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Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park
Viet Nam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park has been recognised as a world natural heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) at its 27th general assembly session being held in Paris from June 30-July 5.
At the session, delegates from over 160 member countries of UNESCO World Heritage Convention agreed to include Phong Nha-Ke Bang park and 30 others worldwide to the list of world heritage sites.Phong Nha-Ke Bang park is now the fifth UNESCO recognised site in Viet Nam after Ha Long Bay, the imperial city of Hue, the ancient quarter of Hoi An and the My Son historical site. Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park, located to the north of the majestic Truong Son range in central Quang Binh province, is one of the world’s two largest limestone regions.The over 200,000 ha of parkland includes beautiful limestone formations, grottoes and caves, and boasts lush forestland covering 95 percent of the park area. The area is considered a paradise for researchers and explorers of grottoes and caves, and Vietnamese and British scientists have so far surveyed 20 with a total length of 70km. Of them, 17 are in the Phong Nha area and three in the Ke Bang area.
The Phong Nha cave itself which lends its name to the whole system is probably the most beautiful of all, containing many fascinating rock formations, enchanting visitors with evocative names such as Lion, Fairy Caves, Royal Court and Buddha.
Besides the grotto and cave systems, Phong Nha has the longest underground rivers, the largest caverns and passageways, the widest and prettiest sand banks, and the most astonishing rock formations in the world.
According to initial statistics, the primitive tropical forest in Phong Nha-Ke Bang houses 140 families, 427 branches, and 751 species of high-rated plants, of which 36 species are endangered and listed in the Viet Nam Red Book. The forest is also home to 32 sets, 98 families, 256 races and 381 species of four land backboned animals. Sixty-six animal species are listed in the Viet Nam Red Book and 23 other species in the World Red Book. In general, Phong Nha-Ke Bang’s animals are more diverse than in other natural reserves and national parks.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang also boasts dozens of mountain peaks of over 1,000 metres still unexplored by men and seen as ideal sites for activities like climbing and exploration. Worthy of note are Peak Co Rilata with the height of 1,128 m and Peak Co Preu, 1,213 m. Lying between these peaks are valleys which promise tourists exciting eco-tours.
In addition to the diversity in the ecosystem, Phong Nha-Ke Bang is home to archeological and historical relics, such as an ancient hieroglyphic script of the Cham ethnic minority, King Ham Nghi’s base built for the resistance war against French colonialists in the late 19th century, and the Xuan Son ferry station, Ho Chi Minh Trail and Road 20 used during the US resistance war.Central Quang Binh province has poured heavy investment into upgrading the Phong Nha-Ke Bang visitor site to turn it into the country’s major tourist destination.
++ Phong Nha Ke Bang Highlights
The world’s longest underground river winds through Vietnam’s Phong Nha cave system, the name of which translates as "The wind’s fang". Entering this cave is like venturing into the mouth of a giant beast, all the more mysterious since the cave rings with strange noise. Locals say it is music from a banquet hosted by the mountain God, but the acoustic tricks are actually echoes, which bounce off the limestone cliffs of the cave. Shaped like a tube with a roof curved like the hull of a boat, this cave has acoustics properties similar to those of the fingal cave in Scotland.
Most importantly, all the primitive stone caves were preserved in their original form. Thus, visitors almost feel like they are going on a trip to the center of the earth.
The Son River flows into the mouth of the cave and continues underground, where it is known as the Nam Aki River. It emerges 20 km to the south near Pu-Pha-Dam Mountain.
Phong Nha Caves, also called Troc Caves, lie in the limestone cliffs of Ke Bang in Quang Ninh province, 50 km northwest of Dong Hoi. Like most of the caves in this area, the Phong Nha Caves were shaped by the Chai River. The farther one gets inside the Phong Nha Caves, the more illusory the stalactites and stalagmites look as they glitter when bright light is shone on them.The main cave system contains 14 chambers, linked by an underwater river that runs for 1.5 km. Secondary corridors branch off in all directions. The Outer Cave and some of the Inner Caves have roofs that tower between 25 and 40 meters above the water level.From the 14th chamber there may be other corridors leading to similarly large chambers, but this area is more dangerous due to ongoing erosion of the limestone of the cavern.
Some 800 meters into the cave we reach the Shallow Cave, where we step out of the boat to explore a fantastic landscape of sand and rock. Stalactites and stalagmites jut out like strange trees, exciting our imaginations.
Caves have always held a primitive fascination for people, as if they are meeting places for the real and the imagined. The word "magical" is used all too often but in the case of the Phong Nha caves it is fitting. A visit through these caves will present you with a rare opportunity in this modern age: the chance to explore nature’s magic and reconnect with the earth.
Tien Son Grotto lies in Phong Nha - Ke Bang tourist complex that comprises natural beauty-spots in Quang Binh Province.The grotto looks marvelous inside with hundreds of stalagmites and stalactites of different sizes and shape.The site is now on the list to be recommended to UNESCO for recognition as a World Heritage Site. Tien Son Grotto was discovered in April 1935 in the limestone mountain of Ke Bang. It is about 400m away from the famous Phong Nha Grotto and at a height of 135m. Tien Son Grotto is more than 980m long. Going into the cave for about 400m, visitors will see an abyss, about 10m deep. Then comes another part of the cave, about 500m long is rather dangerous for walking. At present, nearly 400m of the cave have been installed with lighting system to make it safe for visitors. Some look like a man or an animal, and there is one that looks like the Learning Tower of Pisa in Italy. On the cave ceiling, there are glittering gold and silver-like veins. Some stalagmites produce an echoing sound when slightly knocked.
Limber Howard, Chief of the British Royal Team of Cave Researchers, who visited and made studies of the site, said that Tien Son Grotto may have been formed tens of millions of years ago. A river ran through the limestone mountain and eroded it. Then huge rocks fell, separated the mountain and form the cave. An under ground river ran through the lower part of the mountain, creating Phong Nha Grotto. Thus, Tien Son Grotto is older than Phong Nha Grotto and they do not link with each other. Geographical tectonics in Tien Son Grotto is rather stable.
Vietnam National Parks:
[Cuc Phuong Park][Babe Park][Cat Tien Park][Bavi Park][Bach Ma Park][Phong Nha Park][Tam Dao Park]
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