About the rather funny name of the cave, Mr. Hoang Tan Viet, the guide of this tour, explained: Previously, Cha Loi cave was called Ong Giap cave, Dai General cave or Van Cong cave by locals, because during the war, General Vo Nguyen Giap had the opportunity to visit the soldiers in the cave. In the cave, there is a stalactite block that looks like a bust of a person, and with respect to the talented general, the people of Le Thuy district, his hometown, called it Dai General cave. In the cave, there is also a field stage for the literary teams to perform, so it is called Van Cong cave.
The name Cha Loi cave comes from the local people's funny way of saying that going to this cave must be "Cha" and "Lon" (bow). The Bru Van Kieu people in the area read the camp as "Cha Loi", which gradually became the common name of the cave.
The journey to explore Cha Loi cave starts from the meeting point at the house of a fellow Bru Van Kieu, Ms. Ho Thi Huong, in Coi village in Ngan Thuy commune, Le Thuy district. This place is near Cha Loi cave and about 50 km southwest of Dong Hoi, the main city of Quang Binh province. Also joining the trip that day were two foreigners of Slovak nationality. They said the purpose of the trip was to survey the new cave to include in the tour for tourists from Slovakia.
At the gathering point, before the expedition, everyone was equipped with helmets, flashlights, army sandals and gloves. Personal clothes prepared by guests are thin, light, easy-to-dry fabrics. To serve the group of 15 guests that day, the tour organizer arranged 5 people to take on the role of guide, support, porter (carrying a specialized waterproof bag to store cameras, phones, and wallets of guests through underground rivers).
Although it was previously introduced that the difficulty of Cha Loi cave among the caves in Quang Binh is only 3/6,5, but this new cave exploration brings many emotions, and of course is not easy for those who are less experienced to conquer the challenge. More than 2 hours in the cave with a distance of 3 km, the explorer must experience at least 5 movements: wriggle, wriggle, wading, climbing, wading. In narrow passages, riders must press their chest against the rock, both hands clinging to the rocks, and "rub" horizontally to find the point of contact and move forward.
There are a number of attractions that tourists cannot miss during their exploration, such as Dai General Cave with stalagmites bearing the image of General Vo Nguyen Giap and Love Cave with heart-shaped stalactites and stalagmites, this is where guests often stop to take pictures and take pictures. It must be recognized that the population of stalagmites, stalactites and underground rivers in the cave are very beautiful, still unspoiled. The last leg of the expedition, the "owl" swimming through the 2,5 m deep underground river at 20 degrees Celsius feels so impressive, this passage is like the Buddhist scriptures, summarizing the journey through many mazes to reach enlightenment!
Before and after the expedition, guests also have interesting discoveries and experiences. From the gathering point towards Cha Loi cave, visitors pass by the stilt houses in Khe Sung village, have the opportunity to learn and witness with their own eyes the very unique custom of worshiping the living of the Bru Van Kieu people, with the meaning of praying for good luck for those who are living. On the altar, one side worships the living, the other side worships the dead. The object of worship is the bowl, the married woman carries this "soul" bowl to her husband's house. People who are worshiped when they die will be buried according to their "soul" bowl.
Lunch at the gathering point of Ms. Huong's house in Coi village, city guests feel delicious with the strange dishes of the Van Kieu people such as boiled chicken, forest vegetable soup, boiled garden vegetables, helping guests recover their health after more than two hours of exploration. After a break, guests continue to go to the "rock" Coi village, the reason for its name is because there are many rocks beside a small stream in the village. The people here still keep a natural lifestyle associated with the mountains and forests, live on upland fields, and completely say "no" to electricity and telephones. Next to the rocky stream is Love Valley, surrounded by mountains, charming with green grass, a great place for tourists to camp, campfire at night.
Cha Loi Cave and surrounding spots are one of the ideal suggestions for visitors to Quang Binh this summer. A female tourist exploring Cha Loi cave for the first time exclaimed: “It's amazing! The cave exploration journey has moderate difficulty, suitable for those who like to explore nature, refresh their emotions without many skills or strict health requirements like the tour to explore other caves in Quang Binh."
Attractive offers from Saigon - Quang Binh hotel
One of the places that guests should choose when coming to Quang Binh is the 4-star Saigon - Quang Binh hotel (belonging to Saigontourist Group), located right in the downtown area of Dong Hoi city and only 7 km from Dong Hoi airport. Located in a prime location with a facade with beautiful views of the river, bridge and Nhat Le estuary, behind a moat and a section of Dong Hoi ancient citadel, the hotel has 95 fully equipped bedrooms with luxurious style. From here, after just a few minutes of walking, guests can visit famous tourist attractions such as Mother Suot monument, Quang Binh Quan, museum, shopping area, Dong Hoi market... From now until the end of June 6.2023, Saigon - Quang Binh hotel applies preferential rates for room types, from only 700.000 VND/night for guests booking online; 5% discount on the menu price of group meals and gala parties; 10% discount on tickets to attractions in Quang Binh for groups staying from 10 guests.
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