Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park

Description is available under licenseCC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Parc national de Phong Nha-Ke Bang et Parc national de Hin Nam No

Description is available under licenseCC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

منتزه فونغ نا-كي بانغ الوطني وحديقة هيم نام نو الوطنية

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under licenseCC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Национальный парк Фонгня-Кебанг и Национальный парк Хин Нам Но

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under licenseCC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Parque Nacional de Phong Nha-Ke Bang y Parque Nacional de Hin Nam No

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under licenseCC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Brief synthesis

The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park property is one of the most outstanding and intact limestone karst landscapes and ecosystems in the world. Located at the confluence of the Annamite Mountain Range and Central Indochina Limestone Belt, and straddling the border of Viet Nam and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the property comprises a combined area of 217,447 hectares. The karst formation has evolved since the Palaeozoic period approximately 400 million years ago and can be considered the oldest large-scale karst area in Asia. The diversity of ecosystems found within this complex landscape of interbedded rock types and depressions, include high-altitude, dry karst forest, moist and dense low-elevation forests and extensive subterranean cave environments. Among these underground formations are over 220 km of documented caves and underground river systems, many of which are spectacular and globally significant. The unique and globally significant biodiversity (including several endemic species) that inhabits these ecosystems is no less impressive.

Criterion (viii):The transboundary property is among the largest intact humid tropical karst systems globally. The distinctive topography and diversity of the karst landscape is formed from the complex interbedding of limestone karst with shales, sandstone and granite. On the surface, a diversity of polygonal karst features has been recorded nowhere else, at the time of extension. Underground, an extraordinary diversity of caves (including dry, terraced, dendritic and intersecting caves) provide evidence of past geological processes, from ancient, abandoned river passages or changes in river routes, to the deposition and later re-solution of giant speleothems. Of particular significance, are the Son Doong and Xe Bang Fai caves which contain the world’s largest documented cave passage in terms of diameter and continuity and, largest active river cave passage and single cave gour pool (water formed by calcite deposits) respectively.

Criterion (ix):The property protects globally significant ecosystems within the Northern Annamites Rainforests terrestrial ecoregion, Northern Annam and Southern Annam freshwater ecoregions and Annamite Range Moist Forests priority ecoregions. The complexity and relative intactness of the limestone landscape has led to the creation of multiple ecological niches and provided the opportunity for eco-evolutionary and speciation processes to occur at the landscape level. As a result, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park property is home to various highly-specialised and endemic species of flora and fauna both aboveground (such as a number of orchid and begonia species) and below-ground (with some invertebrate and fish species restricted to single cave systems).

Criterion (x):A rich terrestrial, freshwater and subterranean biodiversity can be found within the transboundary property, and reported species numbers, at the time of inscription and of the extension, are likely to be a significant under-representation of the actual species diversity. The over 2,700 species of vascular plants and 800 vertebrate species recorded in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park include 237 globally threatened species at the time of inscription and 400 species endemic to the central Lao People’s Democratic Republic and/or Viet Nam. Over 1,500 species of vascular plants (from 755 different genera) and 536 vertebrate species have been recorded in Hin Nam No National Park, including many globally threatened and endemic species, including the Giant Huntsman Spider, the largest spider by leg span globally and endemic to the Lao Khammouane Province. The species richness of the property is likely to exceed the individual richness of the two national parks respectively due to topographical and niche differences. Importantly, the property hosts 10-11 species of primates, four of which are endemic to the Annamite Mountain range. These include the largest remaining population of Southern White-cheeked Gibbon and the endemic Black Langur.

Integrity

The transboundary property completes representation of the large, dissected karst plateau and represents a block of intact forest ecosystems within the Annamite mountains and therefore retains all key attributes to manifest the outstanding geological, ecological and biodiversity-related values present within. The property follows the respective national protected area boundaries and zonation is split into three management zones – strictly protected, ecological restoration and administrative/service zone – for Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, and into two zones – controlled use and totally protected zone – for Hin Nam No National Park. A buffer zone surrounds the entire property and covers 295,889 hectares and encompasses the respective watersheds of the karst.

The state of conservation varies across the property’s area at the time of the transboundary extension in 2025 and is most secure in the Hin Nam No National Park although a number of issues persist and threaten future integrity. The geodiversity, ecosystems and biodiversity are particularly prone to impacts from illegal hunting and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and forest products, invasive alien species particularly in the eastern part of the property, infrastructure development, land-use change and sustainable tourism. These impacts should be closely monitored and controlled and mitigated, ensuring they occur within the ecological carrying capacity of the property to maintain the long-term integrity of the property and minimise threats.

Protection and management requirements

The property is owned by the respective States Parties and protected under the highest legal designation in Viet Nam and in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Phong Nha-Ke Bang is a nationally designated national park, first established in 1986 and then enhanced in 2001. Management responsibility falls under the Management Board at the site level with input from various ministries and levels of government. Hin Nam No is also a nationally designated national park, first established in 1993 and enhanced in 2020. It is managed by a complex and collaborative governance structure including representatives at the national, provincial, district and village level, including strong community involvement, and a management office at the site level. The management of the property is guided by two separate comprehensive management plans – the Hin Nam No National Park Collaborative Management Plan and the Strategic Management Plan Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park World Heritage Site.

The transboundary management of the property benefits from several signed memoranda of understanding for joint activities such as law enforcement operations and the development of a joint transboundary action plan, which is essential for the integrated management of the property.

The Phong Nha Ke-Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park property is impacted by a number of threats that will require sustained management efforts and engagement with local communities, including unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, forest products and biodiversity, land conversion for agriculture and increased development and tourism pressures particularly in the eastern part of the property. It is essential to ensure that any development and tourism-related projects within and beyond the boundary of the property are carefully assessed, limited and regulated to ensure compatibility with the protection of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value in the long-term.

State of Conservation (SOC)

by year