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 1.5km. 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 t
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