Hin Nam No National Park in Khammouane Province was officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 13 July, during the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, France.
The designation establishes Hin Nam No as a Transboundary World Heritage Site, formally linking it with Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to create the world’s largest contiguous limestone karst landscape.
Covering 94,121 hectares in southeastern Laos, Hin Nam No represents one of the most significant protected areas in the Central Annamite Mountains along the Laos-Vietnam border.
This protected area demonstrates remarkable geological complexity through its pristine woodland, imposing limestone precipices, remote valleys, and 173 documented caverns. The centerpiece remains the Xe Bang Fai Cave, world’s largest functioning underground river system.
The name “Hin Nam No,” meaning “mountain crest, spiky as bamboo shoots,” aptly describes the rugged limestone formations that have evolved over 300 million years of geology. Some of the park’s dramatic cliffs soar over 300 meters high.
Hin Nam No serves as a sanctuary for numerous rare and endangered species, many of which are endemic to the region. Located within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, home to over 1,500 plant and 536 vertebrate species, including globally threatened animals like the Red-Shanked Douc Langur, Sunda Pangolin, Lao Rock Rat, and Giant Huntsman Spider.
Hin Nam No is not only a natural place, but also a combination site of cultural and historical significance. Several ethnic minority communities reside within its boundaries, each maintaining distinct traditions, customs, and lifestyles.
Hin Nam No becomes the country’s fourth World Heritage Site, following the Town of Luang Prabang (inscribed in 1995), Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasack Cultural Landscape (2001), and the Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang-Plain of Jars (2019).