The first couple took wedding photos in Son Doong Cave

Son Doong is a proud wonder of Vietnam. Since its opening, Son Doong Cave has brought many special stories about nature as well as wonderful experiences for explorers. And recently, the couple Mr. Vu and Ms. Uyen Ly became the first couple to take wedding photos in Son Doong - the largest natural cave in the world.

Mr. Vu said that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, his and his wife's plans for a honeymoon abroad were postponed. Not wanting to waste time, the couple decided to go on a road trip to visit and explore the Central region. They departed from Ho Chi Minh City, passed through Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Thua Thien - Hue and stopped in Quang Binh.

To make the trip more complete, Mr. Vu and Ms. Uyen Ly traveled by car, brought camping equipment, specialized boards and paddles, and folding bicycles. The couple stopped at any location, visited scenic spots, enjoyed local cuisine and joined the locals in sports and exercise (cycling, jogging, swimming, rowing) to prepare for the trip to explore Son Doong Cave, which requires a lot of physical strength.

Sharing about the wedding photos taken in Son Doong, Mr. Vu said: "We know that there are many beautiful places to take photos in the cave, so we discussed what special outfits to wear to preserve memories. Since the previous wedding studio photo shoot plan had to be canceled, we discussed bringing our wedding dresses to take some souvenir photos. For us, wedding photos do not need to be too elaborate, but are an opportunity to record a memorable milestone. Therefore, taking a photo in the world's largest natural cave in a special place like the "wedding cake" stalactite is great. We took the photos with a film camera in the form of a pair of dolls moving when the wedding cake rotates."

Son Doong Cave has its own ecosystem, with forests, white sand and rugged terrain, making the photography process very difficult. The tour company said that Mr. Vu and Ms. Uyen Ly were the first couple to have their wedding photos taken at this location. To be most thoughtful, the couple researched ways to bring their dresses, tripods, and equipment along for the long journey. Mr. Vu and his wife have memorable photos on the "wedding cake" in Son Doong, as he put it.

The Son Doong discovery tour did not have a professional photographer, so Vu had to figure out how to take photos in dark, humid conditions just one month before departure and asked the group members to help him take photos. Due to his lack of experience, the camera lens got stuck in wet sand and was damaged at an important moment. Vu said: "Luckily, there was a friend in the group who also brought a mechanical camera, so I asked him to help me take photos. When taking photos, the tripod had to be arranged at quite precarious points, and the photographer had to follow safety rules, so the shooting conditions were quite difficult. At the "wedding cake" point, sometimes when the sun was beautiful and the photo was taken, clouds and fog came and had to be adjusted again, which was quite difficult. In the cave, visitors always have to wear helmets and lights. But when I got to the "wedding cake", I asked the group leader, a British cave expert, to let me take them off for a few minutes to take photos, but the helmet had to be placed right under my feet."

To have a memorable trip to Son Doong cave, Vu and Ly had to spend nearly 60 million VND/person. Because of their hobby of often climbing mountains and exploring, they did not need to equip themselves with much equipment, just buy new shoes. 6 days and 5 nights is the total time for Vu and Ly to explore Son Doong cave. Sharing about this unique experience, Vu confided: "I can only summarize it in two sentences: "Seeing is believing" and "Seeing is hearing". The feeling of being immersed in the special atmosphere and environment in Son Doong cannot be described in words. The wedding photo is free, the experience will follow us for the rest of our lives".

My Tong