Viet Nam is one of the world's ten most biologically diverse countries, but it has a history of poverty and developing rapidly. Economic growth was 7.5 percent between 1991 and 2000, creating both opportunities and challenges for protected areas. More funds are available for conservation, but there is increasing demand for services provided by natural systems. Forest land is divided into three management categories: production, protection and special use.
International protected area categories in Viet Nam include two Ramsar sites, four Man and Biosphere Reserve sites, and five World Heritage sites (e.g. Ha Long Bay). At 10,500 hectacres, the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) was established in 2001 in Hon Mun, Nha Trang Bay. IUCN is partnering in its administration, to serve as a model for collaborative MPA management in Viet Nam.
Protected Area and World Heritage
Despite a significant increase in the number and coverage of protected areas in Viet Nam, biodiversity has continued to decline. Some underlying causes for this decline are linked to limited awareness of the wide range of services and products that protected areas can contribute to national development.
Protected Areas in Viet Nam
National designations
Source: Viet Nam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
| Special-use forests | 164 |
| National Parks | 30 |
| Conservation Areas | 69 |
| Nature Reserve | 58 |
| Species and Habitat Conservation Areas | 11 |
| Landscape Protected Areas | 45 |
| Scientific and Experimental Forest Areas | 20 |
| Marine Protected Areas (proposed) | 15 |
International categories
Source: World Database on Protected Areas
| Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) | 2 |
| World Heritage Sites | 5 |
| UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve | 6 |
| ASEAN Heritage | 4 |
