Cat Tien National Park has achieved UNESCO recognition as an international biosphere preservation area, the seventh in Vietnam to get the status.
UNESCO has also changed the name of the park to the Dong Nai Biosphere Conservation Area.
Cat Tien forest is home to 1,700 rare creatures and more than 700 animals including 40 species found in the IUCN Red List of endangered animals like the one-horned rhino and pheasant.
Eleven ethnic minority peoples also call the 720 sq.km park home.
One of the largest areas of lowland tropical rainforests left in Vietnam, Cat Tien is situated in Dong Nai Province near Ho Chi Minh City.