Prof. Dr. Arlo Griffiths, a member of theresearch team from the French School of Asian Studies, said thecharacters were written in the early 11 th century, adding that thegroup of scientists are currently conducting further research on thedrawings.
Le Chieu Nguyen, Deputy Director of thePhong Nha-Ke Bang Tourism Centre, said determining the age of thecharacters is important since it demonstrated the presence of the ethnicCham people in the area, adding to the cave system’s cultural value.
The experts pledged to share their research findings for further use in cultural preservation and tourism, he noted.
On July 3, the national park in central Quang Binh province wasrecognised as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO for the secondtime since 2003, based on its geological and geomorphological criteria.
In 2012, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued the decision to expand the National Park from 85,754ha to 123,326ha.-VNA