Exploring underground river inside Son Doong

According to Hoang Hai Van, Deputy Director of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Management Board, the diving in the underground river in Son Doong cave aims to explore the link between Son Doong cave and Thung cave - a large cave discovered in 1994. The Thung Cave is about 3.3 km long with a volume of 1.6 million cubic metres. Inside the cave there is also a diverse underground river system.

According to Howard Limbert, expert of the British Royal Caving Research Association, it is possible that Son Doong and Thung cave are connected by a 600-metre-long stretch of underground river. The result of the survey aims to prove the connection between these two caves and open up new exploration opportunities for professional explorers to explore the mysteries deep within.

Sketching the diving site in Son Doong Cave (Photo of Oxalis)

The expedition team consists of five of the world's best cave dive experts, along with Oxalis's 25-person logistics team with the most the modern specialised equipment currently conducting surveys from April 1 to 6.

Interestingly, the diving experts exploring the underground river in Son Doong Cave are divers who once directly participated in rescuing the football team who were trapped in Tham Luang cave (Thailand) that shocked the world in June, 2018.

Deputy Director Hoang Hai Van emphasised that the exploration results will contribute to affirming the unique value of the Son Doong karst underground system in particular and the diversified hydrological system of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in general. This is an important basis for planning the research, management, conservation and promotion of the value of the World Natural Heritage in the future.