Life & Style
Vietnamese localities’ ties with US-based partners to be further enhanced
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| Howard Limbert |
Q: How did this expedition come about? Where did you go?
A: We sponsor expeditions to Việt Nam every 2 years, or every year, if possible. This year a team of 13 explored Quảng Bình Province caves over a period of 6 weeks, with Hà Nội University of Science.
Q: How big is the area you covered? How many people went on this trip?
A: The limestone area is very large, with many unexplored areas. But the terrain is extremely difficult. Even with 13 team members we did not manage to visit all the areas we wished to see.
Q: What was your biggest discovery this year?
A: We discovered many exciting things. We found 130m vertical shafts to the Sơn Đoòng River, near Eight Ladies Cave. We found an exciting cave in Hòa Hương: the cave formed underwater and it may be 5 million years old. We explored Hang Tiên 2, a huge cave passage in Minh Hóa district. We also found a new area in Hóa Sơn, where there are more caves which could be very important.
Q: What can we expect from these findings so far?
A: There is still a lot of work to do to fully understand the cave systems of Quảng Bình. We plan to return next year with a small team to finish exploring the caves we did not manage to complete.
Q: What’s your message to those who want to experience a cave tour?
A: Việt Nam - and especially Quảng Bình - is the adventure capital of South East Asia. So if you have a chance to visit these amazing natural wonders, just go. — VNS
