Son Doong in Vietnam is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume. (Source: Ryan Deboodt)
The Quang Binh provincial Tourism Department said leading tourism magazine The Daily Telegraph (the UK) has announced the list of 11 best tourist destinations discovered recently, including Vietnam’s Son Doong.
Son Doong in Vietnam is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume.
At its tallest point, the cave can accommodate a 40-storey skyscraper, while at its widest point, there’s enough room for a 747 to fly through, Telegraph said.
In addition, three photos of the cave system in Quang Binh province, including a photo of the 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) by Carsen Peter, are among the top eight most beautiful cave pictures in the world selected by the well-known magazine National Geographic.
The voting results of the Telegraph and National Geographic magazines have affirmed the wonderful beauty and attraction of cave systems and natural scenery in Vietnam, contributing to promoting Son Doong and the pristine giant cave system, as well as the tourism potential of Quang Binh and Vietnam in general, to the world.
The Quang Binh Department of Tourism said the local tourism sector and authorities 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.
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 special tour programmes in the cave and Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in 2019.
Son Doong cave is located in the heart of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in the central Quang Binh province. It was discovered by a local in 1991. It was first explored in 2009 by the British Cave Research Association and has been open to the public since 2013.
Geologists say the cave formed two to five million years ago. It is roughly 6,5km long, 200m high and 150m wide.
The 2015 Guinness Book of World Records included an introduction to Son Doong cave and an announcement of the cave setting a world record.
Early in June 2016, Association World Record sent official documents announcing the cave’s world record status to Quang Binh province and VietKings./.