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The mouth of Phong Nha Cave in the park. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngo Du

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park wins World Heritage listing

QUANG BINH — Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park in central Quang Binh province has been declared a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Delegates from more than 160 member countries agreed to add the park and 30 other sites to the world heritage list at UNESCO’s week-long general assembly in Paris.

Viet Nam already boasts four world heritage sites.

They are Ha Long Bay in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh; the former imperial city of Hue in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue; My Son village, a site sacred to the former Cham civilisation, and the historic former international trading port at Hoi An. Both the last two are in central coastal Quang Nam province.

The road leading to Phong Nha-Ke Bang. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Phuong

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is located to the north of the majestic Truong Son mountain range amid limestone that is believed to date back 400 million years - the oldest in Asia. The more than 200,000 ha park includes beautiful limestone formations, grottoes and caves and forest covering of up to 95 per cent. It is considered a paradise for researchers and ‘potholers’ or explorers of grottoes and caves. Vietnamese and British scientists have so far surveyed 20 grottoes and caves with total length of 70km.

Of these, 17 are in Phong Nha and three in Ke Bang.

The Phong Nha cave that lends its name to the entire system is probably the most beautiful with many fascinating rock formations carrying evocative names such as The Lion, the Fairy Caves, the Royal Court and Buddha.

Phong Nha also boasts long underground rivers, the large caverns and passageways, wide pristine sand banks and astonishing rock formations.

The tropical forest is home to 36 of the more than 750 rare plant species and 89 animal species listed by the Viet Nam Red Book as endangered or protected.

The park also boasts dozens of still unexplored mountain peaks of more than 1,000 metres.

They include Co Rilata, 1,128m and Peak Co Preu, 1,213m.

The national park is home to archaeological and historical relics, such as the ancient hieroglyphic script of the Cham, the King Ham Nghi’s base built for the resistance war against French colonialists in the late 19th century, and the Xuan Son ferry station, Ho Chi Minh Trail and Road 20 used during the American war.

The reserve attracted 155,650 tourists last year including 1,540 international visitors, an 8 per cent rise from 2001.

Off the danger list

The Paris meeting, which ends on Saturday, dropped the world’s oldest national park, Yellowstone, the Srebarna Nature Reserve in Bulgaria and Kotor, a medieval town in Montenegro from World Heritage danger list.

The World Heritage Committee is responsible for protecting 730 sites of outstanding natural value in 125 countries.

It seeks to ensure that countries properly protect the sites and provides US$4 million a year to help them to do so.

The committee is to consider another 37 nominations for sites to add to its list of universal treasures. — VNS