The dramatic landscape of Hin Nam No National Park. Photo GIZ

Hin Nam No National Park listed as World Heritage Site

Hin Nam No National Park in the central province of Khammuan has been listed as a World Heritage Site, becoming Laos’ fourth place of inscription by UNESCO and the country’s first World Natural Heritage Site.

The 47th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Paris, France, on July 13 passed a decision to include the Hin Nam No National Park with the World Natural Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province, forming a transboundary World Heritage Site - the first in Southeast Asia.

Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mrs Suanesavanh Vignaket, in a video clip circulated online, described the inclusion as a significant milestone.

“Today is a meaningful day and a proud moment for the Lao government and the entire Lao society,” she said in her address to the session shortly after the decision was passed.

Now called "Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park",  the transboundary world heritage site is a symbol of the fruitful cooperation between the Lao and Vietnamese governments to get their shared ecosystems-rich border areas listed as an important heritage site for humankind.

The dossier nominating Hin Nam No National Park for UNESCO recognition, as an extension of the World Natural Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, was jointly submitted by the Lao and Vietnamese governments to UNESCO in February 2024, for consideration by the World Heritage Committee at this Session, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
The park in Vietnam was recognised by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site in 2003.

Hin Nam No National Park and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park are among the most outstanding and intact karst landscapes and ecosystems in the world.
Located at the junction of the Annamite Mountains and the Central Indochina Limestone Belt, the majestic limestone outcrops straddle the Laos-Vietnam border.
The karst formation has been developing since the Paleozoic period about 400 million years ago and can be considered the oldest, large-scale karst area in Asia.
The diversity of ecosystems found in this complex landscape includes dry karst forests at high altitudes, moist and dense forests at low altitudes, and extensive underground cave environments.
Spanning an area of 94,121 hectares, Hin Nam No National Park also features stunning cave systems, including the spectacular Xe Bang Fai Cave. 
It is a vital refuge for rich biodiversity, home to rare and endangered species such as the Great hornbill, Lao rock rat, and the Southern White-cheeked Gibbon. 
What sets Hin Nam No apart is not only its ecological value but also its role as a model of regional transboundary collaboration with Vietnam’s Phong Nha–Ke Bang National Park. 
"This inscription affirms the global significance of the Annamite Mountains and demonstrates the outstanding partnership between Laos and Vietnam," Mrs Suanesavanh said.
The Lao government expects to receive the official UNESCO World Heritage certificate later this year, with a formal handover ceremony anticipated before the end of 2025.
The minister expressed heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all parties concerned for making the inscription possible, including strategic support extended by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union.

The park is the fourth world heritage site in Laos after the old town in Luang Prabang, the ruins of Vat Phou (Phou temple) in the southern province of Champasak, and the Plain of Jars in the northern province of Xiengkhouang. 

UNESCO has also inscribed the khaen music of the Lao people as a form of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and listed Laos’ naga weaving motif as a form of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

By Souksakhone Vaenkeo 
 (Latest Update July 14, 2025)