Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve recognised as ASEAN Heritage Park

According to Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve Dinh Thi Lan Huong, at the 18th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment (AMME-18), held in Malaysia in early September 2025, the Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve was officially recognised as an ASEAN Heritage Park.

The Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve has distinctive forest and lake landscapes. Photo: V. Linh

Meeting 12 stringent criteria of ASEAN Heritage Parks

The Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve is among three national parks in Vietnam that have been granted ASEAN Heritage Park status, alongside Pu Mat National Park (Nghe An province) and Xuan Thuy National Park (Ninh Binh province).

To receive the recognition, the reserve fulfilled all 12 criteria, including ecological integrity, representativeness, naturalness, high conservation importance, legal protection of the nominated area, an approved management plan, and cross-boundary significance.

Medicinal plant species in Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve. Photo: Q.Trung

Covering more than 100,000 hectares, the reserve comprises over 63,000 hectares of natural forest, 4,700 hectares of production forest, and more than 32,500 hectares of Tri An Lake. With a principle of conserving and promoting forest values, the reserve has developed eco-tourism activities that highlight characteristic ecosystems, including evergreen broadleaf forests, mixed bamboo-broadleaf forests, pure bamboo forests, grassland-shrub ecosystems, and river-lake ecosystems.

Boasting nearly 1,900 animal species and more than 600 plant species, the reserve has become an attractive destination for young people with a passion for nature exploration.

Wildlife species in Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve. Photo: Q.Trung

The reserve is home to many rare animal species listed in both the Vietnam and global Red Books, which are being strictly protected here, including Asian elephants, gaur, sun bears, clouded leopards, black-shanked douc langurs, pheasants, and several endemic bird species. Notably, it shelters the last remaining wild elephant herd in Vietnam, comprising approximately 22 individuals, making it a unique highlight for wildlife tourism and scientific research.

Opportunities for investors in forest eco-tourism projects

Situated in the southern key economic region, Dong Nai's recognition as an ASEAN Heritage Park is of great significance in promoting sustainable economic development. It represents a shift from a "brown" growth model, reliant on natural resource exploitation, to a green growth model, prioritizing environmental protection and sustainability. The ASEAN Heritage Park title also helps build a stronger brand, attracting eco-tourism investors to Dong Nai in general and the reserve in particular.

In addition, the nomination for ASEAN Heritage Park status is fully consistent with the planning of the Dong Nai Nature and Culture Reserve, as well as with the province's current orientation towards economic growth transformation, making tourism a key sector that contributes to the implementation of socio-economic development strategies.

Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve serves as a site for biodiversity research by many international scientists. Photo: Q.Trung

According to Deputy Director Dinh Thi Lan Huong, the ASEAN Heritage Park status offers great opportunities to exchange information, share experiences in management and conservation, and enhance the values of ASEAN Heritage Parks within the region. It also provides a platform to promote Dong Nai's image to organisations and individuals, both in ASEAN and globally, gradually enhancing the province's position in forest conservation and sustainable value development, both domestically and internationally. It also reaffirms Dong Nai's active contribution to fulfilling the Government's commitments under international conventions to which Vietnam is a party.

Educational tours for students are organised at Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve. Photo: Q Trung

Vietnam currently ranks 51st among 165 countries and territories in terms of sustainable development. The country has actively proposed and joined various ASEAN environmental initiatives. With 12 ASEAN Heritage Parks, Vietnam is among the leading countries in the region, and is taking an active role in dialogues on energy transition, carbon markets and the circular economy.

In the context of intensifying climate change, natural disasters, and environmental pollution, the recognition of ASEAN Heritage Parks in Vietnam sends a strong message to ASEAN member states about the importance of strengthening regional cooperation and aligning national strategies with ASEAN's shared frameworks.

Dong Nai has the largest forested area in the southeastern region, with nearly 349,000 hectares zoned for forest use, making it one of the most diverse and unique ecosystems in southern Vietnam. Many forest management units have been promoting eco-tourism potential and advantages, such as Bu Gia Map and Cat Tien National Parks, Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve, and various protection forests in Tan Phu and Long Thanh, as well as Ba Ra and Chua Chan mountains.

This is also an opportunity for Vietnam to mobilise large-scale green finance, develop the regional carbon market, accelerate the transition to a circular economy and clean energy, and propose joint initiatives for ecosystem restoration, forest and marine conservation, and endangered species protection – towards a shared vision of a sustainable ASEAN Community.

By: Ngoc Lien
Translated by My Le - Thu Ha