US newspaper praises cave in Vietnam that 'can accommodate skyscrapers'

Vietnam is home to the world's largest cave, so vast it has its own weather system and could fit an entire skyscraper inside.

That is Son Doong Cave. In its latest article, the world's leading travel magazine, Travel + Leisure, praised the unique features of Son Doong Cave that no other cave can match. In 1990, Mr. Ho Khanh was looking for agarwood, a rare forest tree near the border of Vietnam and Laos, when a big storm hit, forcing this native man in Phong Nha, Quang Binh to seek shelter under a cliff. Although it remained dry, the thick mist and cold air pouring out of what looked like a cave still terrified him, leaving a deep and unforgettable impression.

It was not until 17 years later, when Mr. Khanh was on a trip to the Hang En area with expert Howard Limbert - part of the British cave exploration team in Vietnam, that he recounted his old experience, making the whole group curious. Although it took a while to retrace the steps, Mr. Khanh led the group to the right place in 2009. They quickly realized that he had not only experienced a strange force of nature, but had actually gotten lost in a vast cave unlike any other on the planet.

The magic inside the world's largest cave

PHOTO: PIXABAY

The team's discovery , which they named Son Doong Cave, which translates to Mountain River Cave, quickly attracted worldwide attention, most notably the Guinness World Record title for the largest cave on the planet in 2013.

In terms of size alone, this single cave reaches a height of about 200m and a width of about 148m, stretching for at least about 6.4km, with a volume of at least about 38.6 million square meters.

To put that into perspective, Son Doong Cave is so large that it has its own climate zone. And so high that it actually has room for clouds to form from its own underground river. According to Google Arts & Culture, a city block of skyscrapers could actually fit inside it.

Son Doong Cave also runs along a fault line more than 91m wide and can receive sunlight thanks to two "skylights". In addition, part of the cave ceiling collapsed hundreds of thousands of years ago, creating "windows" called dolines, which also let sunlight in. As a result, the vegetation has flourished to the point where there is an entire rainforest inside the cave.

Needless to say, the stalagmites and stalactites here are also superior to other caves, no cave is more superior than the 80m high calcite wall known as the "Great Wall of Vietnam". The age of the limestone in the cave is believed to be about three million years old, formed by the two rivers Khe Ry and Rao Thun, which converge at the cave.

Son Doong has become the setting of many movies and appeared in many music videos of international singers.

PHOTO: MARTIN GARRIX

This eerie location has become a great destination for adventurers, but the only way to experience it is through Oxalis Tours, which organize the 5-night Son Doong expedition tour.

Although open to visitors aged 18 to 70, the route is rated “hard” and is only open to visitors who have hiked over the past 12 months over varied terrain, covering at least 8km per day and gaining at least 300m in elevation. They must also be properly trained, able to run 8km in under 50 minutes and climb five flights of stairs without getting out of breath.

The route involves trekking through forests, gaining 890m in elevation and crossing several rivers, as well as climbing cliffs, sandbars, ladders and even ropes. But the rewards for all this effort are truly extraordinary, with highlights that seem straight out of a sci-fi movie.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bao-my-ca-ngoi-hang-dong-o-viet-nam-co-the-chua-ca-day-nha-choc-troi-185250716092930427.htm