Master plan introduced for Dong Van stone plateau

April 12, 2013 | 15:51

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A ceremony was held in Hanoi yesterday to officially announce the master plan for preserving and upgrading Vietnam’s first geological park, Dong Van Stone Plateau, during the 2012-2020 period, with a vision to 2030.

The plan is stipulated in Decision No. 310/QD-TTg signed by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan on February 7.

The plan covers a total of more than 2,350 square kilometres stretching across the four Ha Giang rocky upland districts of Dong Van, Meo Vac, Yen Minh and Quan Ba.

According to the plan, three geo-scientific, geo-ecological and geo-cultural theme parks and four tourism centres will be built with the involvement of native people, aiming to preserve and promote heritage values of the plateau.

In his speech at the ceremony, Deputy PM Nhan praised the Ha Giang authorities and relevant agencies for working out the master plan for the stone plateau, saying it will be a turning point for boosting socio-economic development and alleviating poverty in the locality.

He also stressed that the completed master plan is an important legal foundation for upholding and managing the global geopark and promoting heritage values and socio-economic development in this region.

The Deputy PM called on Ha Giang authorities to quickly disseminate the plan to local people and across the country, and implement its details in the most efficient way.

Last October, the Dong Van Stone Plateau was recognised as the first geopark in Vietnam and the second in Southeast Asia (after the Langkawi Geological Park in Malaysia) by the Global Network of National Geoparks (GGN).

The plateau is over 80% limestone and contains fossils of thousands of animal species from 400-600 million years ago.

Nhan Dan

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