QUẢNG BÌNH — The central province of Quảng Bình has discovered 44 grottos in the area known as the ‘kingdom of caves’, including the world’s biggest one, Sơn Đoòng.

Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng Park authorities yesterday reported the discovery of the caves in the province’s Minh Hóa, Bố Trạch and Quảng 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-Kẻ Bàng.

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 Võ Văn Trí, 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.

Trí 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-Kẻ Bàng 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 Sơn Đoòng, Tú Làn, Hang Én, Thiên Đường, and Phong Nha, have been used in tourism and turned the quiet Quảng Bình into a tourism hotspot. — VNS