|
 Viet
Nam's Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park has
been recognised as a world natural heritage
site by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) at its 27th general assembly
session being held in Paris from June
30-July 5.
At the session, delegates from over 160
member countries of UNESCO World
Heritage Convention agreed to include Phong
Nha-Ke Bang park and 30 others worldwide to
the list of world heritage sites.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang park is now the fifth
UNESCO recognised site in Viet Nam after Ha
Long Bay, the imperial city of Hue, the
ancient quarter of Hoi An and the My Son
historical site.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park, located to
the north of the majestic Truong Son range
in central Quang Binh province, is one of
the world's two largest limestone regions.
The over 200,000 ha of parkland includes
beautiful limestone formations, grottoes and
caves, and boasts lush forestland covering
95 percent of the park area.
The area is considered a paradise for
researchers and explorers of grottoes and
caves, and Vietnamese and British scientists
have so far surveyed 20 with a total length
of 70km. Of them, 17 are in the Phong Nha
area and three in the Ke Bang area.
The Phong Nha cave itself which lends its
name to the whole system is probably the
most beautiful of all, containing many
fascinating rock formations, enchanting
visitors with evocative names such as Lion,
Fairy Caves, Royal Court and Buddha.
Besides the grotto and cave systems, Phong
Nha has the longest underground rivers, the
largest caverns and passageways, the widest
and prettiest sand banks, and the most
astonishing rock formations in the world.
According to initial statistics, the
primitive tropical forest in Phong Nha-Ke
Bang houses 140 families, 427 branches, and
751 species of high-rated plants, of which
36 species are endangered and listed in the
Viet Nam Red Book. The forest is also home
to 32 sets, 98 families, 256 races and 381
species of four land backboned animals.
Sixty-six animal species are listed in the
Viet Nam Red Book and 23 other species in
the World Red Book. In general, Phong Nha-Ke
Bang's animals are more diverse than in
other natural reserves and national parks.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang also boasts dozens of
mountain peaks of over 1,000 metres still
unexplored by men and seen as ideal sites
for activities like climbing and
exploration. Worthy of note are Peak Co
Rilata with the height of 1,128 m and Peak
Co Preu, 1,213 m. Lying between these peaks
are valleys which promise tourists exciting
eco-tours.
In addition to the diversity in the
ecosystem, Phong Nha-Ke Bang is home to
archeological and historical relics, such as
an ancient hieroglyphic script of the Cham
ethnic minority, 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 US
resistance war.
Central Quang Binh province has poured heavy
investment into upgrading the Phong Nha-Ke
Bang visitor site to turn it into the
country's major tourist destination |
){kind=link}