The Directory of Important Bird Areas in Vietnam is a contribution to conservation planning in Vietnam for the 21^st Century. The directory uses birds as indicators to identify a set of internationally important sites for biodiversity conservation. Birds are used because they are an important conservation focus in their own right, and because they have been shown to be effective indicators of biodiversity in other taxonomic groups, especially when used to define networks of priority sites for conservation.

The aim of the directory is to present information on a set of internationally important sites for the conservation of birds and biodiversity in Vietnam. The objectives of the directory are to:

• Present data on international important sites for the conservation of birds and other biodiversity in a standardised and clear format.

• Assist Vietnam to meet its obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance by, in the first case, identifying candidate sites for inclusion within a representative system of protected areas, and, in the second case, identifying candidate sites for nomination as Ramsar Sites.

• Inform decision makers at local, national and international levels of the biodiversity values of sites, to identify threats to biodiversity, and to recommend appropriate steps that can be taken to ensure their conservation.

• Identify clear priorities for conservation action, and to encourage government agencies, donors and NGOs to address them.

• Provide a centralised source of information for use in education, training and environmental awareness.

• Provide information on key sites for birds and biodiversity in a format that can be used by birdwatchers and thereby support the development of ecotourism in Vietnam.

The directory was produced by BirdLife International in Indochina and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, as an output of the Danida-funded project Improved conservation planning through institutional strengthening in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.