Lang Son Geopark Pursues an International Recognition From UNESCO

The People's Committee of the northern mountainous province of Lang Son has filed a request with UNESCO to recognize the Lang Son Geopark as a global geopark.

Written by ANH Dang Updated on 24-04-2024

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The Lang Son Geopark, covering 4,842 km² in eight different areas, is one of Vietnam's largest geoparks and has distinctive attributes. It features an extensive variety of paleobiological fossils that are 500 million years old, spanning geological, geomorphological, and scenic viewpoints, which indicate that the province was once beneath the sea.

Additionally, the park features numerous remarkable sites, including the low mountain ranges that encircle the valleys and villages of the Yen Thinh commune in the Huu Lung district. It also features caves like Tham Khuyen in the Binh Gia district, once inhabited by prehistoric humans.

Culturally, the park contains several temples dedicated to the deities of the Mother Goddess worship, an element of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, including the Bac Le temple, as well as villages of the Tày and Nùng ethnic groups, each with its own distinct customs.

Pham Thi Huong, serving as the deputy director of the Lang Son Geopark's board, emphasized that the approach to UNESCO aims to preserve and sustainably enhance the park's geological, geomorphological, and cultural aspects.

At present, Vietnam boasts three global geoparks: the Dong Van limestone plateau (acknowledged in 2010) situated in Hà Giang province; the Cao Bang geopark (2018) located in Cao Bang province; and the Dak Nong geopark (2020) positioned in Dak Nong province.