Vietnam On A Shoestring

The strip between HCM City and Hanoi has a lot of sights and experiences to offer and it does not have to cost an arm and leg

With places to stay along the coastal highway like the historical city of Hue with its famous royal citadel, and Hoi An, a world heritage site that sparkles of an evening with countless lanterns seeing Vietnam from the north-south highway is a great way to go.

Lying on the beach costs nothing and there are plenty of people who are happy to stay in a heritage site like Hoi An and cycle each morning to the beach. Lunch can be had on the beach for no more than a dollar or two. Of an evening, a bowl of pho (beef or chicken noodle soup) and some beers are cheap.

If your priority is budget not comfort, accommodation in a bungalow in a town like Hoi An can be found for around US$5, but for around double that you can have a nice hotel room with air-conditioning and a fridge.

In Halong Bay, a group of tourists can rent a junk to visit the bay for several hours or several days. Halong Bay is a beautiful area with 1,969 limestone islands. Visitors to Halong Bay must purchase a ticket from the Halong Bay management department, which gives the option of following one of two routes: Thien Cung Grotto, Dau Go Cave and other sites (excluding Sung Sot Cave), and Sung Sot Cave and other sites (excluding Thien Cung Grotto and Dau Go Cave).

Cycling is an interesting way to see the streets of Hanoi, with the slow moving traffic and interesting lakes. Once in the national capital, a number of very low budget accommodations can be found. They are not all hardcore backpacker hostels, either.

Hotel guestrooms in Vietnam are quite cheap so there is no need to take dormitory style accommodation to save money. On the contrary, a single or double room in a clean hotel will probably cost one or two dollars more than a bed in a dormitory holding 10 or more people.

A lot of backpackers choose Vietnam as their Southeast Asian destination. They recommend it for its lack of crowds and persistently low prices. Even though a boom in tourism started in the 1990s, the hectic scenes of Thailand have never eventuated in Vietnam. Vietnam has a similar vibe to Laos, but is a bit larger and offers a bit more diversity.

The beaches are superb, and some of the landscapes are amazing. Few people venture further north out of Hanoi but those who do discover the delights of the Sapa region and its fascinating hill tribe peoples. In general, all parts of Vietnam are full of friendly and outgoing people but the northern regions are particularly laid back and welcoming. Motorcycle tours are another popular backpacker choice. Rentals are available in HCM City and a lot of people head north rather than exploring the Mekong Delta to the south. Conditions are ideal for motorcycle touring with sealed roads and plenty of roadside mechanics.

Lunar New Year for Vietnam travel is a very busy period and really marks the height of the backpacker year here. Prices can be a little more at this time but there are still more than enough beds and rooms to go around. Some backpackers prefer to come to Vietnam toward the middle of the year but this may conflict with the wild weather of the wet season.

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Historic and picturesque Cao Bang

Ban Gioc Waterfall is the largest waterfall in Vietnam

Cao Bang province, about 286 kilometers north of Hanoi, has a landscape that begs exploration and a history that demands looking back at.

The province is famous for Pac Po Cave, Ban Gioc Waterfall and Lenin Stream.

We came to Cao Bang in the late noon. The highlands city was not too noisy as the Bac Giang River starts to roar in the early rainy season. When we were there it was the dry season so there was silence.

Karl Marx Mountain in Cao Bang Province - Photos: Lam Van Son

Cao Bang  is about 200 meters high above sea level but some areas of the province reaches about 600 meters to 1,300 meters near the border.

After taking a lunch of wild pork and wild vegetables, we headed to Pac Po Cave where we spent an entire day. The cave is in a rugged rocky mountain, about 55 kilometers north of Cao Bang Township.

The roads wind around the mountainsides in the border region of the province

Pac Po means a mouth where hundreds of streams flow, so the cave has many smaller limestone caverns and fresh streams. Uncle Ho lived in one of the caverns. His cave is eight meters long and five meters wide with many holes to let in sunlight and fresh air. Lit by one of these rays of light was a large rock which the tour guide said was the bed and desk of Uncle Ho.

Near the cave is Karl Marx Mountain and below the mountain is a perfectly clear spring which the former President named Lenin. In front of the cave is a 1,000 square meter yard that is shaded by old trees.

Leaving Pac Po Cave to return to Cao Bang Township, we came to Ban Gioc Waterfall in Dam Thuy Commune early in the morning next day. The roar of the water hitting the cliffs could be heard kilometers away. We had heard it in Trung Khanh so we were keen to see it.

Rafts cruised under the thirty meter tall waterfall that divides into three. At the foot of the falls is a large river, as smooth as glass, lined by different flowers.

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Cavernous splendor

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, formed around 300 to 400 million years ago, dazzles visitors

From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path

through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

HOW TO GET THERE?

By plane/train: From Hanoi to Dong Hoi Town. Then take a car to Thien Duong Cave which is 35 kilometers away. By car: From Hanoi, go along the National Way No.1 for just over 400 kilometers to Dong Hoi Town, and another 35 kilometers to Thien Duong Cave. Or, take Ho Chi Minh Road from Nghe An Province. A path to the cave is located at the 16th km milestone. It is five kilometers long through the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The first two kilometers can be covered by the car. For the remaining three kilometers, Truong Thinh Company asks you to use environmentally friendly vehicles like the electronic bike, bicycle or to go on foot.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

Related Articles

• Cavernous splendor

Cavernous splendor

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, formed around 300 to 400 million years ago, dazzles visitors

From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path

through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

HOW TO GET THERE?

By plane/train: From Hanoi to Dong Hoi Town. Then take a car to Thien Duong Cave which is 35 kilometers away. By car: From Hanoi, go along the National Way No.1 for just over 400 kilometers to Dong Hoi Town, and another 35 kilometers to Thien Duong Cave. Or, take Ho Chi Minh Road from Nghe An Province. A path to the cave is located at the 16th km milestone. It is five kilometers long through the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The first two kilometers can be covered by the car. For the remaining three kilometers, Truong Thinh Company asks you to use environmentally friendly vehicles like the electronic bike, bicycle or to go on foot.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

Related Articles

• Cavernous splendor

Cavernous splendor

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, formed around 300 to 400 million years ago, dazzles visitors

From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path

through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

HOW TO GET THERE?

By plane/train: From Hanoi to Dong Hoi Town. Then take a car to Thien Duong Cave which is 35 kilometers away. By car: From Hanoi, go along the National Way No.1 for just over 400 kilometers to Dong Hoi Town, and another 35 kilometers to Thien Duong Cave. Or, take Ho Chi Minh Road from Nghe An Province. A path to the cave is located at the 16th km milestone. It is five kilometers long through the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The first two kilometers can be covered by the car. For the remaining three kilometers, Truong Thinh Company asks you to use environmentally friendly vehicles like the electronic bike, bicycle or to go on foot.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

Related Articles

• Cavernous splendor

Cavernous splendor

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, formed around 300 to 400 million years ago, dazzles visitors

From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path

through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

HOW TO GET THERE?

By plane/train: From Hanoi to Dong Hoi Town. Then take a car to Thien Duong Cave which is 35 kilometers away. By car: From Hanoi, go along the National Way No.1 for just over 400 kilometers to Dong Hoi Town, and another 35 kilometers to Thien Duong Cave. Or, take Ho Chi Minh Road from Nghe An Province. A path to the cave is located at the 16th km milestone. It is five kilometers long through the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The first two kilometers can be covered by the car. For the remaining three kilometers, Truong Thinh Company asks you to use environmentally friendly vehicles like the electronic bike, bicycle or to go on foot.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

Related Articles

• Cavernous splendor

Cavernous splendor

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, formed around 300 to 400 million years ago, dazzles visitors

From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path

through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

HOW TO GET THERE?

By plane/train: From Hanoi to Dong Hoi Town. Then take a car to Thien Duong Cave which is 35 kilometers away. By car: From Hanoi, go along the National Way No.1 for just over 400 kilometers to Dong Hoi Town, and another 35 kilometers to Thien Duong Cave. Or, take Ho Chi Minh Road from Nghe An Province. A path to the cave is located at the 16th km milestone. It is five kilometers long through the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The first two kilometers can be covered by the car. For the remaining three kilometers, Truong Thinh Company asks you to use environmentally friendly vehicles like the electronic bike, bicycle or to go on foot.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

Related Articles

• Cavernous splendor

Cavernous splendor

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, formed around 300 to 400 million years ago, dazzles visitors

From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path

through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

HOW TO GET THERE?

By plane/train: From Hanoi to Dong Hoi Town. Then take a car to Thien Duong Cave which is 35 kilometers away. By car: From Hanoi, go along the National Way No.1 for just over 400 kilometers to Dong Hoi Town, and another 35 kilometers to Thien Duong Cave. Or, take Ho Chi Minh Road from Nghe An Province. A path to the cave is located at the 16th km milestone. It is five kilometers long through the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The first two kilometers can be covered by the car. For the remaining three kilometers, Truong Thinh Company asks you to use environmentally friendly vehicles like the electronic bike, bicycle or to go on foot.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

Related Articles

• Cavernous splendor

Cavernous splendor

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, formed around 300 to 400 million years ago, dazzles visitors

From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path

through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

HOW TO GET THERE?

By plane/train: From Hanoi to Dong Hoi Town. Then take a car to Thien Duong Cave which is 35 kilometers away. By car: From Hanoi, go along the National Way No.1 for just over 400 kilometers to Dong Hoi Town, and another 35 kilometers to Thien Duong Cave. Or, take Ho Chi Minh Road from Nghe An Province. A path to the cave is located at the 16th km milestone. It is five kilometers long through the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The first two kilometers can be covered by the car. For the remaining three kilometers, Truong Thinh Company asks you to use environmentally friendly vehicles like the electronic bike, bicycle or to go on foot.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

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• Cavernous splendor

Cavernous splendor

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, formed around 300 to 400 million years ago, dazzles visitors

From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path

through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

HOW TO GET THERE?

By plane/train: From Hanoi to Dong Hoi Town. Then take a car to Thien Duong Cave which is 35 kilometers away. By car: From Hanoi, go along the National Way No.1 for just over 400 kilometers to Dong Hoi Town, and another 35 kilometers to Thien Duong Cave. Or, take Ho Chi Minh Road from Nghe An Province. A path to the cave is located at the 16th km milestone. It is five kilometers long through the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The first two kilometers can be covered by the car. For the remaining three kilometers, Truong Thinh Company asks you to use environmentally friendly vehicles like the electronic bike, bicycle or to go on foot.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

Related Articles

• Cavernous splendor

Cavernous splendor

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, formed around 300 to 400 million years ago, dazzles visitors

From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path

through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

HOW TO GET THERE?

By plane/train: From Hanoi to Dong Hoi Town. Then take a car to Thien Duong Cave which is 35 kilometers away. By car: From Hanoi, go along the National Way No.1 for just over 400 kilometers to Dong Hoi Town, and another 35 kilometers to Thien Duong Cave. Or, take Ho Chi Minh Road from Nghe An Province. A path to the cave is located at the 16th km milestone. It is five kilometers long through the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The first two kilometers can be covered by the car. For the remaining three kilometers, Truong Thinh Company asks you to use environmentally friendly vehicles like the electronic bike, bicycle or to go on foot.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

Related Articles

• Cavernous splendor