Hanoi (VNA) - For those who love to experience caves, Son Doong is the most famous place in Vietnam that many people wish to explore once in their lifetime. However, there is another cave system in the central province of Quang Binh that is also attꦬr𝓰active to tourists, which is the Thien Duong (Paradise) cave.

Thien Duong cave is located in the core ecosystem of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park – a UNESCO-recognised world natural heritage site. The cave, about 70km to the northwest of downtown Dong Hoi city, was discovered by local residents in 2005. In addition to the characteristics that can also be found at other caves in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, this cave features a unique and magnificent system of stalactites and stalagmites while boasting the title as one of the largest caves in the world. The discovery of the Thien Duong Cave immediately drew attention from officials, scientists, explorers, and the international community. Shortly after that, a team led by Dr Howard Limbert from the British Cave Research Association organised an expedition to this cave and unveiled extremely surprising initial results. Formed about 350 – 400 million years ago, it has a length of 31.4km, a height of 60m from the floor to the ceiling, and a width of between 30m and 100m, even 150m in some places. As an experienced explorer, Howard Limbert believed that this could be the longest cave in Asia and features unique beauty beyond human imagination, and that it is a blessing of the nature for human beings. The beauty of Thien Duong Cave has been praised by many renowned magazines such as CNN and Channel News Asia. US-based multinational news channel CNN has described the cave as a magnificent creation of Mother Nature. Thien Duong has a magnificent structure created by the combination of natural light from the skylight and thousand-year-old stalactites with diverse shapes. It is thanks to that unique combination that the beautiful scenery at Thien Duong cave is evaluated and recognised by experts as a paradise under the ground. This is also the reason why it is so attractive to both domestic and foreign tourists, even though they have to take a long and bumpy road to reach the destination. The ideal time to visit this cave is from early April to late August as the dry season will make tourists’ movement easier. The temperature in the cave is cool, only 20-21 degrees Celsius, in stark contrast to the sweltering summer heat outside. As the longest dry cave in Asia, throughout the length of the cave is a 1,000m-long artificial wooden bridge system that allows visitors to explore most of unique features in the cave system. Along with the beauty of stalactites, the Thien Duong cave also has an impressive underground stream system. Visitors can rent a kayak to paddle along the stream. Crossing the stream is considered by many visitors to be the most interesting in their journey to discover Thien Duong cave. Under the guidance of a boatman, visitors can enjoy the scenery and the masterpiece of the cave dome with sparkling stalactites. After crossing the underground stream, visitors will reach the skylight - the most impressive place to admire and check in when coming to Thien Duong cave. There is a pillar of light shining straight from the sky to the bottom of the cave, creating a beautiful and brilliant light, which makes many call the cave a paradise on earth./.