Attractions
Phong Nha Grotto :
This
is one of the most beautiful grottoes in Vietnam. It is 50 kilometers
northwest of Dong Hoi town. It takes tourists a ride on car to Son Trach
district town where a boat is awaiting you for a 30-minute ply along the
Son river to reach Phong Nha Grotto. The grottoes 7,729 meters long. Made
up of various stalactites and stalagmites Phong Nha Grotto offers
spectators some imagination to see several stalactites and stalagmites
resembling a woman dancer, an elephant, a tiger and other animals and
birds.
The most convenient time to explore the
grotto is between January and August.
Bird Island :
Another name for this island of birds is
Hon Ong. It takes visitors a four-hour boat ride from Hong Hoi town to get
there. This is an isolated place home to different kinds of sea gulls the
number of which can be by the million.
Da
Nhay Beach :
The white sand swimming beach lies at the
foot of Ly Hoa mountain pass. The beach is frequented by many thanks to
its long strip of while sand ideal for sun bath and the sea water is
gentle and clear-cut blue.
Nhat Le Beach :
It
is two kilometers Northeast of Dong Hoi town and located closely to the
Nhat Le River mouth.
Phong Nha Caves
:
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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
Quang Binh Border Gate :
This
architectural construction made of a porch and walls was built in 1630 to
protect the remote capital of Phu Xuan of the Nguyen dynasty. Due to
several battles and the passage of time, the border gate has suffered
heavy damage. Fortunately, it has been restored to its original design.
Visitors
crossing the territory of Quang Binh will be delighted by the wonderful
landscapes surrounding the Quang Binh Border Gate.
Tien
Son Cave,
a tourist marvel
:
Tien
Son Cave, originally called Dry Cave, lies in Phong Nha - Ke Bang tourist
complex that comprises natural beauty-spots in Quang Binh province
(central Vietnam). The site is now on the list to be recommended to UNESCO
for recognition as a World Heritage Site.
Tien Son Cave was discovered in April 1935 in the limestone mountain of Ke
Bang. It is about 400 meters away from the famous Phong Nha Grotto and at
a height of 135 meters. Tien Son Cave is more than 980 meters 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, which is
rather dangerous for walking. At present, nearly 400m of the cave have
been installed with lighting system to make it safe for visitors.
The Cave looks marvelous inside with hundreds of stalagmites and
stalactites of different sizes and shape. 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 cave 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 cave is
older than Phong Nha grotto and they do not link with each other.
Geographical tectonics in Tien Son Cave are rather stable, so the cave is
safe for visitors. |