44 more grottos found in Quảng Bình

View inside the world’s biggest Son Doong Cave. Photo courtesy of Ryan Deboodt

QUANG BINH — The central province of Quang Binh has discovered 44 grottos in the area known as the ‘kingdom of caves’, including the world’s biggest one, Son Doong.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang Park authorities yesterday reported the discovery of the caves in the province’s Minh Hoa, Bo Trach and Quang Ninh districts following investigations by the park’s researchers.
The caves are located in the buffer zone of the park. All are wet grottos.
The researchers said most of the newly-found caves were located on the two oldest, widest topographic layers in Phong Nha-Ke Bang.
The caves range from 44m to 602m above sea level, with the majority 200-350m above sea level.
The researchers also said stalactites found in the cave were in various types, including mineral deposit stalactites, water-flow-created stalactites and decentralised stalactites.
According to Vo Van Tri, a member of the research group, they have completed the initial process of investigation, including identifying the location on geometric co-ordinate systems of each cave and initial description.
Tri suggested further investigations of the caves were required to devise exploitation and conservation plans.
There are 405 caves, including the 44 newly-discovered caves this year and 58 others late last year found inside and in the buffer zone of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.
The discovery of caves in the karst mountain system in the province is significant to the geographic study of the international science community.
Many of them, including Son Doong, Tu Lan, Hang En, Thien Duong, and Phong Nha, have been used in tourism and turned the quiet Quang Binh into a tourism hotspot. — VNS