LATEST NEWS 2025

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park won two awards for Vietnam’s Leading Natural Destination and Asia’s Leading National Park in 2025, on the evening of October 13. The Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park Management Board said that Vietnam’s representative won the two most prestigious categories for natural tourism, including Vietnam’s Leading Natural Destination in 2025 and Asia’s Leading National Park. The award is part of the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2025 ceremony, held on the evening of October 13 in Hong Kong, China.

Mr. Pham Hong Thai, Director of the Park Management Board (left) received the award from WTA. Photo: Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park

INTRODUCTION TO PHONG NHA KE BANG NATIONAL PARK

Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park in Phong Nha town – Bo Trach district – Quang Binh province, is currently an attractive tourist destination for domestic and foreign tourists. This is also a place where scientists and cave explorers around the world want to come to study and research. There are scientists who have devoted their whole lives to researching here.

Location: Located in Quang Binh province, Central Vietnam; geographic coordinates: 17021’12” to 7044’51” North latitude; 105046’33” to 106023’33” East longitude

Area: 123,326 ha, including 03 sub-zones: strictly protected sub-zone (100,296 ha); ecological restoration sub-zone (19,619 ha); administrative service sub-zone (3,411 ha).

The buffer zone has an area of 219,855.34 ha in 13 communes (including Dan Hoa, Hoa Son, Trung Hoa, Thuong Hoa, Trong Hoa communes of Minh Hoa district; Tan Trach, Thuong Trach, Xuan Trach, Phuc Trach, Son Trach, Phu Dinh, Hung Trach communes of Bo Trach district and Truong Son commune of Quang Ninh district).

Overview map of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park

Year of establishment: 2001, formerly Phong Nha Nature Reserve

UNESCO ranking: World Natural Heritage; criteria (viii) geology, geomorphology (2003); criteria (ix) ecosystem and (x) Biodiversity (2015).

National ranking: Special National Monument (2009).

Geology – Geomorphology:

Phong Nha – Ke Bang is considered a giant geological museum of global value and significance, with most of its area being limestone and linking the Hin Namno National Biodiversity Reserve of Laos to form a large Karst block in Southeast Asia.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang today is the result of the development of 5 geological tectonic stages, from the Ordovician period (464 million years) to the Quaternary. This is demonstrated by the rich and diverse paleontological fossil complexes representing different stratigraphic ages.

Ancient Karst Tower in Phong Nha – Ke Bang

Caves: Surveyed and measured 404 caves with a total length of 220km; divided into three main systems: Phong Nha system, Vom system and Chay system. Phong Nha – Ke Bang cave system has the world’s leading value because it retains intact geological and geomorphological values, formed from the results of long-term tectonic changes of the Earth’s crust; typical examples are Phong Nha cave, Tien Son cave, Thien Duong cave, Son Doong and Hoa Huong,…

Stalactites grow from underwater in Va cave

Hydrology: The three main rivers are Chay River, Son River and Trooc River. The water source for these rivers is a system of underground karst streams flowing into En, Vom Cave, Dark Cave and Phong Nha Cave….

Son River junction

Vegetation: 15 large habitat types with 21 important vegetation types. Evergreen closed forest covers 93.5% of the area, of which over 90% is the largest tropical forest ecosystem on limestone mountains in Southeast Asia and is mostly untouched.

Primary forest on limestone mountain

Plants: 2,952 plant species belonging to 1,006 genera, 198 families, 62 orders, 11 classes, 6 phyla were recorded, of which 112 species were listed in the Vietnam Red Book, 121 species were listed in the IUCN Red Book, 01 species was listed in CITES appendices, 03 species were listed in Decree 64/2019/ND-CP.

Green mountain cypress population in Phong Nha – Ke Bang

Animals: 1,394 animal species belonging to 835 genera, 289 families, 66 orders, 12 classes, 4 phyla were recorded, of which 84 species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book, 110 species are listed in the World Red Book (IUCN), 55 species are listed in CITES appendices, 40 species are listed in Decree 64/2019/ND-CP. Among them are some rare species such as Ha Tinh langur, brown-shanked douc langur, white-cheeked gibbon, saola, mang,…

Douc Langur

New species: Phong Nha – Ke Bang is the place where many new species were recorded for science in the early 21st century; 42 new species were announced worldwide, including 38 animal species and 04 plant species.

New spider species Khorata protumida from Bay Tang cave – Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park

Buffer zone population: 68,501 people (as of December 2020); average population density 19.96 people/km2

Ethnicity: In addition to the Kinh people who account for 83.1% of the total population, the area also has many different ethnic groups living together, including the two main ethnic groups: the Chut (accounting for 4.3%, including the Sach, May, Ruc, and A rem ethnic groups) and the Van Kieu (accounting for 12.6%, including the Van Kieu, Khua, Ma Coong, and Tri ethnic groups).

Van Kieu village

Historical and cultural relics: Xuan Son ferry, Ho Chi Minh trail, Road 20 Quyet Thang, Mu Gia pass, A.T.P, Tra Ang, Ca Tang, Chu A crab, Khe Ve, Hang Tam Co, Hang Chin Tang, Nguyen Van Troi ferry, Tien Su Tu Coc temple.

Cave of Eight Ladies

Festivals and Traditional Culture: Drum Beating Festival of the Ma Coong people on February 16 (Lunar calendar), Thuong Trach commune; Tuong Boi singing of the Kinh people in Khuong Ha (Hung Trach commune); Minh Hoa Festival of the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month; Nghe Temple Festival; New Rice Celebration Festival, Fairy Water Requesting Ceremony; Forest Opening Ceremony…

Drum Festival of the Ma Coong People

Archaeological sites: 33 archaeological sites dating from 3,000 to 12,000 years ago were recorded. Some typical sites in Phong Nha – Ke Bang include: Bi Ky cave site in Phong Nha cave including Cham altars, 97 ancient characters carved on the cliff, stone statues, pottery pieces and many tablets containing Cham Pa cultural information; Sites in Hung Trach commune, Son Trach include ceramic jar tombs, earrings, bronze axe blades containing Dong Son and Sa Huynh cultural information.

Ancient Cham characters carved in Phong Nha cave