23 caves discovered in Quảng Ninh

Twenty-three new caves have been discovered in Ha Long and Bai Tu Long bays in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Stalactites in a new cave in the northeast of Bo Hon Island in Ha Long Bay. – Photo doisongphapluat.vn

This is the result of a study jointly carried out by Ha Long's management board and the Viet Nam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources under the natural resource and environment ministry from November 23 to 30.

Eighteen of the 23 explored caves have high value in terms of science and aesthetics, Phạm Thuy Dương, the head of Ha Long's management board, said.

"These new caves will add more data and tourism resources to help the management board preserve and promote values of Ha Long Bay, a world natural heritage site," Duong said.

Ha Long Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin in Quang Ninh Province, is 165km from Ha No. Spread over 43,400ha and comprising thousands of limestone karsts and isles of various sizes and shapes, Ha Long Bay is at the centre of a larger zone that includes Bai Tu Long Bay in the northeast and Cat Ba in the southwest. These larger zones share similar geological, geographical, geomorphological, as well as climate and cultural features.

In 1994, the core zone of Hạ Long Bay was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, and in 2012, the New Seven Wonders Foundation the named the bay as one of the ‘New Seven Natural Wonders' of the world.

Source: VNS