With a complex of over 300 caves and a 116km-long coastline with white
sand, the central province of Quang Binh is becoming a popular
destination in the so-called “Central Region Heritage Road”.
“Kingdom of caves” in the west
About
50km northwest of Dong Hoi City is Phong Nha – Ke Bang National
Park which is known as a “Kingdom of Caves”. Besides the rich
fauna and flora, the park is attracting local and international tourists
for its numerous caves, such as Phong Nha, Tien Son, Thien Duong, Toi,
En and Son Doong.
Luke Ford, a British tourist who returned to
explore and survey the caves in Quang Binh for the third time said:
“Compared to other caves I have visited, the caves in Quang Binh are a
little bit more difficult to access but they are much more beautiful and
primitive.”
Electric cars will take visitors through
hundred-year-old forests to Thien Duong Cave. In 2005 the
British Caving Association conducted a research on this cave and
announced that it is the longest cave in Asia. The beauty of the
stalactites and stalagmites in different shapes on the ceilings and the
floors gives it the name Thien Duong (Paradise). However, only the
first 1km in the cave is open to visitors. Exploring farther requires
some specialized equipment.
Further southwest of Thien Duong
Cave is Sinh Ton Valley, 15km from Phong Nha Cave.
The primeval forest covering 2,000ha is really a “living museum” with
historical, geological and geomorphologic values and high biodiversity
in flora and fauna which have been well preserved.
Over the past
10 years, three million people visited Phong Nha – Ke Bang National
Park. The management board of the park has been organizing activities to
promote tourism, such as holding exhibitions in Germany and Laos
and coordinating with television film studios in Brazil and Hong
Kong to make films on the caves. The management board also signed with
some travel companies to offer ecological and adventure tours to attract
more tourists to the park in the near future.
Sea paradise in the east
Quang
Binh province borders the East Sea , with a coastline dotted with
peaceful white beaches sloping into the blue sea. Among them, Nhat Le
Beach has become a familiar destination for tourists on summer
vacations.
Located near the Nhat Le River, the beach slopes
gently and is an ideal and safe place for playing and swimming. Nguyen
Du and Truong Phap Roads run along the coast, leading to historical
relics and scenery, such as the vestige of Tam Toa Church, the
monument dedicated to National Heroic Mother Suot, and the
archaeological site of Bau Tro. All these contribute to attracting
tourists to Nhat Le Beach.
The fishing villages in Bao Ninh offer
home-stay tours to help visitors experience the life of the fishing
community and enjoy seafood and the typical folk songs of the area with
hot wind and white sand in Quang Binh.-VNA