Seongdong: Journey through the largest cave in the world

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The world, which seems so clear and simple to us, is in fact fraught with many unsolved mysteries and mysteries. He shares some of them very reluctantly. For example, in such a seemingly well-researched country like Vietnam, a cave was discovered relatively recently, which has no equal on the entire planet.

Son Doong Cave is the largest cave in the world today and perhaps one of the most curious. The name Hang Son Doong means "Mountain River Cave" in Vietnamese.

© John Spies Photography

The dimensions of the cave are really amazing: the width is more than 200 meters, the height is about 150 meters and the record length is 9 kilometers. Son Doong Cave is part of a vast, unexplored system of over 150 caves.

© Ryan Deboodt Photography

© Carsten Peter Photography

The British Cave Explorers Association (BCRA) has classified Son Doong Cave as the largest cave in the world. Prior to this, the honorable first place belonged to the Deer Cave, located on the island of Borneo (Malaysia). The dimensions of Deer Cave turned out to be much more modest (90 m wide, 100 meters high and 2 km long) in comparison with the newly discovered Son Doong Cave.

© John Spies Photography

© John Spies Photography

Son Dong Cave is located in Quang Binh Province (Central Vietnam), in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park near the border with Laos.

© Ryan Deboodt Photography

© Huu Nguien Photography

It is hard to believe that this giant cave has been unknown to humans for millions of years.

© John Spies Photography

© John Spies Photography

The Seongdong Cave was first discovered in 1991. A local resident named Ho-Khanh accidentally discovered the entrance to a hitherto unknown cave. An attempt to go deep into the depths was not crowned with success - the young man was frightened by the hissing noise coming from the cave and its size, which, due to the pitch darkness, could not even be imagined.

© Carsten Peter Photography

<© Carsten Peter Photography

The world community learned about this natural wonder only in 2009, when a group of British cavers and enthusiasts led by Howard Limbert conducted a research expedition into the cave.

John Spies Photography

John Spies Photography

During the expedition, which took place in April 2009, about four kilometers of cave tunnels were explored, until the advance of the group was prevented by an obstacle in the form of a 70-meter monolithic calcite rock.

A year later, a second expedition was undertaken in order to overcome the obstacle that had arisen and to continue further exploration of the cave. The sensational information provided by Howard Limbert at the end of the expedition shocked the entire speleological world.

© National Geographic Russia

Son Doong Cave was undoubtedly the largest cave on the planet. One of its rooms could easily fit an average skyscraper. However, not only its impressive size made it unique in the eyes of scientists - a real underground world with high stone columns and deep abysses was hidden in the depths of the cave.

© Carsten Peter Photography

In order to get into the depths of the cave, brave visitors need to overcome the 80-meter descent along the rope. The passages inside the cave are blocked by a large rock, which eventually received the dramatic name of the Great Vietnam Wall. All the stones of the walls of the cave are constantly wet, which is why they are incredibly slippery. That is why the most reliable climbing equipment is necessary for descents and ascents along these almost vertical porous walls, and even in impenetrable darkness.

© Carsten Peter Photography

© Huu Nguien Photography

Thanks to the Australian caver and talented photographer John Spies, it was possible to peer into the underworld of the imposing Shondong Cave and observe tourists traveling in its depths.

© Ryan Deboodt Photography

© Chris Miller Photography

The underground river Rao Tuong flows inside the cave, which for a long time carefully created wonderful tunnels in solid rocks. In some places, the underground river reaches the surface of the earth.

© Ryan Deboodt Photography

During the dry months, the river turns into a small stream, but when the seasonal flooding begins, the river becomes full again, filling most of the tunnels in the cave with water to the limit.

John Spies Photography

John Spies Photography

The giant stalagmites of the Vietnamese cave sometimes reach 70 meters in height. In the rays of light, they resemble stone cacti. Speleologists call this place the Cactus Garden.

© Carsten Peter Photography

© Ryan Deboodt Photography

© Carsten Peter Photography

It is incredible that cloud formation can be observed even underground due to the mixing of air masses of different temperatures.

© Simon Dunne / Barcroft Media

Long ago, gaps formed in the "roof" of the Seongdong Cave, through which daylight made its way into the underground halls. Plants also got into the cave with him. Now here you can find not only limestone ledges completely covered with a carpet of delicate greenery, but also dense thickets of the real jungle. And not only various insects, snakes, rodents, but even birds and monkeys live here.

In the depths of the cave, scientists have discovered new yet unknown plant species, which may have come here thousands of years ago.

© Ryan Deboodt Photography

Another interesting find of scientists is cave pearls.

The formation of cave pearls is a rare natural phenomenon and is of unprecedented interest for researchers. Dripping water over hundreds of years creates layers of calcite that gently envelop every grain of sand. In terms of their composition, such pearls differ little from pearls produced by mollusks, but they cannot boast of an attractive mother-of-pearl luster.

© Simon Dunne Photography

Hang Son Doong Cave is currently open for public tours. However, don't expect it to be overcrowded with visitors. In 2015, only 224 lucky people will be able to visit the unique natural landmark.

© Simon Dunne Photography