Thien Duong Cave – Heaven in the mortal world

Article and photos:Phuoc Long

Paradise on Earth

Just hearing the name was enough to make me excited. Sitting in the car, a colleague whispered:“I wonder what it's like in there, but the name sounds nice. It must be beautiful!”. The tour operator's bus took the group of tourists from Ho Chi Minh City running along the Ho Chi Minh road towards the Northwest of Dong Hoi city - Quang Binh province. The scene before our eyes captivated us all, with mountains on one side and green rice fields on the other. Every now and then, streams appeared winding along the slopes, with clear blue water, and cameras were working tirelessly from the bus...

From the center of Dong Hoi city, more than 1 hour of departure, we were at the cave gate. We were welcomed by pretty-faced girls with lovely, warm voices. Four electric cars were ready. The big car could carry 8 passengers and the small car could carry 4 passengers, starting to roll through the primeval forest about 2km long. From here, everyone had to climb more than 500 stone steps to reach... paradise.

When the last step was passed, before us was a majestic limestone mountain range, stretching out with no end in sight. After lighting incense at the Mountain God altar, the group began their journey to explore “heaven on earth”. If it weren’t for the guide’s introduction, few would have known where the cave entrance was. The cave entrance here was very special, each person following each other, walking step by step slowly, nervously and excitedly.

“It’s amazing!” That was the first thing I heard when someone stepped through the narrow door. And it was true, a magnificent, mysterious space continued to run deeper and deeper inside. The stalactites with all shapes seemed to “stare” at the group of strange tourists, making many people feel like they were lost in another world, a paradise in the middle of the mortal world.

The wooden path took us from one surprise to another, everywhere was beautiful, strange and mysterious. Looking at those rocks of many shapes, I wondered: Why are they so beautiful? Will they fall off if I touch them? Or how many years did it take for that block to have that shape?... The more I thought about it, the more I felt the majesty of this place and discovered many new things.

A wonderful gift from nature

It is difficult to find words to describe the magical beauty inside Thien Duong cave. Each rock, each stalactite column has a strange shape and they are described according to each person's imagination. It could be the Central Highlands' communal house, a giant waterfall, a reclining elephant, a unicorn, a curtain, a Christmas tree... or the image of a mother holding her child in the happiness of maternal love.

During the 1km journey along the wooden path, there are sections where clear pools of water appear, the source of which cannot be determined. And in some places, drops of water from above fall onto the rock floor, creating a mysterious sound in the cave. The guide named Sao said:“In this cave, the regeneration of rock continues.”This is further proven when observing, the rock buds still sprout from the giant stone slabs. Or the stalactites from above point down, like a baby about to be born trying to crawl out of its mother's body.

According to the Thien Duong cave tourism operator, to preserve the natural space of the cave, people have made a wooden path and used mostly white lights. Visitors only walk on the path, avoiding touching the stalactites and white lights make this place more natural. However, there are spots where colored lights appear, which have increased the magical beauty and sparkle of this natural world.

According to published information, Thien Duong Cave is hidden deep in the heart of the World Natural Heritage Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park (Quang Binh province), in ancient karst terrain, formed about 350 - 400 million years ago. Located at an altitude of 360m above sea level, with a total length of 31.4km, a height of 60m, a width ranging from 30m - 100m, in some places up to 150m.

With what it has, Thien Duong Cave is truly a masterpiece that nature has bestowed upon mankind. Therefore, research, conservation and tourism development must be carried out scientifically. Especially preserving the structure and landscape of the cave. Only then can we preserve the pristine nature of this magnificent cave.

More information:

+ Thien Duong Cave was discovered by a local in Quang Binh named Ho Khanh. Then, since 2005, the British Royal Cave Association led by Dr. Howard Limbert explored inside the limestone mountain. At that time, this cave was only 5 km long, but in 2010, the British Royal Cave Association found its official length to be 31 km. According to the expedition team, this is the longest dry cave in Asia, especially the system of stalagmites and stalactites here has a shimmering, magical beauty beyond human imagination.

+ To visit Thien Duong Cave, you can contact to book a tour at:

Vietravel. 190 Pasteur, District 3, HCMC. Tel: (08) 3822 8898. Website: travel.com.vn

Travellive Magazine

The Thanh