The 47th session of the World Heritage Committee (UNESCO) in Paris (France) on July 13, 2025 adopted a Decision approving the significant boundary adjustment of the World Natural Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (Quang Tri Province, Vietnam) to expand to Hin Nam No National Park (Kham Muon Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic) with the name: "Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park" in the World Heritage List based on criteria (viii), (ix) and (x).
To clarify this content, Mr. Tran Dinh Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was ranked as a Special National Scenic Site by the Prime Minister in 2009. On July 3, 2003, at the 27th Session of the World Heritage Committee, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage for the first time (criterion viii).
On July 3, 2015, at the 39th Session of the World Heritage Committee, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was recognized for the second time (criteria ix and x), with a core area of 123,326ha and a buffer zone of 220,055ha. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park shares a natural boundary with Hin Nam No National Park of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
The dossier of Hin Nam No National Park nominated by UNESCO for recognition as an extension of the World Natural Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was jointly submitted by the Lao and Vietnamese Governments to UNESCO in February 2024, for consideration by the World Heritage Committee at this Session.
Through the appraisal process, UNESCO's Advisory Body, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), submitted a Decision to the World Heritage Committee at its 47th Session to approve the adjustment of the boundary of the World Natural Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (Quang Tri Province, Vietnam) to expand to Hin Nam No National Park (Kham Muon Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic), with the name: "Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park" according to the criteria of geology, geomorphology (criterion viii), ecosystem (criterion ix) and biodiversity (criterion x).
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park are among the most outstanding and intact karst landscapes and ecosystems in the world.
Located at the junction of the Annam Mountains and the Central Indochina Limestone Belt, straddling the border between Vietnam and Laos. The karst formations have developed since the Paleozoic period some 400 million years ago and can be considered the oldest, large-scale karst area in Asia. The diversity of ecosystems found in this complex landscape includes dry karst forests at high altitudes, moist and dense forests at low altitudes, and extensive underground cave environments.
Among these underground structures are more than 220km of caves and underground river systems that are recognized as globally significant. The unique biodiversity with some endemic species living in tropical mixed ecosystems also creates special values, of global significance.
The management of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park is proposed in two separate Management Plans (Hin Nam No National Park Management Plan and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Strategic Management Plan).
The joint management of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park has been signed by localities of Vietnam and Laos for many years, which includes joint activities on law enforcement and development of action plans to protect the values of the heritage.
The coordination process between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos in researching, developing and completing the nomination dossier from 2018 to present has been really accelerated after the two governments agreed on the policy (in early 2023) on developing a nomination dossier for Hin Nam No National Park (Laos) as a cross-border World Heritage Site with the World Natural Heritage of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (Vietnam).
On that basis, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung had direct working sessions with Lao Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Suanesavanh Vignaket to implement the following contents: agreeing on the plan to develop nomination dossiers, assigning the specialized agencies of the two sides, the Department of Cultural Heritage of Vietnam, to directly coordinate, guide and support the Department of Cultural Heritage of Laos in the entire process of developing dossiers, along with the enthusiastic support of the People's Committee of Quang Binh province (now Quang Tri province), the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Management Board of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, and relevant agencies to develop dossiers.
The two sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on January 10, 2018 between the two Ministries of Culture on supporting Laos to make Hin Nam No National Park a World Natural Heritage; establishing a Working Group of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to support the Lao People's Democratic Republic in developing a dossier for Hin Nam No to submit to UNESCO for recognition as a World Heritage Site; providing comments on the Summary Report of Hin Nam No National Park to propose UNESCO to include it in the List of proposed nomination dossiers; providing documents and dossiers of the World Natural Heritage of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park for Laos to study and include in the nomination dossier; sending delegations of Vietnamese experts and specialists to participate in seminars and work on developing a dossier for the heritage nomination; organizing conferences in person and online to exchange with Laos to complete the nomination dossier, agreeing to send it to UNESCO in February 2024.
According to Mr. Tran Dinh Thanh, up to now, Vietnam has 9 world heritages, including 2 inter-provincial world heritages: Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago (Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city) and Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex (Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh provinces and Hai Phong city), along with the first inter-border world heritages Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (Quang Tri province, Vietnam) and Hin Nam No National Park (Kham Muon province - Lao People's Democratic Republic).
The heritage recognized by UNESCO is the first model in transboundary world heritage management for Vietnam to contribute practical experience to world heritage management according to the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. This is also a symbol of the cooperation between the two countries in the field of cultural heritage, contributing to further strengthening and consolidating the friendship, solidarity and close relationship between Vietnam and the Lao People's Democratic Republic./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-lao-chung-tay-bao-ve-cac-gia-tri-cua-di-san-post1051620.vnp
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