The parks are Vu Quang National Park in Ha Tinh Province, Bidoup Nui Ba in Lam Dong Province and Lo Go-Xa Mat in Tay Ninh Province, and Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve in Kon Tum Province rounds off the list, the Vietnam Environment Administration announced Tuesday.

The recognition as an ASEAN heritage park contributes significantly to the conservation of ecosystems and raises public awareness of biodiversity conservation in the region.

To achieve such recognition they had to meet criteria: maintenance of ecological processes and life support systems; preservation of genetic diversity; guarantee of sustainable utilization of species and ecosystems; and the maintainance wilderness that have scenic, cultural, educational, research, recreational and tourism values.

Vu Quang National Park in central Vietnam is still off the beaten track but is home to many rare species such as the saola and giant muntjac.

Bidoup Nui Ba National Park is around 50 km from Da Lat in the Central Highlands and an ideal place for trekking and camping overnight.

Lo Go – Xa Mat National Park in southern Vietnam boasts lowland evergreen forests and a variety of wetland habitats, including seasonal flooded grasslands and forests, permanent lakes and watercourses.

Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve in the Central Highlands spreads over 41,420 hectares, and is considered one of Vietnam’s four major biodiversity treasures.

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

Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve in Kon Tum Province is home
to precious ginseng. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh.

The other six ASEAN heritage sites in Vietnam are Bai Tu Long National Park near the UNESCO heritage site of Ha Long Bay, Ba Be National Park in Bac Kan Province and Hoang Lien National Park in Lao Cai Province (northern Vietnam), 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 Vietnam).