Development of Phong Nha-Ke Bang tourism and research

The Phong Nha-Ke Bang region in Vietnam is undergoing significant scientific and developmental milestones. British speleologists from the British Cave Research Association have maintained a presence in the karst landscape for over thirty years, a collaboration that contributed to the site receiving UNESCO World Heritage status in 2003. Following the 2009 discovery of the Son Doong cave, researchers mapped the Cha Ngheo vertical cave in early 2026, with further surveys planned for 2027.

Parallel to these scientific efforts, the region is transitioning into a provincial-level tourism area covering more than 167,000 hectares. This designation follows successful resource management and infrastructure investment. The area, which includes the national park and its buffer zones, is expected to be listed as a transboundary natural heritage site with Laos's Hin Nam No National Park in 2025. Between 2020 and 2025, the park hosted 3.5 million visitors, generating over 1,300 billion VND in revenue through various ecotourism models.