Thanh Hoa cave tourism is increasingly attractive to tourists

In recent years, cave exploration tourism in Thanh Hoa has increasingly attracted a large number of tourists. In particular, the development of community ecotourism has created favorable conditions for each cave exploration journey of tourists to become complete and attractive.

Bo Cung Cave (Quan Son) is assessed by the British Royal Cave Association as a cave with many rare and beautiful stalactites and stalagmites in the world .

When it comes to cave tourism in Thanh Hoa, many people will immediately think of Bo Cung Cave (Quan Son). This is one of the most beautiful caves in the province, nearly 1,078m long, with many different cave niches, and about 50m wide. The cave was discovered by local people in 2008, and has been invested in and exploited by Quan Son district to become an attractive tourist destination.

In 2023, the British Royal Cave Association (BCRA) expedition team surveyed Bo Cung Cave. Through research, survey, measurement, and evaluation, the BCRA expedition announced that Bo Cung Cave was formed about 4 million years ago, 420m above sea level, 1,078m long, and is a cave with many rare stalactites and stalagmites in the world. With all the unique and attractive elements available, Bo Cung Cave can completely develop into an attractive tourist destination for international visitors. In an interview with the press, Mr. Howard John Limbert, Head of the BCRA expedition team, commented: “This is one of the caves with a large space, currently in the world there are not many caves with beautiful stalactites like here. Therefore, it needs to be protected, preserved, combined with the natural landscape inside and outside the cave to serve tourism development and scientific research work.

If you are a travel lover in Thanh Hoa, you will surely know about the Kim Son national relic and scenic complex (Vinh Loc). This place is considered a "miniature Trang An" because of its special historical and geological values. This relic and scenic complex consists of 29 mountains, widely distributed throughout a large lagoon area. This place is endowed by nature with a majestic mountain system, creating a beautiful system of dry and water caves. In which, Ngoc Kieu cave is the first cave in the chain of 7 caves, standing out with its unique beauty, with two floors going up and one floor going down. On the cave walls are many calligraphy paintings by famous artists such as Nguyen Xuan Tieu, Bui Tu, Truong Quang Dan... Next is Ngoc Ho cave, which is deep and wide, when coming here, visitors often stop their rowing boats at the "Phong Mon" (wind door) of the cave to enjoy the fresh air.

Ms. Trinh Thi Ninh, Kim Son Scenic Area Management Board said: “In recent years, the number of visitors has increased, we are also very happy to welcome many large groups of visitors from travel agencies inside and outside the province. With beautiful natural scenery, visitors can come here to offer incense, worship Linh Ung Pagoda, and also travel along the poetic Au stream and explore the beautiful cave system. In the coming time, we really hope that all levels and sectors will pay more attention to the planning and approval of investment projects for Kim Son Scenic Area so that the destination can be exploited effectively, better meeting the needs of tourists”.

It is not too much to say that cave tourism in Thanh Hoa is an endless journey, with hundreds of beautiful caves stretching from the mountains, to the plains and the sea. Going down to Nga Son, visitors will come to Tu Thuc cave - a place that embraces the love story "Tu Thuc meets a fairy". According to legend, Tu Thuc was a native of Tong Son, now Ha Trung district, and was the district chief in Tien Du, Bac Ninh province. He loved to travel around mountains and rivers, enjoy the scenery and write poetry. Once at a flower viewing festival, he met a beautiful young woman. While admiring the flowers, he accidentally broke a peony branch and was held by the temple. Seeing this, he immediately took off the brocade shirt he was wearing to atone for the young woman. Later, because he did not want to be bound by fame and fortune, Tu Thuc resigned from office and returned to his hometown to enjoy the countryside. One day, looking out to Than Phu seaport, he saw a five-colored cloud forming the shape of a lotus flower, so he rowed a boat towards the mountain and got lost in Bich Dao cave. As soon as he entered the cave, Tu Thuc saw a majestic and magnificent castle. The castle owner married him to a daughter named Giang Huong. Giang Huong was the girl he had previously taken off his brocade to atone for his sins...

Today, when visiting Tu Thuc cave, visitors will be amazed by the stalactites in the shape of "golden trees", "silver trees", "water fern ponds", "dragons incubating eggs", "gong stands", "drum stands", "eight-tone guild", "fairy chess board"... And the difference that creates the mystery of this destination is that in the cave there is a path "to heaven" and a path "to hell". These interesting things have contributed to making the fairy tales of Tu Thuc cave even more fascinating and attractive to tourists. It is known that with a total of nearly 70,000 tourists coming to tourist areas and spots in Nga Son district in 2023, up to 80% of tourists choose Tu Thuc cave as one of the destinations in their journey of discovery.

It can be said that Thanh cave tourism is increasingly affirming its attraction to tourists, and it is even more favorable when the current trend is towards developing “green tourism” associated with preserving and promoting the value of natural landscapes. Therefore, all levels, sectors and localities in the province need to pay more attention to planning, attracting investment and developing products, so that cave tourism in the near future will become one of the province’s strong tourism products.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/du-lich-hang-dong-xu-thanh-ngay-cang-hap-dan-du-khach-20240614104919597.htm