on guided tours. A trail leads to Crocodile Lake, where Siamese crocodiles have been reintroduced. Accommodations are available in the park and in guesthouses along the riverbank. In the north of the former Bình Phước Province lies Bù Gia Mập National Park, with dense primary forest on the border, and near Phước Long rises Bà Rá Mountain, which has a cable car to the top. Trị An Reservoir north of Biên Hòa, with its islands, is a popular excursion spot, and fishermen live in floating huts along its shores.

Biên Hòa and the Towns

Biên Hòa was co-founded in the 17th century by Chinese refugees from the Ming dynasty and was one of the first trading posts in the south. On the river island of Cù Lao Phố, old temples recall that era. The Trấn Biên Temple of Literature, built in 1715 and since reconstructed, is the oldest of its kind in southern Vietnam. The Bửu Long quarries are now a landscape park with lakes and pagodas. Long Khánh in the east is Vietnam's orchard: rambutan, durian, mangosteen and pomelo are grown here, and in summer you can visit the gardens and eat right under the trees. One of the last major battles of the Vietnam War took place at Xuân Lộc in April 1975. Bình Long and Lộc Ninh in the north also hold a place in war history, and their rubber plantations date back to the colonial era.

Food and Drink

The cuisine is rustic and hearty. At Trị An Lake and along the river, freshwater fish is grilled or served as a hot pot. In Long Khánh, the orchards offer fruit buffets, along with coconuts and fresh juices. Bình Phước is the country's cashew capital, and the roasted nuts are sold at roadside stands everywhere. Dishes made with wild plants and river crabs come from the area around Nhơn Trạch and Long Thành, while in Biên Hòa the bưởi, the pomelos from Tân Triều, are considered especially sweet.

Getting There and Getting Around

The new Long Thành International Airport (LTH) is being built about 40 kilometers east of Saigon; it is meant to relieve Tân Sơn Nhất Airport and will go into operation in stages. Until then, you travel in via Saigon. Biên Hòa lies on the rail line to Hanoi, and expressways connect the province with the metropolis, Vũng Tàu and Dalat. It takes about four hours to reach Cát Tiên by car or bus, and the last stretch is a ferry crossing over the river to the park entrance.

Best Time to Visit

The climate is tropical, with a dry season from December to April that is considered the best time to visit, especially for wildlife watching in the forest. During the rainy season from May to November, the trails in the national park are muddy and leeches are active, but the forest is in bloom, and fruit fans get their fill in Long Khánh in June and July.