Conserving Threatened Species in Hanoi City

Not long ago, Hanoi had abundant biodiversity. However, as natural habitats are overtaken by rapid urbanization, poaching, wildlife trafficking, and illegal wildlife consumption, nearly all of the city’s wildlife has been depleted. The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Conserving Threatened Species in Hanoi City project helps ensure the survival of critically endangered species, protect threatened species, and maintain critical habitats in and around Hanoi city. In partnership with Hanoi’s authorities, local organizations, communities, and schools, the project supports law enforcement and community-based teams to combat wildlife trafficking, improve wildlife rehabilitation and release protocols, and lead awareness-raising campaigns and community engagement to stop illegal wildlife consumption and establish positive attitudes and actions toward wildlife conservation and nature.

Supporting Authorities, Communities to Counter Trafficking 

The project supports law enforcement agencies and the Management Board of Hanoi’s Protection and Special Use Forests to strengthen their capacity to identify illegal wildlife trafficking, map wildlife trafficking hotspots, and detect and gather wildlife trafficking data. The project engages community-based teams in patrolling forests, protecting critical habitats, and monitoring threatened species, such as the critically endangered Delacour’s langur. 

Improving Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release Protocols

To improve the effectiveness of the rescue and rehabilitation of confiscated wildlife, the project supports the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center to standardize wildlife release and post-release monitoring protocols to reduce disease spread and increase the survival of released animals.

Reducing Demand for Illegal Wildlife Products 

The project works with a broad range of stakeholders to conduct awareness-raising campaigns on key topics, including wildlife protection regulations, the health risks of illegal wildlife consumption and trade, and the important roles of forests in mitigating climate change. This includes implementing awareness-raising activities at annual Huong Pagoda religious events, which attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and tourists. The project also collaborates with a local secondary school to integrate wildlife protection and biodiversity conservation into its education program. 

Impact

Currently in Hanoi, the city’s small stretch of Huong Son forest, which extends into the limestone mountain forests in the northern region, is one of the few places where the Delacour’s langur, a critically endangered primate only found in Vietnam, still exists in the wild. By September 2026, the project will help conserve the Delacour’s langur population in the Huong Son forest, improve the management of 3,600 hectares of natural forests in My Duc district, and raise awareness among roughly 500,000 people of the importance of wildlife protection.

Targeted Localities

The project works in Hanoi with a specific focus in the Huong Son forest and four communes of My Duc district (Hung Tien, An Tien, An Phu, and Huong Son).