Overview
- The biggest cave on the planet when measured by cross-section.
- Discovered and explored for the first time in 2009. Only open to the public since 2013.
- Unique for the two enormous dolines (cave roof collapses) and underground rainforests.
- Home to the “Great Wall of Vietnam,” a 90m high calcite barrier.
- Various unusual cave formations, including huge cave pearls, towering stalagmites and phytokarst.
- Nestled in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, home to some of the world’s largest caves.
- Oxalis Adventure works with The British Vietnam Caving Expedition Team and the Vietnamese government to carry out the expeditions.
- For conservation and safety reasons, you can only visit Son Doong on four-day expeditions with Oxalis Adventure.
Discovery
- On December 10, 1990, during a routine trip into the jungle, Mr. Ho Khanh accidentally discovered the cave entrance which now became known as Hang Son Doong.
- On April 7, 2009, Mr. Peter MacNab, a member of The British Vietnam Caving Expedition Team was the first to enter Son Doong Cave.
- On 14 April 2009, Son Doong was announced by The British Vietnam Caving Expedition Team as the world’s biggest cave.
- On March 17, 2010, The British Vietnam Caving Expedition Team completed climbing the calcite wall called the “Great Wall of Vietnam” to exit the cave and completed the survey and measurement of the entire Hang Son Doong Cave with a length of over 9km and a volume of 38.5 million m3.
- On April 30, 2013, the Guinness Book of World Records published the 2013 book of world records, which recognized Hang Son Doong as the largest cave in the world.
Local man Ho Khanh discovered Son Doong in 1990 while searching Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park for food and timber to earn a modest income. During his search he stumbled across an opening in a limestone cliff, noticed clouds billowing out from the entrance and heard the sounds of a river raging from somewhere inside. He returned home and forgot about the cave.
Ho Khanh met Howard and Deb Limbert of The British Vietnam Caving Expedition Team, who were conducting exploratory caving expeditions in the area. After hearing his stories, they urged Ho Khanh to rediscover the cave, which he eventually did in 2008, after several attempts. In 2009, he led Howard, Deb and a team of other caving professionals to the opening. After the first survey in 2009, the team were able to conclude that the cave had the largest cross-section of any cave anywhere on the planet.
Geology & size
Son Doong is relatively young – about 3 million years old in a limestone area dating back 400 million years. The mighty Rao Thuong River carved out Son Doong as it eroded away the limestone, forming an enormous tunnel beneath the Truong Son Mountains. The large dolines (or skylights) collapsed sometime in the last 500,000 years, creating massive openings to the outside world. Cave pearls the size of baseballs and stalagmites the size of tall buildings have formed from water dripping from the cave ceiling.
The first expedition was halted by a 90m high calcite barrier, which was jokingly dubbed the “Great Wall Of Vietnam.” It wasn’t until the second expedition in 2010, when the Great Wall was finally climbed and the end of the cave was found. The main huge passage is over 5km long with sections reaching up to 200m tall and 150m wide. Son Doong is large enough to house an entire 40-story New York City block skyscraper.
Cave experts are researching the connection between Son Doong Cave and neighbouring Thung Cave. If the connection is made , Son Doong will be the largest cave in the world by volume, as well as cross-section.
World records
Hang Son Doong was surveyed by the British Vietnam Caving Expedition Team led by Mr. Howard Limbert in 2009. The Expedition team then announced as the world’s largest natural cave with a volume of 38.5 million m3. The measurements were accepted by a number of senior karst geologists included Dr. Tony Waltham. The measurements were then accepted by a number of world’s senior karst geologists included Dr. Tony Waltham. Hang Son Doong was later published by National Geographic Magazine and National Geographic TV.
On April 30, 2013, the Guinness Book of World Records announced the 2013 book of world records, in which workers Hang Son Doong is the largest cave in the world. Link on Guinness website : https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/66739-largest-cave
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Whether you prefer long treks, camping in a cave, sleeping under the stars in the jungle, swimming underground in river caves, explore the huge dry caves or just taking an exploratory day trip, Oxalis Adventure Tours can provide the right amount of adventure just for you.
