The British Cave Research Association, led by Howard Limbert, has returned to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Bo Trach District in the central province of Quang Binh on an expected two-month trip to seek new caves after they discovered Son Doong cave, the world’s biggest, in 2010.
Howard told Saigon Tiep Thi Newspaper in an interview that his team has so far explored 10 percent of the area of Phong Nha Ke Bang’s limestone desert.
“Up to 90 percent of the area remains unexplored. Possibly, there are bigger caves than Son Doong. We believe there is a bigger cave located on the edge of a mountain chain along the Ho Chi Minh Highway,” the British explorer says.
Howard says Son Doong is a monumental achievement in cave exploration in Phong Nha Ke Bang national park in the 21st century, and the cave has been introduced to the rest of the world by the US magazine National Geographic. “Son Doong has drawn attention from cave-lovers across the globe. It’s a precious thing of Vietnam and the world, too,” he says.
Howard added that Son Doong cave also helps promote Phong Nha Ke Bang national park to the world.
“Many scientists, experts, and tourists love to go to Phong Nha Ke Bang Park. I think Son Doong will become a tourist destination in the future, not now. More research on ecological systems, geology, geomorphology, and hydrology, should be conducted before exploring tourism in the cave,” he points out.
He added that if Son Doong cave becomes a tourist attraction, the most important thing to do for local authorities is to build a suspension cable system to ensure safety for tourists and biological diversity around and inside the cave, because the ecological system is quite vulnerable.