At noon on August 17, leaders of Cuc Phuong National Park confirmed to VietNamNet that forces from the provincial police, local militia, medical teams, and park rangers had expanded their search operations for the missing tourist.

According to the park’s management, 86 people have been mobilized, along with seven trained dogs from the Ninh Binh Police Department. The search has been extended into neighboring areas, including Thanh Hoa and Phu Tho (formerly part of Hoa Binh).

Despite heavy rain, all forces are working intensively in hopes of locating the missing man as soon as possible.

Earlier, VietNamNet reported that Nguyen Quoc Manh, born in 1992 and a native of Hai Phong, visited the Bong area of Cuc Phuong National Park and checked into an overnight guestroom on August 13. On August 14, he embarked on a solo hike along the ancient ironwood tree trail and later detoured into Son Cung Cave, where he went missing. His belongings and backpack were found at the cave entrance.

Upon being notified about the unattended backpack, park authorities launched an overnight search, but initial efforts yielded no results.

As of now, Manh remains missing. Officials say the greatest challenges are the ongoing heavy rainfall and the lack of mobile signal or internet access in the remote forested area where the disappearance occurred.

The Ninh Binh Provincial Police Department is coordinating all specialized search units to assist in the ongoing rescue efforts.

Tran Nghi