Quang Binh province will not allow any enterprise to build cable car to Son Doong Cave, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tran Tien Dung was quoted by Tuoi Tre Online as saying at an international press conference in Hanoi on April 9 on the latest diving expedition inside the cave.

 

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Son Doong Cave

 


According to Tran Tien Dung, building cable car to Son Doong Cave is just an idea put forth by a few enterprises. “Son Doong Cave is the core area of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and the principle of preserving National Park’s core area is forbidding the construction of any work,” Dung stressed.

In recent years, Quang Binh province has made several proposals, including building a cable car system to boost tourism in the area, but they have faced strong opposition from environmentalists and the public.

On this occasion, a British diver team comprised of Richard Stanton, John Volanthen, Jason Mallison and Chris Jewell, who were members of the rescue team saving the Thai football team trapped in Thailand's Tham Luang Cave last year, shared the story on the trip to explore Son Doong Cave.

The trip, which cost US$53,000, was expected to prove the existence of a passage connecting Son Doong Cave and Thung Cave, the one of the same type laying 600m away.

According to the diving team, they had estimated the depth of the river at 93 meters (305 feet) before they dived into it. Jason Mallinson said that he managed to reach a depth of 77m and still could not find any connection with Thung Cave, but Son Dong itself just kept getting bigger.

The actual depth of the tunnel could be 100m or more. The discovery has made Son Doong, in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province, even more mysterious to cave experts and scientists.

Earlier, Son Doong cave in Quang Binh province has been ranked third among the bucket-list trips in the world for 2019, according to a list released by Lonely Planet, a large travel guide book publisher.

“The incredible depths of the world’s largest cave lures in travellers who want a true adventure. But the arduous journey into this subterranean site makes booking a trek essential,” Lonely Planet wrote.

Lonely Planet warns travelers that less than 300 spaces remain for 2019 exploration, according to Oxalis Adventure Tours, the major tour operator that takes travellers inside.

Hanoitimes