Cuc Phuong named Asia's leading national park

It surpassed other competitors such as Chitwan National Park in Nepal, Kinabalu and Taman Negara National Park in Malaysia, Komodo National Park in Indonesia, and Minneriya National Park in Sri Lanka to claim the honors.

The award was based on votes cast by travel industry professionals and the public.

Cuc Phuong, Vietnam's first national park, is situated in the Tam Diep mountain range that runs across the provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa.

The park stretches 22,408 hectares and is mainly covered by tropical rainforests. It provides habitats for 117 species of mammals, 300 species of birds, 110 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 65 species of fish.

Besides trekking visitors can also go on wildlife viewing tours at night.

World Travel Awards was launched in 1993 to acknowledge excellence in the travel and tourism industry. It has been described as the "travel industry's equivalent of the Oscars".