Ha Long Bay – the World Natural Heritage site - viewed from a seaplane.

The survey was conducted from November 23 to 30 by the Ha Long Bay Management Board in collaboration with the Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources.

Pham Thuy Duong, Head of Ha Long Bay Management Board, said that the findings will complement the database and tourism resources for Ha Long Bay.

"The Ha Long Bay Management Board will make public the specific value, the coordinates of the new caves after making careful research. The board will also recommend the authorities to caves for preservation and those for scientific research and for tourism services," Duong said.

Ha Long Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin in Quang Ninh Province, is 165km from Hanoi. 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.

T. Van