Phong Nha Caves

The world's longest underground river winds through Vietnam's Phong Nha (Phongnha) 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.

Formed approximately 250million years ago, Phong Nha Cave is the largest and most beautiful cave in Vietnam. It is remarkable for thousands of metres of underground passageways and river caves filled with abundant stalactites and stalagmites. Its rock formations have evocative names such as Lion, Fairy Caves, Royal Court and Buddha.

Phong Nha means Cave of Teeth and was used by the Northern Vietnamese as a hospital and ammunition depot during the American war. In 1990, British scientists surveyed 35km of the cave and discovered the main cavern is nearly 8km long with 14 other caves nearby.

The cave system is electrically lit but you can bring a torch for better exploration. 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 Binh 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 onne 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 1.5km. 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.