58 new caves have been found at the Phong Nha – Ke Bang cave system in Quang Binh Province as confirmed by the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park Management Board.
Phong Nha – Ke Bang is known for its massive cave system. Situated in the Central Province of Quang Binh, it is so huge that it runs across three districts: Quang Nunh, Bo Trach and Minh Hoa It is where the world’s biggest cave is located, Son Doong. It is recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage – twice – in July 2003 and July 2015.
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Director of the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park Management Board Le Thanh Tinh stated that the newly-discovered caves are located in the buffer zone communes of Minh Hoa District. While the previous caves discovered were mostly in partnership with the British Cave Research Association (BCRA), these newly-found caves were independently surveyed by rangers and officials from the national park. They utilized the “Initial Recognition” method to identify the new caves, compared it with existing data from the BCRA, crossed out caves that have already been recognized, finalized and then published their discovery.
Because of limited “technical conditions” though, most of these new caves haven’t been explored yet. The BCRA has been requested to take over the primary accounts of the 58 caves to undergo further study soon to finalize the details of each cave.