After making a big impression in the Quang Binh tourism promotion programme in Hollywood and New York Tourism Fair Time Travel Show, Son Doong cave and photos of the cave system in Quang Binh province continue to receive special attention from international newspapers, said the Quang Binh provincial Tourism Department.

Son Doong cave 

Accordingly, the Telegraph (UK) has just announced the list of 11 best tourist destinations discovered recently, including Vietnam’s Son Doong.

“Son Doong in Vietnam, the largest known cave passage in the world by volume, which was found in 1990 and only fully explored in the last few years, can be seen by tourists. Only 1,000 visitors are allowed into the caves each year, with each tour taking four days and three nights, and costing £2,245.

Those that sign up are rewarded with the chance to experience a cave so big it has its own weather system. At its tallest point the cave can accommodate a 40-storey skyscraper, while at its widest point there’s room to fly a Boeing 747,” said the Telegraph.

In addition, three photos of the cave system in Quang Binh province, including a photo of terraced stone system in Son Doong cave, one on swimming in Ken cave (belonging to the Tu Lan cave system) and a photo on Loong Con cave (belonging to the Phong Nha cave system, near Son Doong cave) by Carsen Peter, are among the top eight most beautiful cave pictures in the world selected by well-known National Geographic.

The voting results of the Telegraph and National Geographic magazine have affirmed the wonderful beauty and attraction of the cave system and natural scenery in Vietnam, thereby, making an important contribution to the promotion and introduction of Son Doong and the pristine giant cave system, as well as the tourism potential of Quang Binh and Vietnam, to the world.

Quang Binh provincial Department of Tourism said that, in the second quarter of 2019, the province will carry out a programme to explore a 600m-long underwater pathway that has never been discovered inside Son Doong cave to find a way to connect to a nearby cave (Thung cave), with the participation of Thai cave diving experts, who participated in the rescue of the young teenagers of the Wild Boars football team in Thailand last year.

If the expedition succeeds, it will likely reset the map of the Son Doong cave system to recognise it as the world's largest natural cave. 

Meanwhile, the Animal Planet and National Geographic TV channels will also collaborate with Oxalis Adventure Tours - the only company authorised to lead tours into Son Doong - to implement thematic programmes in the cave and Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in 2019.

Nhan Dan