Phong Nha - Ke Bang and Hin Nam No listed as transboundary World Heritage, affirming the close relationship between Vietnam and Laos

The fact that “Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park” became the first cross-border World Heritage Sites of Vietnam and Laos further tightens the friendship and solidarity between the two countries.

From natural heritage to friendship heritage

Accordingly, at the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee (UNESCO) in Paris, the French Republic adopted a Decision approving the significant boundary adjustment of the World Natural Heritage Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park (Quang Tri province, Vietnam), including Hin Nam No National Park (Kham Muon province, Laos), with the name: "Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park" in the list of World Heritage.

At the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee, the delegation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was led by Dr. Architect Hoang Dao Cuong - Deputy Minister.

The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism , Chairman of the National Heritage Committee of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, happily expressed: "Today marks a meaningful day and a proud moment for the Lao Government and the entire Lao society, when Hin Nam No National Park has been officially inscribed as an extension of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park World Heritage in Vietnam; at the same time, affirming that the Lao Government will continue to cooperate with its Vietnamese partners to strengthen cooperation at all levels of society, with a focus on enhancing the consultative and inclusive participation of local communities in the management of this precious world heritage."

Speaking at the 47th Session, Dr. Architect Hoang Dao Cuong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that yesterday, leaders of the Ministry of Culture of Vietnam and Laos had a friendly discussion to discuss the direction of better cooperation in managing Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park in the coming time.

“The event of “Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park” becoming the first transboundary World Heritage Sites of Vietnam and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic demonstrates the importance of global cooperation through the nomination of common heritage, contributing to the promotion of peace and security from the perspective of UNESCO, further tightening the friendship and solidarity between the two countries,” Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong emphasized.

The Deputy Minister expressed his wish to invite delegates to visit Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park, to support Vietnam and the Lao People's Democratic Republic with management experience for this first transboundary World Heritage Site.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang World Natural Heritage (Photo: Ko Hon Chiu Vincent)

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 - Laos). The heritage recognized by UNESCO is a model in the management of the first inter-border world heritage for Vietnam to contribute practical experience to the management of world heritages according to the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

The fact that Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO is considered a symbol of cooperation between the two countries in the field of cultural heritage, thereby contributing to further strengthening and consolidating the friendly, united and close relationship between Vietnam and the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Hien, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Head of the Vietnamese expert group participating in the World Heritage Committee, said that today's success is thanks to the close direction and special attention of the Party and State leaders, the Secretariat, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Deputy Prime Ministers, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Deputy Ministers and specialized agencies of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Cultural Heritage Council, Quang Tri province, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in recent years, have actively coordinated closely with Laos to complete the nomination dossier to request UNESCO to inscribe it on the World Heritage List.

View from inside Xe Bang Fai Cave, Hin Nam No National Park, Laos (Photo: GIZ ProFEB)

“In the coming time, to effectively manage the transboundary World Heritage between Vietnam and Laos, the two sides need to continue to promote the implementation of scientific research topics and establish operational methods to deal with risks affecting the heritage; assess tourism capacity in accordance with the capacity and ecological capacity of resources in the overall Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park. In particular, the Vietnamese side can support the Lao side to improve the capacity to develop legal regulations in the management, protection and promotion of the value of World Heritage in general, and Hin Nam No National Park in particular,” emphasized Director Le Thi Thu Hien.

Journey together for Phong Nha - Hin Nam No

Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park was ranked as a Special National Scenic Landscape 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 and 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, with a core area of 123,326 hectares and a buffer zone of 220,055 hectares. 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.

Phu Cheuang landscape seen from Nong Bua village area, Hin Nam No National Park (Photo: Jean-Michel Osterman)

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 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, Laos), with the name: "Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park" according to the criteria of geology, geomorphology, ecosystem and biodiversity.

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, spanning the border between Vietnam and the Lao People's Democratic Republic, 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. These underground structures include over 220 km of caves and underground river systems that are recognised as globally significant. The unique biodiversity with some endemic species living in tropical mixed ecosystems also makes it of exceptional value, 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 outlines joint activities on law enforcement and development of action plans to protect the values of the heritage.

Red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus) and its baby at Laboi, Hin Nam No National Park, (Photo: Hin Nam No National Park Management Board)

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 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 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 Laos in building a dossier for Hin Nam No to submit to UNESCO for recognition as a World Heritage; providing comments on the Summary Report of Hin Nam No National Park to propose UNESCO to include it in the List of Tentative Nominations.

At the same time, provide documents and dossiers of the World Natural Heritage Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park for Laos to study and include in the nomination dossier; send delegations of Vietnamese experts and specialists to participate in seminars and work on the development of the heritage nomination dossier; organize conferences in person and online to exchange with Laos to complete the nomination dossier, and agree to send it to UNESCO in February 2024.

Hong Phuong/ News and People Newspaper

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-hoa/phong-nha-ke-bang-va-hin-nam-no-ghi-danh-di-san-the-gioi-lien-bien-gioi-khang-dinh-moi-quan-he-gan-bo-viet-lao-20250713220159165.htm