Phong Nha-Ke Bang prepares third UNESCO World Heritage bid
VOV.VN - The Management Board of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Tri province, central Vietnam, has prepared a dossier to seek UNESCO recognition as a World Natural Heritage site for a third time, with a renewed focus on aesthetic value as a key criterion of outstanding universal value.
The park’s leadership said conservation and forest protection efforts have continued effectively in recent years, helping preserve the site’s natural heritage.
The special-use forest ecosystems have been protected intact, with forest coverage maintained at approximately 95%. No major incidents of illegal logging or forest fires have been reported.
Scientific research and biodiversity conservation have also been stepped up, including wildlife rescue programmes with a success rate of more than 93%.
In 2025 alone, the park implemented two provincial-level research projects and recorded several new flora and fauna species for science, further reinforcing the site’s global significance.
Alongside conservation, Phong Nha–Ke Bang has expanded sustainable tourism offerings. New ecotourism products have been introduced, including tours along the historic Truong Son Trail and the Command (Chỉ huy) Cave, linking natural heritage with historical narratives.
Last year, the park’s tourist sites welcomed over 893,000 visitors, generating total revenue exceeding VND314 billion, demonstrating the growing appeal of the heritage site in the local green tourism development strategy.
In 2026, the park will work with relevant agencies to advise provincial authorities on completing procedures to seek UNESCO recognition as a World Biosphere Reserve. At the same time, it will finalise the nomination dossier for a third World Natural Heritage listing, centred on aesthetic criteria.
Earlier, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003 and 2015.
In particular, in July 2025, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO approved the expansion of the world natural heritage site of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in Quang Tri province to include Hin Nam No National Park in Laos' Khammouane province.
Following the adjustment, the world natural heritage site is officially named “Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park”. The latest recognition is Vietnam’s first transboundary world heritage site.
Unseen species found in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park
A strange species has just been discovered by a cave exploration team of the Jungle Boss Co., Ltd, in Hung Cave within a strictly protected area of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh.
