News Detail - Quang Tri Portal
Phong Nha - Ke Bang Recognized as a Provincial-Level Tourist Area
On the afternoon of August 12, 2026, the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Management Board held a conference to announce the recognition of Phong Nha - Ke Bang as a provincial-level tourist area, marking a new step in the development of efforts to utilize and promote the value of the heritage and natural resources, while expanding the province's tourism space.
Overview of the announcement ceremony
The Phong Nha - Ke Bang provincial-level tourist area covers an area of more than 167,000 hectares, encompassing the entire area of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and part of its buffer zone within the administrative boundaries of the communes of Phong Nha, Thuong Trach, Kim Dien, Kim Phu, and Bo Trach (formerly located in Minh Hoa and Bo Trach districts, Quang Binh Province), excluding the border belt area.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang boasts outstanding values in terms of geology, geomorphology, cave systems, biodiversity, and natural landscapes. Approximately 95% of the area is covered by natural forests, with a population of around 43,500 people. Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park was first inscribed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site in 2003. In 2025, Phong Nha - Ke Bang, together with Hin Nam No National Park of Laos, was recognized by UNESCO as a transboundary World Natural Heritage Site.
Director of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Management Board provides information on the announcement of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang provincial-level tourist area
During the 2020–2025 period, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park welcomed approximately 3.5 million visitors, including more than 3.1 million domestic visitors and nearly 489,000 international visitors. Total tourism revenue exceeded VND 1.3 trillion. The area currently has 19 operating tourism routes and attractions. The National Park Management Board organizes ecotourism activities under three models: self-operation, partnership, and forest environmental leasing.
Delegates pose for a commemorative photograph
However, following the reorganization and adjustment of commune-level administrative units, tourism activities in some border areas have encountered certain difficulties, particularly in organizing visits for international tourists. Some areas that previously attracted large numbers of foreign visitors, such as Tan Hoa (now part of Kim Phu Commune), Truong Xuan (now part of Truong Son Commune), and Tan Trach (now part of Thuong Trach Commune), are currently located in border areas.
Tours bringing international tourists to these areas are subject to additional administrative procedures and costs, affecting the efficiency of tourism product operations as well as the ability to attract visitors. Therefore, it is necessary to study and address these difficulties in a manner that facilitates operations for businesses, local residents, and tourists, while ensuring state management requirements and safeguarding national sovereignty and border security.
The establishment of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang provincial-level tourist area provides an additional basis for Quang Tri Province to orient tourism development toward greater professionalism and sustainability, combining the preservation and promotion of heritage values with socio-economic development. This will contribute to gradually establishing Phong Nha - Ke Bang as an international tourist destination, expanding the province's tourism development space and strengthening tourism linkages with domestic and international localities, particularly those in border areas.
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