Tham village cave, also known as Tham Luong cave (local language means big cave) is a historical relic from the anti-American resistance war, located in Tham village, Tong Lanh commune, Thuan Chau district, Son La province.

In recent years, Ban Tham cave has attracted travel enthusiasts, especially tourists who want to conquer Pha Din pass - one of the "four great mountain passes" of Vietnam.

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Tham Cave is located halfway up the rocky mountain in Tong Lanh commune. In the picture is the road from National Highway 6 leading to the cave.

According to information from the website of the Vietnam Records Organization (VietKings), the cave is the only mountain pass in the Northwest region.

The cave is about 500m long, curving in an arc shape. This is a natural cave, previously converted by soldiers to make a path and hide weapons. Later, the cave was carved into a trail through the mountain.

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Mr. Duy An came to Ban Tham cave 3 times, most recently at the end of 2024.

Mr. Nguyen Le Duy An (in Ho Chi Minh City) has experienced the mountain route in Ban Tham cave 3 times, the most recent trip was at the end of December 2024.

He said that from afar, the cave looked like a tunnel halfway up the mountain. Standing from the cave entrance, you could see Highway 6, about 300 meters away.

“From the foot of the mountain to the cave entrance is a steep dirt road, with a cliff on one side and a ravine on the other. Therefore, only motorbikes and high-chassis cars can move,” he said.

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Entrance to Tham village cave

According to a visitor from Ho Chi Minh City, the mouth of Ban Tham cave (which leads into the mountain) is wide enough for a 1.5 to 2 ton truck to pass through.

Standing in front of the cave entrance, you can feel the cool breeze coming from inside. The cave is quite humid, the road is full of rocks and potholes, making the wheels slippery. Most of the turns to get out of the cave are relatively narrow, making it difficult to drive.

Deep inside the cave there are many large and small niches, some as wide as a house, some as narrow as just enough for one person and a vehicle to pass through.

The visitor from Ho Chi Minh City only traveled at a speed of about 20 km/h in the cave.

Because the cave is very dark and there is no natural light, visitors must ensure their vehicle has lights or bring their own flashlight.

“The feeling of riding a motorbike inside the cave is hard to describe but very new. I felt like I was lost in a maze in the middle of the high mountains.

While moving through the cave, visitors also have the opportunity to admire beautiful stalactites with many different unique shapes.

"Out of the cave is a path in the middle of a bamboo forest, leading to Tong Lanh commune," he shared.

Because the cave is very dark and the road is full of gravel and rocks, tourists with weak driving skills often do not dare to go through.
The road out of the cave leads to the villages in Tong Lanh commune.

The man in his 50s also noted that visitors to Ban Tham cave need to have driving experience and always ensure concentration and care when moving inside the cave.

After passing through the cave, visitors can visit Tong Lanh commune - where there are more than 60 households in Chun village, Tham village and some households in Cuong Muong village to explore nature and people's lives, and enjoy local dishes.

Local tourism services are not yet developed, so the wildness is still preserved, suitable as a "healing" destination for tourists.

If you have the opportunity to visit Thuan Chau district, in addition to Ban Tham cave, visitors can combine to explore some other interesting tourist destinations such as: Pha Din Pass, Thuan Chau Ky Dai historical site, Lai Bay lake, Muong Bam tower architectural art site...

Photo: Nguyen Le Duy An

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