Quang Binh Province is developing tourism at 3 new caves.

Trip Advisor, the world's largest travel website, has just announced its list of the 10 most attractive destinations in Vietnam as voted by tourists, with Quang Binh ranking 4th, after Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hoi An.

According to Mr. Dang Dong Ha, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Tourism, Quang Binh is known as the Kingdom of Caves of the world, a paradise for exploration and experience with tourist areas, routes, and destinations such as Son Doong Cave, Tu Lan cave system, Da Nhay beach, Thien Duong Cave, Phong Nha - Tien Son Cave, Chay River - Dark Cave... and now has three more stunning caves that have been opened for tourism.

Dai A Cave, Over Cave, and Pygmy Cave, part of the Dome Cave system, are located in the Ecological Restoration zone of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. This area boasts beautiful natural landscapes, a type of natural forest on limestone mountains, high biodiversity, and especially a unique and fascinating cave system.

To explore the Dai A Cave, Over Cave, and Pygmy Cave, visitors will have to hike approximately 20km through the primeval forest. Over a period of about 3 days and 2 nights, visitors will experience exciting activities such as wading through streams, climbing steep slopes, and spending the night in caves. In particular, visitors will be able to admire the magnificent and majestic cave systems and the diverse and rich ecosystem of flora and fauna.

Dai A Cave, also known as Tiger Cave, is 1,616 meters long, 46 meters deep, and has an entrance approximately 50 meters wide.

Over Cave is located about 100m from Tiger Cave, measuring 3,244m in length and 104m in depth. The cave entrance is approximately 30m wide and 25m high, with its widest point reaching 125m. Over Cave boasts a beautiful system of stalactites and stalagmites, and numerous terraced pools of turquoise color.

Inside the Over Cave, there is a section where visitors walk on high, wet stalactites, so they must use safety harnesses and ropes.

The Pygmy Cave is 845 meters long and 94 meters deep. During the day, sunlight can penetrate the cave. The cave's exit is also the campsite where we spent the second night of our three-day, two-night exploration trip.

Inside the Pygmy Caves, a stream of water flows down from the ceiling, used for drinking, cooking, and daily life. Light penetrates deep into the caves, allowing many ferns to grow lush and green.

The Pygmy Caves were discovered by locals in 1997, and were later explored by the British Royal Cave Association and declared the fourth largest cave in the world.

At the cave entrance, visitors can see many vines and bamboo tied together by locals to climb up the cave walls to harvest swallows' nests and honey. This practice has now ceased due to forest protection regulations.

Each tour lasts 3 days and accommodates a maximum of 14 guests. To explore this cave system, visitors must be fit enough to trek through the jungle, wade through streams, or swim inside the caves.

Ngoc Anh

The Thanh