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Son Doong Cave – the world's largest natural cave: Son Doong Cave is located within the cave system of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, in Tan Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province.
Son Doong Cave was formed approximately 3 million years ago when water flowing from the Rao Thuong stream through the Khe Ry river cave caused erosion and collapse, creating sinkholes that, over time, formed giant cave chambers.
Son Doong Cave is 160m wide, with a ceiling height of up to 200m, and a length of nearly 9km, large enough for a Boeing-747 to fly through and to accommodate a 40-story building.
To explore the cave, visitors must climb the 90-meter-high stalactite wall known as the "Vietnam Wall" with the help of safety equipment.
The cave has two "skylights," remnants of a collapsed ceiling from hundreds of thousands of years ago, which allow light to shine in, creating conditions for vegetation to grow like a tropical forest inside the cave.
Son Doong Cave was accidentally discovered by Mr. Ho Khanh in 1991, but was only officially explored in 2009 with the help of a cave exploration team from the Royal British Cave Association.
Currently, tourists can explore Son Doong Cave through travel companies that specialize in organizing tours to Son Doong Cave and En Cave.
Hang Va
Compared to Son Doong Cave, Va Cave is less well-known and was only discovered in 2012 by a group of British cave experts.
As part of the Phong Nha cave system, with a length of over 1.6km, Va Cave is highly regarded by experts and tourists alike for its system of cone-shaped stalactites and stalagmites of fairly uniform size.
Hang Va is the habitat of the white blind fish, commonly known as the cave fish, a small freshwater fish found in the dark environments of caves.
Near Va Cave is Nuoc Nut Cave, approximately 2.2 km long, believed to share a water source with Son Doong Cave, along with a stunning system of underwater stalactites and limestone towers.
After traversing rugged mountainous terrain, visitors will arrive at a small valley where Va Cave is located and can camp there overnight.
Tu Lan Cave System: Stretching approximately 20 km, the Tu Lan cave system is located about 70 km from Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, next to Tan Hoa ethnic minority village in Minh Hoa district.
Comprising 20 caves, 10 of which are open to tourists include Chuot Cave, Kim Cave, Hung Ton Cave, Ken Cave, and Tu Lan Cave, with Ken Cave being the longest at 3.7 km.
Visitors can swim through the underground river with its stalactite formations.
You might also recognize the area surrounding the Tú Làn cave system from the Hollywood film “Kong: Skull Island,” starring Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson, which was filmed there.
Fairy Cave
At 50 meters wide, Tien Cave is the largest cave in the Tu Lan cave system and features a stunning natural swimming pool.
According to legend, Fairy Cave is where fairies descended from heaven to admire the beautiful scenery and forgot their way back.
Thanks to the stacked rock formations resembling terraced fields, the interior space is incredibly vast. These caves are known as Vietnam's underground wonderland. Every year, they attract numerous scientists, researchers, geological archaeology experts, and millions of international tourists.
Lam Tue (TH)
Photos (by various authors)
