Vu Quang National Park receives ASEAN Heritage Park certificate

Vu Quang National Park is the home to many rare and precious species.

The park was recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park in October 2019 along with three other parks in Viet Nam, namely Bidoup–Nui Ba National Park in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong; Lo Go–Xa Mat National Park in the southern province of Tay Ninh and Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve in the Central Highlands province of KonTum.

Vu Quang National Park is located in the northern side of the Truong Son Range at an average height of 800m, the slope of 25-35, with many rivers and streams.

It is home to many rare and precious species, including Cha va chan nau (Pygathrixnemaeus), Ha Tinh vooc (Ha Tinh langur), Vuon ma vang(Yellow-cheeked ribbon) and two rare and precious mammals of Sao La (Starfish Saola) and Manglon (Giant Muntjac).

The park covers a total area of 52,882ha, 96.7% of which are natural forests. As much as 61% of the primitive forests here are subtropical evergreen forests and tropical evergreen forests with plentiful flora and fauna. 

There are 307 high-class floral species of 236 genera and 99 families, 60 species of mammals, 187 species of birds, 38 species of reptiles, 26 species of amphibians and 56 species of fish.

The other six ASEAN heritage sites in Viet Nam are Bai Tu Long National Park near the UNESCO heritage site of Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province, Ba Be National Park in Bac Kan Province and Hoang Lien National Park in Lao Cai Province (Northern Viet Nam), Chu Rom Ray National Park in Kon Tum Province and Kon Ka Kinh National Park in Gia Lai Province (the Central Highlands), and U Minh Thuong National Park in Kien Giang Province (Southern Viet Nam).

To earn that recognition, the parks have to meet certain criteria, including the maintenance of ecological processes and life support systems; preservation of genetic diversity; guarantee of sustainable utilization of species and ecosystems; and the maintenance wilderness that have scenic, cultural, educational, research, recreational and tourism values.

The ASEAN Heritage Park Program was instituted by the ASEAN Working Group on natural preservation and biodiversity in 2003. With the additional four from Viet Nam, the list of "heritage parks" in ASEAN, which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, is now 48.

By Thuy Dung