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Embark on a challenging journey with Mytour to uncover the secrets of Hang Sơn Đoòng. Discover the marvels crafted by nature and the pristine beauty preserved for nearly 5 million years.
Hang Sơn Đoòng – Nature's Masterpiece
Hang Sơn Đoòng and the 18-year Quest Unveiled
Hang Sơn Đoòng, a cave located in Quảng Bình province, stands as the world's largest cave discovered to date. Hang Sơn Đoòng was stumbled upon by Hồ Khanh, a local young man. During a wood-gathering expedition, Hồ Khanh encountered a storm and found a rock shelter. Strangely, the wind blew upwards from below the rock, leading him back to the village. Despite sharing his discovery, no one believed him, as he couldn't find the path back to that rock shelter.
It wasn't until 1992 that Howard Limbert, a passionate British doctor with a special interest in caves worldwide, discovered the mystery behind uncovering new caves. Limbert mapped out an underground river system and found a subterranean river branch leading to the Vietnam-Laos border, disappearing, and reappearing near the East Sea. He wondered what concealed this subterranean river branch?
In 1992, Howard Limbert led a royal British Cave Association expedition to Vietnam and met the late General Võ Nguyên Giáp, a Quảng Bình native. At that time, with Vietnam yet to normalize relations with the U.S., it was no easy feat for a British delegation – an ally of the U.S. – to visit Vietnam. Before his passing, General Giáp penned a handwritten letter urging Howard Limbert to preserve the cave for the Vietnamese people.
Howard Limbert sought out Hồ Khanh, and together, they embarked on a quest to rediscover the rock shelter with the unusual upward-blowing wind. They spent 18 years wandering through the forests without success. However, during this time, they discovered over 300 other caves, contributing to Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng being recognized as a world natural heritage site in 2003. It wasn't until 2009, after persistent efforts, that they finally rediscovered the entrance to Sơn Đoòng Cave. Equipped with modern machinery from the Royal British Cave Association, they became the first to set foot deep within the cave.
Untouched Ecosystem for 5 Million Years
The volume of Sơn Đoòng Cave is 38.5 million cubic meters, nearly double that of the second-largest cave in the world. To put it into perspective, Sơn Đoòng Cave is so massive that it could easily accommodate the entire Bitexco Tower or a large commercial airplane. It has its own climate and a unique ecosystem inside, including two rivers, a waterfall, two forests, and numerous overlapping hills. The cave's sheer size creates an entirely distinct climate and ecosystem within its depths.
What makes Sơn Đoòng Cave truly special is its pristine nature. With an age close to 5 million years, predating human existence, the ecosystem from these 5 million years remains preserved inside the cave, untouched by human interference. The cave has been remarkably conserved within its enclosed space.
The cave's internal ecosystem is also known as a blind ecosystem, as some parts are so deep that light cannot penetrate. Over generations, cave-dwelling animals have adapted to this lightless environment, losing their sight and developing other senses to thrive in the absence of light. These highly light-sensitive creatures can be easily disrupted even by a human's flash photography.
Fossils within the cave date back up to an astonishing 300 million years, signifying immense scientific value for research. The cave also houses numerous 'Pearls of the Cave,' which are essentially water droplets falling from the cave ceiling, capturing and rounding up sand particles as they continuously form into these unique 'cave pearls.' While in other caves, these 'cave pearls' are mere bead-sized, in Sơn Đoòng Cave, they resemble large baseballs. The size of these pearls indicates the cave's ancient age, and the distance they travel from ceiling to cave floor must be substantial to create such pearls from a single water droplet.
Inside Sơn Đoòng Cave, the pearls are arranged closely, reflecting light to create dazzling and beautiful sparkles. However, when these pearls are taken outside, they lose their reflective ability, transforming into ordinary, valueless rocks due to the change in environment.
How to Explore Sơn Đoòng Cave
Thanks to its valuable research aspects and grandeur that humans have yet to fully uncover, Sơn Đoòng Cave attracts both adventurous researchers and tourists. The only current way to visit Sơn Đoòng Cave is through a lengthy trekking expedition. Tickets for this journey are not cheap (currently around $2,500) as it requires highly skilled and experienced guides for support. The expedition takes 5-7 days, demanding a plethora of skills and health from participants. Only those with mountain climbing, trekking, survival skills, and 1-3 years of prior fitness training are eligible.
The challenging conditions to conquer make the number of people visiting Sơn Đoòng Cave very limited. Approximately only 1000 visitors per year are allowed, and reservations are fully booked for the current year. However, this limited tourism also means less human impact on the cave's ecosystem, preserving its pristine nature.
There have been proposals to develop tourism and install cable cars inside the cave, but they faced strong opposition both domestically and internationally to protect the untouched essence of Sơn Đoòng Cave. Hopefully, through this sharing, you'll gain more information and pride in the natural wonders gifted to Vietnam and the world. This awareness will encourage the preservation and conservation of these legacies for future generations.
As per Mytour
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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide
MytourJuly 22, 2022
