There are high numbers of endemic plant species, and the relative remoteness and isolation of the area supports many rare and endangered animals.

[2][3][1] Most of the ecoregion is in central Laos, with a small portion on the eastern edge of the higher ridge of Annamite Range in Vietnam.

[1] Lower montane forests, from 800 to 1,200 meters elevation, are dominated by broadleaf evergreen trees, including myrtles (Myrtaceae), oaks, Castanopsis, and Lithocarpus (Fagaceae), Elaeocarpaceae, and laurels (Lauraceae).

Thickets of bamboo, including species of Chimonobambusa and Dendrocalamus, grow in disturbed areas where the forest canopy is more open.

Keteleeria can grow up to 35 metres in height, and occurs in pure stands or mixed with Pinus kesiya and oaks.

The saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) is endemic to the ecoregion, and the giant muntjac (Megamuntiacus vuquangensis) lives here and in the Southern Annamites montane rain forests.