This is part of a five-year ADB-funded project, starting from 2009, to boost socio-economic development with a focus on poverty reduction, infrastructure, heritage preservation in five provinces of Vietnam.

Of the funding, over US$2.1 million will be provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the remaining, about US$400,000, will be reciprocal capital.

The project will concentrate on the preservation of Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, which is home to two villages living in the core zone and six others in buffer zones. It will also upgrade Phong Nha and Tien Son caves, use environmentally friendly materials like composite for making boats to reduce pollution while developing some ecological tourism services.

Apart from setting up a database on local geography, ethnic minority groups and their traditional culture, the project will develop pastoral and community-based tourism to help improve people’s income in buffer zones. Thus, more than 56,500 people are expected to directly or indirectly benefit from the project.