'Kingdom of Caves' in Quang Binh

With the discovery of 22 new caves, Quang Binh – dubbed the "kingdom of caves" – now boasts over 500 caves, approximately 40 of which have been developed for tourism.

The expedition team is exploring a newly discovered cave system in Tuyen Hoa.

Phong Nha Cave is one of the most visited destinations in Quang Binh province. Located within Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is situated in Son Trach commune, Bo Trach district, approximately 45 km from Dong Hoi city. Phong Nha Cave has been explored numerous times since the early 20th century, and in 1994, a report on the geomorphology of Vietnam by a British expedition team called it "one of the two most beautiful water caves in the world." The cave was the first site opened for tourism in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. To visit, tourists purchase tickets from the Phong Nha Tourism Center, take a boat ride along the Son River for about 30 minutes, enjoying the peaceful scenery on both sides of the river before entering the cave. Inside the cave, visitors can explore stalactites and other wondrous natural formations.

Paradise Cave is located in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, 60 km northwest of Dong Hoi. Discovered in 2005, Paradise Cave is a dry cave, without an underground river flowing through it like Phong Nha Cave. The cave floor is mostly soft and relatively flat, making it convenient for sightseeing and exploration. The temperature inside Paradise Cave is always about 10 degrees Celsius lower than the outside. To reach Paradise Cave, from the western branch of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, visitors travel about 5 km, then climb over 520 steps to reach the cave entrance. The cave's interior is 1.1 km long.

Dinosaur Viewpoint at Sinkhole 1 of Son Doong Cave. Son Doong is the world's largest cave. It was discovered in 1990 by Mr. Ho Khanh, a resident of Phong Nha, and surveyed and mapped by a British-Vietnamese cave exploration team in 2009. In 2013, Son Doong was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's largest natural cave. Son Doong cave exploration tours are offered as adventure tourism, lasting 6 days and 5 nights, and have been sold out since 2013, with bookings consistently booked well in advance.

The massive stalactite column in Tu Lan Cave. The Tu Lan cave system is located in a primeval forest and limestone mountain range covering an area of ​​over 650 hectares in Tan Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district. It is connected to eight different valleys and mountain ranges via an underground river and cave system, situated outside Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The Tu Lan system comprises 20 caves such as Chuot, Tu Lan, To Mo, Hung Ton, Bi Mat, Ken, Song, Kim, Tien... first explored in 1992 by a Vietnamese and British cave exploration team, and subsequently surveyed in depth since 2010.

The Hang Sang campsite is part of the Hang Ba Deep Forest Exploration tour. Located in the core area of ​​Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, at Km 23 of the 20 Quyet Thang road, the Hang Ba area is a strictly protected zone of the National Park. This is a primeval forest with ancient trees thousands of years old, home to many rare animal species. The caves in this area include many large caves such as Dai Cao, Me Cung, Vinh Dai, Vinh Tron, and Sang, with diverse stalactite and stalagmite formations, explored and mapped by the British-Vietnamese cave exploration team in 1992 and 1994. This area was opened for adventure tourism in 2022.

The conical stalactite formations in Va Cave. Va Cave is located in the core area of ​​Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, about 4 km from the western branch of the Ho Chi Minh Highway at Kilometer 28. Va Cave is an underground water cave with a unique system of stalactites and stalagmites, consisting of approximately 1,000 uniformly sized, conical formations that developed in sedimentary pools. The stalactite towers all have sloping sides, with the tallest reaching about 2 meters in height. These stalactite columns are covered by a layer of soft mud.

En Cave, one of the world's largest natural caves, is located deep within the core of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. The journey to explore En Cave takes you through the Doong village of the Bru-Van Kieu ethnic group. En Cave stretches over 1.6 km, xuyên through a mountain range, and has three entrances. The largest and most famous entrance is 120 m high and 110 m wide, with the ceiling reaching 145 m in some places and the widest section of the cave corridor being 200 m. Inside the cave, a winding stream flows leading to Son Doong Cave.

The Tiger Cave system is located deep within the primeval forest of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, spanning Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts. It comprises three large interconnected caves: Tiger Cave, Over Cave, and Pygmy Cave. The Tiger Cave system also features Kong Collapse, one of the world's tallest sinkholes, reaching a height of 450 meters. The system has a total length of approximately 1,600 meters, a depth of 46 meters, and an entrance width of about 50 meters. The caves are located approximately 10 km from Dong Hoi city. Visitors can travel along the Ho Chi Minh Highway to the DT20 road, then turn left and continue for another 3.5 km to reach the caves.

The Hung Thoong cave system comprises several caves such as Tron Cave, Hung Cave, and Thung Cave, featuring the 250-meter-deep Nightmare sinkhole and a natural lake on the limestone mountain. The caves are named after their discoverers. Hung Cave boasts a unique system of stalactites and stalagmites, including crystal-like, hollow, suction-tube-like formations on the cave ceiling. Each stalactite and stalagmite has a drop of water at its tip. Hung Cave also contains pearl-like formations resembling eggs of various sizes. Deeper inside the cave is a clear underground lake. Tron Cave contains a blue lake approximately 1 km long, where visitors can enjoy swimming or paddleboarding (SUP).

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/bg2/dulichbg/vuong-quoc-hang-dong-o-quang-binh-094103-postid395835.bbg