Phong Nha – Ke Bang – Best Tangible Heritage Site in 2015

This award is a part of Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards (MTAA) 2015 for the best tour operators, hotels, resorts, airlines and heritage sites of 5 countries in Mekong Sub-region, including Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. The awards aim to recognize and honor the contributions of tourism enterprises in Mekong Sub-region, at the same time create incentives for enterprises to strive for higher achievements.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park has a total area of 343,300ha and belongs to districts of Quang Ninh, Bo Trach and Minh Hoa, 50km to the northwest of Dong Hoi City.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang is compared to a huge geological museum owning global meaning and value. The major tectonic phases and fault, fold movements of the Earth’s crust 400 million years ago formed in Phong Nha – Ke Bang high mountain ranges, depressed sedimentary basins, underground rivers and grottos in limestone mountains.

Due to locating in the area with a high average rainfall, water is absorbed to run inside limestone mountains in Phong Nha – Ke Bang over tens of million years to erode rocks and create numerous caves in the area. Phong Nha – Ke Bang is considered as “Kingdom of caves” with about 300 large and small caves, divided into three main systems: Phong Nha Grottos, Vom Caves, and Ruc Mon Caves. Many famous beautiful caves and grottos have been put into operation in tourism, such as Phong Nha Grotto, Tien Son Grotto, Thien Duong Grotto, Toi Cave…, especially Son Doong Cave is considered as the largest cave in the world with 200m in height, 200m in width, at least 8.5km in length.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park is home to 2,400 species of higher plants, 140 animal species, 356 bird species, 97 reptile species, 47 amphibian species, 162 fish species, and 369 insect species, many of which are listed in Red Books of Viet Nam and International Union for Conservation of Nature, such as sao la (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), mang lon (Megamuntiacus vuquangensis), mang Truong Son (Muntiacus truongsonensis), Ha Tinh langur… Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park was recognized as World Natural Heritage Site two times in July 2003 and July 2015 by UNESCO.