Layers of rugged limestone, known locally as “cat-ear rocks”, encircle the houses scattered across the rocky plateau. — VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam outshone many strong regional nominees to claim top honours in key natural tourism categories at the 2025 World Travel Awards (WTA) for Asia and Oceania, held on October 13 in China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The Đồng Văn Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark in the northern province of Tuyên Quang was named “Asia’s Leading Regional Cultural Destination,” meanwhile  Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park in the central province of Quảng Trị claimed a double victory as “Việt Nam’s Leading Natural Destination” and “Asia’s Leading National Park 2025”.

The World Travel Awards, established in 1993, are widely regarded as the “Oscars of the travel industry,” celebrating outstanding brands, organisations, and businesses in travel, aviation, hospitality, service, and destination management across Asia and Oceania.

Đồng Văn – one of Asia’s most beloved green and culturally-rich destinations

The Đồng Văn Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark has consistently been honoured by the World Travel Awards (WTA), earning titles such as “Asia's Leading Emerging Tourism Destination 2023” and “Asia's Leading Cultural Destination 2024”.

Covering over 234,500ha, the site preserves geological layers dating back more than 500 million years, showcasing the imprints of Earth’s tectonic movements that have created a rare and living geological museum in the world. Home to 17 ethnic minority groups, whose distinctive cultural identities are well maintained over generations, the plateau is a natural wonder and a cultural treasure of Việt Nam.

In 2010, the plateau was recognised by UNESCO as the first Global Geopark of Việt Nam and the second in Southeast Asia. Over the past nearly 15 years, with three successful revalidations, the plateau has become a must-visit destination for both scientists and tourists.

Khâu Vai Love Market is a place where those whose romances were once unfulfilled come to meet again and rekindle past memories.

With 59 heritage sites organised into four distinct experiential routes, the park has been recognised by UNESCO as a Global Geopark since 2010, highlighting its international scientific, educational, and aesthetic value. The area features dramatic landscapes, including sharp limestone peaks, deep valleys, sheer cliffs, and a limestone cave system.

The area preserves many paleontological fossils and significant tectonic heritage sites, such as the fault escarpments in Quản Bạ commune, which reflect over 500 million years of Earth’s formation history. This setting supports the development of geotourism that integrates geological exploration with environmental and cultural experiences.

The plateau is home to 17 ethnic minority groups, including the Mông, Dao, Lô Lô, and Tày, contributing to a rich and diverse cultural heritage. Many communities have preserved unique traditional customs, with vibrant festivals such as the Phong Lưu Khâu Vai Love Market, Mông Panpipe, and Buckwheat Flower, attracting numerous visitors. The area also features historically significant sites, including the Lũng Cú Flag Tower - the northernmost point of Việt Nam, the Vương Mansion in Sa Phìn commune, as well as the French Fort and the Lũng Hồ Citadel.

Nguyễn Thị Hoài, Deputy Director of Tuyên Quang’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, highlighted the province’s goal of promoting sustainable tourism that preserves its geological, cultural, and ecological heritage, focusing on geotourism, cultural–historical tourism, community-based tourism, and experiential travel.

The province is also enhancing transport infrastructure, service systems, and local tourism workforce training to raise service quality while ensuring safety, attractiveness, and hospitality.

By 2030, Tuyên Quang aims to elevate the Đồng Văn Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark into a national tourism destination and position tourism as a key economic sector built on sustainability, traditional cultural preservation, professionalism, quality, and efficiency.

Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng shines on Asia’s tourism map

The Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, spanning more than 201,000ha, is one of Việt Nam’s most unique and biodiverse reserves. It is famous for hundreds of magnificent caves, and a unique ecosystem of the limestone mountains in the northern Trường Sơn region.

In side a cave in the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park.

Not only renowned for its rich biodiversity and stunning natural landscapes, but the park is also famous for its vast cave system, earning it the title “The Kingdom of Caves” in the world.

The park was twice recognised by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site, first in 2003 for its geological and geomorphological values, and again in 2015 for its exceptional biodiversity.

The Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park has been recognised twice by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site. In 2003, it was inscribed for its geological and geomorphological values, and in 2015, it received its second recognition for its outstanding biodiversity.

Phạm Hồng Thái, director of the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park Management Board, said that the twin victories at WTA 2025 mark “a historic milestone,” opening a new era of development, elevating the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng brand on the map of high-end tourism in Asia and worldwide.

Recognition at both national and regional levels marks a transformative moment for Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, elevating it from a pristine “hidden gem” favoured by adventurous travellers to a leading luxury eco-destination attracting international visitors.

In side a cave in the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park.

This opens up opportunities to attract strategic investors and develop premium products such as eco-resorts, wellness retreats, and exclusive exploration tours. It also offers Quảng Trị an opportunity to reposition its tourism model, moving from simple “ticket sales” to immersive and experience-driven offerings such as expert-led cave expeditions, forest survival workshops, professional photography tours, and nature-centred wellness retreats.

Thái stressed that the award is not a final destination but rather a new beginning, reaffirming the province’s commitment to sustainable tourism and heritage conservation.

Phạm Hồng Thái (left), Director of the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park Management Board, receives the award honouring Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park as the best in Asia in 2025.

In the first nine months of 2025, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park welcomed more than 836,900 visitors, including over 148,000 international travellers, up 18 per cent year-on-year.

The Phong Nha Tourism Centre remained the most visited site with over 481,000 arrivals, followed by the Thiên Đường (Paradise) Cave Ecotourism Area with nearly 298,000 visitors. — VNA/VNS