Exploring a Million-Year-Old Cave Expedition in Phong Nha

Hoa Huong Cave – a cave believed to be millions of years old – was discovered by a local cave explorer over 20 years ago but has recently been revealed to the public.

Quang Binh Tourism: Delving into a Million-Year-Old Cave in Phong Nha

Among the 57 newly disclosed caves in Quang Binh by experts, Hoa Huong Cave is regarded as the oldest cave in the limestone mountains of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park (Quang Binh). This cave was stumbled upon by a local cave explorer quite early on, but it was only fully surveyed in March.

'Back then, when I was about 20 years old, I accidentally stumbled upon this cave entrance during a trip searching for stalactites with other fellow cave explorers,' recalled Nguyen Van Hoa (41 years old, residing in Son Trach commune, Bo Trach district) – the individual who discovered the cave, believed to hold significant scientific value.

Hoa recounted how he joined a group of cave explorers, comprising about 3-4 people, trekking through the forest in a month-long expedition over 20 years ago. One afternoon, while searching for water, he ventured into a lower area and discovered the cave entrance.

I stumbled upon a cavern entrance towering about 4 meters high and spanning around 3-4 meters wide, prompting me to venture inside. After approximately 15 minutes of exploration, I stumbled upon several small pools of water,” he recounted.

The cavern I stumbled upon happened to be the second entrance to the Hòa Hương cave. This gentleman ventured into the left branch of the cave, which bifurcated into two. Inside this branch, there was a faint glimmer of light and a cool breeze blowing through. Venturing alone, Mr. Hòa hesitated to delve deeper, opting instead to fetch water before retreating.

In early 2014, Mr. Hòa learned that the Royal Cave Exploration Society of Britain was keen on gathering information about caves in the Phong Nha forest, prompting him to share his discovery. Led by Ms. Debra Limbert (56 years old, wife of cave expert Howard Limbert), the British cave experts followed his guidance to explore this cave.

During a survey expedition two years prior, Ms. Deb only explored the left branch, measuring over 900 meters long, based on Mr. Hòa's directions. The English expert suggested naming this cave Hòa Hương, after Mr. Hòa and his wife, Hương. However, the survey team refrained from making an official announcement until the entire cave was thoroughly surveyed.

In March, Ms. Deb led another team of four experts to explore the right branch. Mr. Hòa recounted that from the central area of Phong Nha, following Route 20 Quyết Thắng to Kilometer 30, one must turn left onto a trail to reach the Hòa Hương cave. Although the cave is only about 3-4 kilometers from Route 20 Quyết Thắng through the forest, it takes approximately 3-4 hours to hike due to the treacherous terrain.

Two days after Howard Limbert announced the cave's discovery, we met Mr. Hòa upon his return from a forest expedition. This gentleman had abandoned his former profession of searching for resin in the Phong Nha forest and had taken up the role of a chef for a cave exploration tour. After guiding the experts to discover caves, he was hired by a travel company to work as a chef catering to cave tourism in the Phong Nha Kẻ Bàng area, earning nearly 3 million Vietnamese dong per month. It was a significant change for the man who, along with his wife, was raising five young children, helping him escape poverty.

Howard Limbert, the leader of the 13-member cave exploration team in Quang Binh in March, explained that Hoa Huong Cave has an entrance right at the junction where it divides into 2 branches. The second branch on the right is over 1.8 km long.

'For the first time, we discovered an underwater cave formation in Quang Binh. Hoa Huong Cave was surveyed by my wife, not suitable for tourism exploitation due to its deep location compared to the ground, but it holds a lot of value for scientists,' said Howard Limbert.

According to Howard Limbert's explanation, over 1 million years ago, above Hoa Huong Cave was a large body of water. Underground water sources flowed through fractured geological layers into Laos, forming this cave. Later, geological transformations diverted the underground water source away from the cave, redirecting it to caves such as Khe Ry, En, and Son Doong.

According to the renowned British cave expert, Hoa Huong is the oldest cave among the 311 caves discovered in Quang Binh.

Speaking about cave exploration, Howard Limbert affirmed his and his colleagues' deep appreciation and gratitude for people like Hòa.

'They provided information, guided us, and actively assisted us in discovering new caves. We also learned many survival skills such as finding water sources and avoiding dangerous animals in the forest,' said Howard Limbert.

On June 22nd, Howard Limbert announced the discovery of 57 new caves by a team of Royal British Cave Experts, together with researchers from Hanoi University of Natural Sciences and local forestry officers and residents surveyed in March. Among the newly discovered caves, experts highly appreciate Hoa Huong Cave for its beautiful stalactites and valuable scientific information it contains.

Howard Limbert has proposed Quang Binh province for tourism development, showcasing several newly discovered caves such as Fairy Cave 2 and the 850m-long Sanh Tree Abyss at Kilometer 13 on Route 20, Quyet Thang.

Source: News Zing

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Reference: Travel guide from Mytour