The Southern Vietnam lowland dry forests form a narrow, relatively arid coastal strip running along southern Vietnam's South China Sea shore, from around Da Nang south toward the edge of the Mekong River delta. Sheltered in the rain shadow of the Southern Annamite Range, the region holds a mosaic of red sand-dune thickets, scrubby coastal forest, and semi-evergreen forest on low hills, with dipterocarps such as Shorea and Hopea and dune-associated Melaleuca leucadendron among its characteristic trees. The climate is a tropical savanna type with even year-round temperatures and a pronounced dry season, and mean annual rainfall that drops from under 1,500 mm south of Nha Trang to less than 800 mm near Phan Rang. The dunes shelter critically endangered endemic trees including Hopea cordata and Shorea falcata, and the red-cheeked gibbon serves as the ecoregion's flagship species. It is among the most heavily modified dry forests in Asia, with little remaining outside the small protected-area network.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 15.7°N, 108.2°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13a-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13a-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.1°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Indomalayan
Approximate area
13,531 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Recover (Dinerstein NNH 3)
About the tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome
Tropical forests that pass through a pronounced dry season, when many trees drop their leaves to conserve water. They hold high biodiversity but are among the most threatened tropical habitats, sensitive to fire and to clearing for agriculture.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
No catalog plants intersect this ecoregion's zone range. As the catalog grows to cover this region's climate band, suggestions will surface here.
Collections for this ecoregion
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: