Buzz
Quang Binh may not be large in size, yet it houses a vast system of caves, renowned worldwide with 404 caves discovered so far.
Quang Binh: The Magnificent Land of Caves
Quang Binh is located in the Central Coastal region. Renowned not only for its majestic mountains and stunning beaches, but particularly for its mysterious cave systems that are yet to be fully explored.
Quang Binh was once a province plagued by poverty and deforestation - rampant 'forest robbers.' In 1992, Howard Limbert led a Royal Geographical Society expedition to explore his new discoveries.
Howard Limbert is deeply passionate about caves worldwide, employing a method of mapping underground river systems to discover caves. He found an underground river disappearing from the Vietnam-Laos border and reappearing near the East Sea. What concealed this river? To find answers, he and his expedition set out for Vietnam.
Initially, his plan was to search for a cave 'with a basket blowing mist upwards from below' as told by a local youth - Mr. Ho Khanh stumbled upon it while avoiding a storm in the forest. That cave turned out to be Hang Son Doong later on. However, after 18 long years, those two men and their expedition team still hadn't found Hang Son Doong. Instead, they, along with the expedition team from the British Royal Cave Association, discovered over 300 other caves in Phong Nha - Ke Bang. It wasn't until 2009 that Hang Son Doong was finally found.
In 2003, the cave system of Phong Nha - Ke Bang was recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site. Up to now, the cave system in Phong Nha - Ke Bang is still being explored, and the number of discoveries is increasing. As of now, 404 caves have been found. The cave resources here are the driving force for Quang Binh to promote sustainable tourism development in the region.
Caves in Phong Nha - Ke Bang are of a vastly different scale compared to other caves, and the stalactites are also very magnificent, with a somewhat bizarre structure creating a mysterious feeling when inside the cave. Prof. Nguyen Quang My, President of the Vietnam Cave Association, commented: 'After many years of studying caves in limestone regions across the country, it can be said that nature has generously bestowed upon Phong Nha a magnificent scenery. The sparkling silver stalactite columns, the golden diamond thrones, the clusters of fresh pink stalactites above the underground river... In terms of length, Phong Nha - Ke Bang cannot compare to Mammoth Cave in the US (530km), or Ease Gill Cave in the UK (52km), but nowhere else is as fantastical, mystical, and radiant as Phong Nha - Ke Bang.' It is said to be Vietnam's natural pride. The more you explore, the more surprised you are.
Howard Limbert remarked, 'This search campaign is like a dream, every year we discover new caves and announce them to the world. This helps to supplement an invaluable resource of caves for humans to understand more about the Earth's crust.',
Some of the extremely famous caves for tourists include Son Doong Cave, Phong Nha Cave, Paradise Cave, Swallow Cave, Tu Lan Cave, Kong Collapse, Fairy Cave, Va Cave,... and many other cave systems in the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park area. This area is also home to many rare and endangered species listed in the red book such as Ha Tinh Langurs, Bears, Tigers, Saola, Large Mangs, Tricars, White-tailed Partridges, Black-crested Partridges,...
Since the cave system was discovered, Quang Binh has gradually transformed into a tourist destination and become famous not only domestically but also internationally. From then on, the lives of the local people have also been greatly improved. Especially, the awareness of forest protection and sustainable tourism development of the local people has also been enhanced, and the problem of deforestation in this area has also been minimized.
According to Mytour
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Consultation: Mytour's Travel Handbook
By MytourJuly 21, 2022
