Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park was recognized by UNESCO as a world natural heritage for the first time in July 2003, and for the second time in July 2015.
Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park is located in Quang Ninh, Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts, about 50km northwest of Dong Hoi city, and is blessed by nature with mysterious and majestic landscapes, considered a museum. The giant geological museum is of global value and significance because it contains the complex, long-term history of formation and geological development of the earth from 400 million years ago. Important tectonic stages and phases of faulting, bouldering, and folding have created overlapping mountain ranges and subsided sedimentary basins.
The Phong Nha-Ke Bang limestone area has global characteristics in many stages of development from the Late Ordovician to the Silurian (463.9 – 430 million years ago) to the Quaternary century (1.75 million years ago). A unique feature here is the underground river system and caves in the limestone mountains.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang is located in an area with quite high average rainfall. The water here has seeped and flowed underground in the limestone mountains, over tens of millions of years, creating countless caves in this area. In Phong Nha-Ke Bang, there are about 300 large and small caves, typically Phong Nha cave, Tien Son cave, Thien Duong cave, Toi cave, En cave, Khe Ry cave, especially Son Doong cave which is considered a famous cave. The largest in the world with a height of about 200m, some places up to 250m, width of 200m, length of at least 8.5km.
Phong Nha – Ke Bang has a rich, diverse and unique flora with 2,400 species of higher plants (208 species of orchids), 140 species of mammals, 356 species of birds, 97 species of reptiles, 47 species of phytoplankton, 162 species of plants. fish species, 369 insect species, many of which are listed in the red list of Vietnam and the world such as: Saola, giant muntjac, Truong Son muntjac, Ha Tinh langur.
Phong Nha – Ke Bang also serves as a giant biological museum in Vietnam