The UNESCO meeting on July 13 considers the dossier for Laos' Hin Nam No National Park as an extension of Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang World Natural Heritage site. (hoto: Thu Ha/ VNA)

The nomination dossier for Laos' Hin Nam No National Park as an extension of Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang World Natural Heritage site was jointly submitted by the two governments to UNESCO in February 2024. With UNESCO’s recognition, it will serve as a model for co-management of transborder sites and allow Vietnam to contribute its experience to the implementation of the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

The Lao delegation at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Lao Minister of Culture and Tourism and Chair of the National Heritage Committee Suanesavanh Vignaket said: “I’m delighted that the Hin Nam No National Park of the Lao PDR has been officially inscribed as an extension of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang World Heritage Site in Vietnam. I hope this heritage site will become a driving force and a symbol of the two nations on the international stage.”

Phong Nha-Ke Bang and Hin Nam No are among the world’s most outstanding intact limestone karst landscapes and ecosystems. Phong Nha-Ke Bang is home to over 2,700 species of vascular plants and 800 species of vertebrates. In Hin Nam No, more than 1,500 vascular plant species and 536 vertebrate species have been recorded, including the Giant Huntsman Spider, the world’s largest spider by leg span and an endemic species to Khammouane province.
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong (Photo: Thu Ha/ VNA)

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong said: “Vietnamese and Lao authorities will continue coordinating to conserve and promote the values of the transboundary natural heritage site Phong Nha-Ke Bang and Hin Nam No National Parks, thereby developing the economy and tourism.”

Hoang Xuan Tan, Vice Chairman of the Quang Tri provincial People’s Committee, said the park will become a symbol of Vietnam-Laos cultural heritage cooperation and contribute to strengthening their friendship. “Phong Nha-Ke Bang and Hin Nam No national parks are interconnected. Conservation and development of the two parks will be implemented in a unified and effective manner,” said Tan.

Hin Nam No National Park in Laos' Khammouane province (Photo: Thu Ha/VNA)
Vietnam has nine World Heritage sites, including two inter-provincial sites – Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago (Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city), and the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex (Quang Ninh and Bac Ninh province and Hai Phong city).