Dong Van Karst Plateau Honored as the World’s Leading Cultural Destination 2025
- admin861791
- Dec 9
- 3 min read
The Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark has officially been named the “World’s Leading Cultural Destination 2025” at the World Travel Awards (WTA) ceremony held in Bahrain on the evening of December 6.
A breathtaking aerial view of the Dong Van Karst Plateau, showcasing its iconic limestone peaks stretching endlessly across northern Vietnam.
This marks the first time the geopark has received such a prestigious global cultural recognition.
Recognized by UNESCO in 2010 as a Global Geopark, Dong Van Karst Plateau is often described as a rare “open-air geological museum”, preserving more than 550 million years of Earth’s evolutionary history. The region features a unique karst system, ancient fossil records, caves, sediment layers, and striking tectonic formations that have developed across hundreds of millions of years.
Beyond its geological significance, Dong Van is also a vibrant cultural landscape home to 17 ethnic minority groups, each contributing to a rich multi-layered cultural fabric. This heritage is reflected in traditional architecture, rituals, festivals, folk knowledge, music, languages, and long-standing handicraft practices.
A peaceful highland village in Dong Van, where spring blossoms and rising kitchen smoke blend into the majestic karst landscape.
Phan Huy Ngoc, Chairman of the Tuyen Quang Provincial People’s Committee, stated that this award is not only a source of pride but also a global acknowledgment of local efforts in heritage preservation and cultural conservation. It serves as an important motivator for Tuyen Quang to continue developing tourism into a major economic pillar in the coming years.
Covering more than 2,300 km², the Dong Van Stone Plateau includes 23 communes (previously part of four highland districts of Ha Giang, now under Tuyen Quang Province). The geopark contains marine fossils, ancient limestone formations, majestic cave systems, and visible traces of tectonic movements—elements that together form a living geological museum rarely found anywhere else in the world.
Daily life on the stone plateau — a local herder guiding his goats along rugged limestone paths unique to Dong Van.
The plateau is also a cultural crossroads, where 17 ethnic communities have coexisted for generations. Mountain-side hamlets, earthen-walled houses, highland markets, Mong khèn festivals, Dao “cap sac” initiation ceremonies, and the famous Khau Vai Love Market all represent the resilient cultural life of the region.
Today, Dong Van has become a top choice for international travelers—especially young adventure seekers—thanks to the iconic Ha Giang Loop. This route offers heart-stopping mountain passes, dramatic landscapes, and opportunities to immerse in the daily life of upland communities.
As one of the leading inbound tour operators in Vietnam, Visit Indochina brings thousands of travelers each year to explore Dong Van. The plateau is not only a cultural and geological highlight but also lies near many other iconic attractions of Northern Vietnam—making it a key component in Visit Indochina’s multi-day experiential tours.
Visitors enjoying their Dong Van journey — a lively moment captured during a Visit Indochina tour in Ha Giang.
About the World Travel Awards Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards—often referred to as the “Oscars of the tourism industry”—have become a globally trusted benchmark for excellence in travel, hospitality, and destination appeal. Alongside Dong Van’s recognition, Vietnam celebrated several other honors at this year’s WTA, including:
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Visit Indochina – Top 10 DMC in Vietnam
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