Exploiting the potential of caves.

The cave systems in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay possess pristine beauty and have great potential for tourism development.

Tourists visit Vung Duc Cave (Cam Pha City).

Due to geological formations, the cave systems in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay are diverse, including elevated underground caves, floor caves, and caverns, often associated with sea level marks and formed by marine activity. In fact, many horizontal cave systems are distributed at different altitudes, some connected by vertical cave systems, indicating different formation and evolution histories. This is because these cave types were formed corresponding to the groundwater level at the time of formation, and also closely correspond to the sea level at the time of cave formation. The existence of caves at different heights reflects the historical fluctuations of groundwater and sea levels during the cave formation process.

In addition, many caves have inclined floor slabs and sedimentary layers, indicating that they were deformed by recent tectonic movements following cave formation. The period from 14,000 to 6,500 years ago was the last ice age, causing global sea level rise of approximately 110 meters compared to the preceding ice age.

Cave systems were also the first dwelling places of humans during the prehistoric period and up to the present day. In Quang Ninh, many prehistoric sites dating back up to 10,000 years have been discovered, belonging to the Soi Nhu culture (Tien Ong cave) and many other relics with sites of various cultural layers dating back several thousand years (Trinh Nu cave). Therefore, caves are also important archaeological sites, containing remnants of life, culture, customs, and the level of evolution of prehistoric inhabitants.

In 2025, the Ha Long Bay Management Board registered to develop three new tourism products in Ha Long Bay. Among these are art performances combined with banquets at Trong Cave, Co Cave, and Trinh Nu Cave. Previously, several concert programs at Dau Go Cave were quite successful, and there was even an idea to transform Dau Go Cave into a unique theater in the middle of Ha Long Bay.

Organizing music tourism and culinary experiences within caves requires ensuring safety, fire prevention, food safety, and limiting the number of visitors.

Bai Tu Long Bay also boasts many fascinating caves. Dong Trong Cave is the closest to the mainland in the Bai Tu Long cave system. Dong Trong Cave has a wide interior and a high entrance, making it easy to access and view traces of prehistoric people. A little further from Dong Trong is Nha Tro Cave, located in Ban Sen commune, Van Don district, with its pristine beauty and many strangely shaped stalactites. Or there's Cai De Cave on Cai Lim Island, where visitors can paddle small boats inside to admire the mangrove forest. Also located on Cai Lim Island, next to Cai De Cave, is Bat Cave, surrounded by limestone mountains, forming many freshwater pools with high biodiversity. Bai Tu Long Bay also features the Quan Cave system in Thang Loi commune, Van Don district, which was the base of a naval unit during the war against the US, and still bears many war relics.

In particular, on the shores of Bai Tu Long Bay, there is the Vung Duc cave system, consisting of five interconnected caves: Thien Dang Cave, Long Van Cave, Ngo Ngang Cave, Kim Quy Cave, and the largest, Cung Dinh Cave (also known as Bat Cave). Ms. Pham Thi Thu Huong, Director of the Vung Duc Cave Tourist Area, said: Vung Duc Cave has been developed for tourism since 1999 and sells tickets. The land area is also leased for 50 years by Dong Ha Company, headed by Mr. Pham Thanh, who is also the founder of the tourist area.

The Vung Duc cave tourist area has also been officially recognized as a tourist destination by the Provincial People's Committee and is permitted to operate tourism activities. Currently, there is a double-decker bus route running from Bai Chay to Vung Duc. Tourists can admire Ha Long Bay and the beautiful coastal road, considered one of the most beautiful in the country, the Ha Long - Cam Pha road, before visiting the Vung Duc caves.

However, to make cave tourism more attractive, it is necessary to have more unique products to entice tourists. For example, in the Vung Duc cave area, there are tourism products such as music tourism, culinary experiences, and spiritual tourism associated with the Vung Duc Martyrs' Memorial Temple. However, to effectively exploit these tourism products, it is necessary to ensure food safety and hygiene, environmental protection, fire prevention, solutions for protecting the environment and landscape, and especially to limit the number of participants.

Pham Hoc

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