A scientific symposium was held in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong on November 20, seeking to win UNESCO recognition for its volcanic park as a global geographical park.

A volcanic cave in Dak Nong

At the event, scientists suggested the province make plans to preserve and promote the value of the volcano cavern system, intensify education to raise public awareness of protecting the environment, and continue tourism promotion to attract more visitors to the locality.

Some emphasised that Dak Nong should name volcanoes and volcanic caves after the features of each locality and balance the conservation of the geographical park and the interests of businesses which exploit resources in the geographical park area.

Director of the Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources Tran Van Tan said that people living in the geographical park should get involved in preservation work, act as tour guides or make tourism products to promote the geographical park, thus helping boost local development.

The volcanic cavern system was discovered by a group of Vietnamese and Japanese scientists in Krong No district’s Choah village in 2014. 

The system, which resulted from a volcanic eruption process that took place millions of years ago, is the first to have been discovered in Vietnam. 

Located along the Serepok River, the system includes 12 volcanic caves, three of which have been studied and the largest measures 1,066 metres long, making it the longest volcanic cave in Southeast Asia. 

Krong No and the adjacent areas boast diverse and unique geological identities, magnificent landscapes, preservation areas, special-use forests and traditional culture. 

With such advantages, the park is expected to help Dak Nong attract more domestic and foreign tourists, boosting the locality’s development.-VNA