Ninh Binh (VNA) – The Cuc PhuongNational Park and the French Embassy in Vietnam inaugurated Cuc Phuong Tourist Centre at thepark on December 1.

Sophie Maysonnave, Counsellor for&nb♓sp;Cultural Cooperation and Activities at the French Embassy in Vietnam, said the centre is one of three pilotprojects under a project named “Shareand protect Vietnam’s heritage” which aims to celebrate 50 years of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations and 10 years oftheir strategic partnership.

The project is like aninvitation to explore the Cuc Phuong National Park and is a typical exampleof shared culture between Vietnam and France, she said.

Nguyen Van Chinh, Director of the Cuc Phuong National Park, said with the support of the French Embassy in Vietnam andleading experts in the field of museum and international media, the centre will become an attractive destination and ideal classroomabout nature that attracts the interest of visitors and communities.

Visitors can learn about the rich ecosystem, flora and fauna; unique culturalfeatures and traditions of indigenous people, he said, adding that itemsdisplayed at the centre are designed with the maximum use of local materials suchas stone, wood and bamboo.

The “Share and protectVietnam’s heritage” project was initiated by the French Embassy in Vietnam and sponsoredby the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, has a total funding of 18 billion VND (742,230 USD)for activities during 2022-2024 from the French Government and partners.

The project focuses ontraining museum staff, building training programmes on museum-relatedprofessions for Vietnamese universities, and helping develop pilot projects onheritage conservation in three regions of Vietnam. Specifically, the projectwill renovate the Tourist Centre of Cuc Phuong National Park in the northernprovince of Ninh Binh, support the Environmental Education and CommunicationCentre in Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area in the central province of QuangNam, and design and implement “Story Boxes” for museums in Ho Chi Minh City inthe South.

Situated 120 kilometres from Hanoi, Cuc Phuong isVietnam’s first national park, founded on July 7, 1962.

Covering 22,000 hectares of land in 14 communes offour districts in the three provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa,the national park boasts enchanting scenery and offers a stunning range ofbiodiversity.

It has long served as a research centre for manyconservation organisations,😼 both national and international.

According tosurveys, Cuc Phuong has 2,234 floral species of 931 genera and 231 families. They include 430 species of medicinal plants and 229 species of edibleplants as well as 57 species which are listed in the Vietnam Red Book of endangered species. The Cuc Phuong National Park has been named“Asia’s Leading National Park” by the World Travel Awards for the fifthconsecutive year in 2023./.