Publications
First Comprehensive Assessment of Fish Diversity in the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam
A first-of-its-kind study documents 41 fish species—spanning 8 orders, 17 families, and 33 genera—in the UNESCO-listed Trang An Landscape Complex, Vietnam. Among them, 12 were previously unrecorded in the Red River’s ichthyofauna, while biodiversity metrics (Shannon-Wiener index H′: Fair to Very Good; species richness d) revealed a remarkably even distribution across four key areas. The research also flags marine/brackish-water intruders and exotic invaders with potential ecological consequences. Conducted via four 2024 surveys at 20 sites, this work establishes a critical baseline for monitoring, conservation planning, and sustainable ecotourism in the World Heritage Site.
Phát Huy Các Giá Trị Văn Hóa Gắn với Phát Triển Kinh Tế, Bảo Đảm An Sinh Xã Hội - Nghiên Cứu Trường Hợp Các Di Sản Thế Giới ở Việt Nam
UNESCO World Heritage recognition significantly boosts economic growth and social security for local communities, as demonstrated by case studies from Vietnam. Post-inscription, tourist arrivals and service revenues exhibit exponential growth, creating substantial direct and indirect job opportunities while transitioning economies from traditional sectors like agriculture and fishing to tourism services. Heritage development also drives infrastructure upgrades and sustainable cultural preservation efforts, with community-based management emerging as a key strategy to balance conservation with modern adaptation. Challenges such as tourism carrying capacity and pollution risks are noted but do not overshadow the overall positive impact.
Place oriented human settlement value assessment in the world heritage Trang An landscape complex
The Trang An Landscape Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam, holds an estimated human settlement value of 95.04 billion USD, significantly influenced by its heritage status and proximity to cultural and natural landmarks. This study reveals that properties near these landmarks command higher values, underscoring the economic benefits of heritage preservation for local economies. Using advanced spatial analysis techniques such as Geographically Weighted Regression and Monte Carlo simulation, alongside a place-oriented hedonic price model, researchers analyzed data from 307 households to assess how structural attributes, location, human perceptions, and mobility factors shape settlement values. Key findings highlight the importance of community cohesion, education quality, and environmental health in residents' appreciation of cultural and natural assets, advocating for inclusive heritage management policies that foster resilience and long-term value preservation.
Tangible Cultural Valuation: Data-driven Policy Implications for Trang An World Heritage Site
A groundbreaking study quantifies the economic value of tangible cultural heritage at Vietnam's Trang An Landscape Complex, revealing that visitors are willing to pay up to VND 730,000 (domestic) and USD 26.6 (international) per visit to conserve historically significant monuments like the Dinh-Le Temples. Using a combination of Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) and fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), researchers estimated the total annual value of Trang An's cultural assets at over VND 1,940 billion (USD 278 million). The findings highlight income, prior knowledge, visit frequency, and conservation participation as key drivers of willingness to pay. This data-driven approach offers actionable insights for policies that balance heritage preservation with sustainable economic growth, positioning Trang An's cultural assets as engines for development.
Assessing the proportions of economic values in the Trang An Scenic Landscape complex using an improved fuzzy AHP approach
A novel study quantifies the economic value of Vietnam's Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, revealing that cultural heritage contributes 49.31% to its total economic value (TEV), followed by natural heritage at 38.99%, and settlement heritage at 11.71%. The research employs an improved Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) with integral values ranking, addressing limitations of traditional models for more precise weight determination. Notably, archaeological value was found to be underestimated at just 1.05%, despite evidence of early human occupation dating back circa 20,000 years. The findings underscore the dominance of non-market values and provide actionable insights for policymakers, UNESCO, and local authorities to balance heritage preservation with economic resilience. This holistic framework offers a new approach to assessing the multifaceted contributions of heritage features in World Heritage Sites.
Valuation of the Trang An karst system using contingent valuation method and choice experiment
A new valuation of the Trang An karst system reveals its economic worth to be between 125 and 133 million USD annually, with potential to increase fivefold under improved conservation scenarios. The study combines Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) and Choice Experiment (CE) to assess the site's value while considering threats like urbanization. Findings highlight the critical role of sustainable development in preservation, emphasizing green planning and smart models using big data to mitigate environmental impacts. This approach sets a precedent for evaluating heritage sites by integrating economic, cultural, and ecological factors.
Geochemical fingerprinting of Pleistocene stone tools from the Tràng An Landscape Complex, Ninh Bình Province, Vietnam
Geochemical analysis of Pleistocene stone tools from the Tràng An Landscape Complex, Vietnam, reveals that hunter-gatherer populations sourced igneous raw materials from distant locations despite their absence in the immediate vicinity. This challenges the assumption that local materials were predominantly used for toolmaking during this period. The study employed geochemical fingerprinting to trace the origin of these tools, providing insights into mobility patterns and raw material provisioning strategies among Southeast Asian hunter-gatherers. The findings suggest a more complex relationship between technological organization and resource acquisition than previously understood.
A new species of Achalinus (Squamata: Xenodermidae) from Trang An Landscape Complex, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam
Researchers have identified a new species of snake, Achalinus tranganensis, within the Trang An Landscape Complex in Vietnam's Ninh Binh Province. This discovery, based on both morphological and genetic analyses—including mitochondrial DNA (COI) comparisons—distinguishes it from other Achalinus species by unique traits such as 29 maxillary teeth, a distinct suture pattern between head scales, and a keeled dorsal scale arrangement. Molecular data reveals a minimum genetic divergence of 11.8% from its closest relatives, confirming its status as a novel species. This finding expands Vietnam's known Achalinus diversity to seven species, highlighting the region's rich biodiversity and the ecological significance of Trang An Landscape Complex.
First report of lepidopteran insects from the Trang An Landscape Complex, Ninh Binh Province, with two new country records
A comprehensive survey of lepidopteran insects in the Trang An Landscape Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam, reveals 167 species, including 62 butterflies and 105 moths. Among these, two species—Celerena signata and Nygmia plana—are documented for the first time in Vietnam, expanding the country's lepidopteran biodiversity record. The findings are based on field surveys conducted between 2017 and 2018, providing a foundational dataset for future ecological studies in this ecologically significant region.
From Ha Long Bay to Trang An Landscape Complex: Issues on Tourism Management at World Heritage Sites, Vietnam | Quản lý du lịch tại Di sản Thế giới của Việt Nam: Từ Vịnh Hạ Long đến Quần thể Danh thắng Tràng An
Effective tourism management at UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Ha Long Bay and the Trang An Landscape Complex in Vietnam, requires balancing economic benefits with preservation of cultural and natural values. While local authorities have shown strong commitment to safeguarding these sites, challenges persist in governance, crowd control, and social impacts on local communities. The study recommends privatization or public-private partnerships for more sustainable operations, diversifying investments into less detrimental areas like technology infrastructure and heritage-based performances. Additionally, it suggests implementing capacity assessments, increasing ticket prices, and developing new attractions to manage overcrowding while enhancing tourist experiences. Ensuring economic benefits for vulnerable locals through community-based tourism and high-paid job creation is also emphasized as a key strategy.
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