Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park (World Natural Heritage)

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park lies in Quang Binh Province - the central Viet Nam. Covering an area of more than  343,000 hectares (heart zone of 123,30 ha and buffer zone of 220,000ha), Phong Nha – Ke Bang situated in Quang Ninh, Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts, is 50km northwest of Dong Hoi City.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang can be compared to a huge geological museum thanks to its complicated geological structure with different categories of stone including sandstone, quartz, schist, siliceous limestone, granite, granodiorite, diorite, applet, pegmatite, etc. Phong Nha-Ke Bang is the oldest and largest tropical karst formed 400 million years during the main geological periods of the Earth, bearing the original topographic and geologic characteristics. Experiencing major tectonic phases, high mountain ranges and the depressed sedimentary basins were formed. These fluctuations have also contributed to the diversity of geology, topography, geomorphology.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang karst mountains can provide a lot of valuable information about the Earth's prolonged geological process through various periods, from the Ordovician Age - Silurian Age (about 463.9 - 430 million year ago) to the Quaternary Age (1.75 million years ago). It is also noteworthy to mention a geological characteristic – the system of underground rivers and grottos in limestone mountains.

In the non-karst geomorphologic area, there are many low mountains covered by a floristic carpet. The erosion has created a number of abrasion-accumulation terraces along the valleys of the Son and Chay rivers and at the margins of the central limestone massifs. The transition terrain consists of a diversity of rock intercalated by limestone mountains.

Besides the historical value of geology, topography, geomorphology, Phong Nha - Ke Bang is also favoured with the mysterious and majestic landscapes by nature. The Phong Nha - Ke Bang Natural Park still hides various myths of nature. It also has spectacular karst caves formed for hundreds of millions of years.

Locating in the area with a high average rainfall, however, few rivers and streams can be seen because water is absorbed to run inside limestone mountains. Therefore over tens of million years, water has eroded rocks, creating numerous caves in the area. Phong Nha - Ke Bang area is noted for its cave and grotto systems as it is composed of 300 caves and grottos, divided into three main systems: Phong Nha Grottos, Vom Caves, and Ruc Mon Caves.
The Phong Nha grotto system is about 80km long in total, rising from south of Ke Bang Limestone Mountain. The main entrances are Khe Ry and En Grottoes situated at a height of 300m above sea level. The grottoes of this tree-branch system run in the direction of northeast-southwest.

The system of Vom caves is over 35km long, rising from Ruc Ca Roong Cave located at a height of 360m above sea level and ending with Vom Cave. The system runs south and north. Ruc Ca Roong River sometimes hides in mountains, sometimes appears in narrow and deep valleys, and flows into the Chay River at the entrance of Vom Cave.

The system of Ruc Mon caves that lies in the district of Minh Hoa is also a large cave. However, the information about this system is not abundant because few surveys have been conducted in this area so far.

Some typical caves and grottoes in Phong Nha - Ke Bang are Phong Nha, Tien Son and Thien Duong grottoes, Toi, En and Khe Ry caves. Especially, Son Doong Cave is considered as the largest cave in the world with 200m in height, 200m in width, at least 8.5km in length.

With its characteristics of topography, climate, soil and hydrography, Phong Nha - Ke Bang boasts a rich, diversified and unique flora. Investigations show that Phong Nha - Ke Bang has a large tropical forest floor. It covers 93.57 percent of the natural area, of which nearly 83.74 percent is covered by primeval forests. The diversity of rare and precious species of animals and plants in Phong Nha - Ke Bang is corollary of its natural conditions, and is a feature of the forest ecosystem.

Statistics show that the flora of Phong Nha - Ke Bang belongs to 2,400 species of higher plants with 208 orchid species, of which many rare and precious species are listed in Viet Nam’s Red Book and IUCN’s Red Book (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources). Besides, there are 140 animal species, 356 bird species, 97  reptile species, 47 amphibian species, 162 fish species, 369 insect species, many of which  are listed in Red Book of Viet Nam and IUCN such as Sao la, Mang lon, Mang Truong Son, Ha Tinh langur… Phong Nha - Ke Bang is considered a huge biological museum in Viet Nam.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang has been declared a world natural heritage by UNESCO twice in July 2003 in the 27th meeting in Paris (France) and July 2015 in the 39th meeting in Bonn (Federal Republic of Germany).

ATTRACTIONS:
Some typical caves:

- Phong Nha Grotto                                             - Toi (Dark) Cave
- Tien Son Grotto                                                 - En (Swallow) Cave
- Son Doong Cave
- Thien Duong (Paradise) Grotto



USEFUL INFORMATION:

Opening time: from 07:00 to 17:00 on weekdays.

Ticket price:

+ Tour of Phong Nha - Tien Son grottos

-  Sightseeing tickets:
          Phong Nha Grotto:
              - Adults: VND80,000
              - Children (from 7 to 15 years old): VND40,000
          Tien Son Grotto:
              - Adults: VND40,000
              - Children (from 7 to 15 years old): VND20,000
- Boat renting price: Visiting Phong Nha, Tien Son grottos (each boat carrying 01 to 14 people, including children):
         - Visiting 01 grotto: VND 320,000/boat; duration: 3.5 hours
         - Visiting 02 grottos: VND 350,000/boat; duration: 05 hours

+ Nuoc Mooc Spring Eco Trail
-  Sightseeing ticket:
        - Adults: VND50,000
        - Children (from 7 to 15 years old): VND30,000

+ Tour of Chay River – Toi (Dark) Cave
-  Sightseeing ticket:
        - Adults: VND80,000
        - Children (from 7 to 15 years old): VND40,000
- Boat renting price: VND 500,000/boat; duration: 05 hours
Each boat carries 01 to 14 people, including children.

+ Tour of history - spirituality: Free of charge

+ Explore the mysterious depths of Phong Nha Grotto and Explore the nature of Rao Thuong– En Cave: please contact Phong Nha - Ke Bang Tourism Center for more information.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang Tourism Center - Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park
Add: Son Trach Commune, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province
Tel / Fax: (84-52) 3677 323 (ext. 101)
Email: phongnhakebangdl@gmail.com

Introducing Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park

Designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 2003, the remarkable Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park contains the oldest karst mountains in Asia, formed approximately 400 million years ago. Riddled with hundreds of cave systems – many of extraordinary scale and length – and spectacular underground rivers, Phong Nha is a speleologists’ heaven on earth.

Serious exploration only began in the 1990s, lead by the British Cave Research Association and Hanoi University. Cavers first penetrated deep into Phong Nha Cave, one of the world’s longest systems. In 2005 Paradise Cave was discovered, and in 2009 a team found the world’s largest cave – Son Doong. In 2015 public access to two more cave systems was approved.

Above the ground, most of the mountainous 885 sq km of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is near-pristine tropical evergreen jungle, more than 90% of which is primary forest. It borders the biodiverse Hin Namno reserve in Laos to form an impressive, continuous slab of protected habitat. More than 100 types of mammal (including 10 species of primate, tigers, elephants, and the saola, a rare Asian antelope), 81 types of reptile and amphibian, and more than 300 varieties of bird have been logged in Phong Nha.

In the past, access to the national park was limited and strictly controlled by the Vietnamese military. Access is still quite tightly controlled for good reason (the park is still riddled with unexploded ordnance). Officially you are not allowed to hike here without a licensed tour operator. You can, however, travel independently (on a motorbike or car) on the Ho Chi Minh Hwy or Hwy 20 that cut through the park.

The Phong Nha region is changing fast. Son Trach village (population 3000) is the main centre, with an ATM, a growing range of accommodation and eating options, and improving transport links with other parts of central Vietnam.

The caves are the region's absolute highlights, but the above-ground attractions of forest trekking, the area's war history, and rural mountain biking means it deserves a stay of around three days.