Phong Nha – Ke Bang is a national park in the center of Quang Binh province in north-central Vietnam. It is one of the world’s two largest limestone regions with several hundred caves and grottoes. Its name derives from Phong Nha cave, the most beautiful one, with numerous fascinating rock formations, and Ke Bang forest. The plateau is probably one of the finest and most distinctive examples of a complex limestone formation in Southeast Asia.
Spanning over 200,000 ha of land, the park boasts beautiful limestone formations, grottoes and caves, with lush forestland covering 95 percent of the park area. Though nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, the Park only received official status as a World Heritage Site at the UNESCO’s 27th general assembly session held in Paris in 2003. Phong Nha-Ke Bang, together with Ha Long Bay and Fanxipan of Vietnam, is also nominated for the 7 New Natural Wonders of the World, ranking 10th in the voting list then.
There is a never ending quest for discovery here in Phong Nha – Ke Bang and it is definitely the place to be for nature lovers and the adventure spirited. The park has around 300 caves and grottos in an area of approximately 80km long but so far only 20km of which has been covered by explorers.
• Phong Nha Cave was previously the largest in Vietnam (before Son Dong Cave was discovered) but no doubt the most beautiful still. It’s remarkable for its thousands of meters of underground passageways and river caves filled with plentiful stalactites and stalagmites. In November and December the river is prone to flooding and the underground cave may be closed. Phong Nha means Cave of Teeth, though the ‘teeth’ (or stalagmites) that were by the entrance are no longer there, the rest of the cave remains almost unspoiled
• Tien Son Cave is a dry cave in the mountainside just above Phong Nha Cave. You can walk to it from the entrance to Phong Nha Cave (1,000m) – look for the sign at the foot of the stairs. This cave was discovered in 1935 by locals and named the Fairy Cave due to its extraordinary beauty, later it was called Dry cave to distinguish it from Phong Nha cave which is the water cave. The Chams used the cave’s grottoes as Hindu sanctuaries in the 9th and 10th centuries and till today, the remains of their altars and inscriptions can still be seen. This cave was last used as a hospital and ammunition depot during the War and thus one of the key entry points to the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
• Heaven cave is the large and longer cave than Phong Nha cave. This is a dry cave with no underground river flowing through as Phong Nha cave.Heaven cave ground is soft and flat so it’s easy to visit and explore.
• Just recently, in April, 2009 a team of explorers found Son Dong Cave and much to their surprise it was far larger than the world’s largest cave then – Deer Cave, Malaysia. Son Dong is 5km long, 200m high, and 150m wide compared to the Deer Cave which is only 2km long, 100m high and 90m wide. However, more has to be found out about the cave before they can be opened up to tourists.
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