Hang Son Doong Cave in Vietnam is the largest cave in the world. It is extremely difficult to reach the cave, which is located in a dangerous area. The gigantic cave, whose end has not yet been found, has its own ecosystem, climate and rainforest. There are many different animal and plant species in the cave, different from the normal world.
The main passage section of the cave is more than 5 kilometers long. The largest sections are 200 meters high and 150 meters wide. It’s big enough to fit a 40-story skyscraper. The cave consists of dozens of caves that are connected to each other towards the depths of the underground. Strange and frightening sounds are heard in the interior of the cave.
Discovery of the Cave and Its Mysteries
In 1990, a native gets lost in the dark forests of Vietnam while chasing his prey with his dog. The farmer knows this forest very well and it is impossible to get lost. But whichever way he turns, the trees and mountains he sees for the first time appear before him. A few weeks later, when the tribesmen set out to find their missing friend, they find the body of their missing friend and the dog in front of a hollow, where they will meet for the first time. According to the locals, they could not even go inside because of the strange sounds coming from the cave.
In the research carried out by the authorities in the region, it was said that such a cave should not exist in this place. Many people have done research in the place where the cave is, but they did not notice the cave. When they enter the cave, the view encountered is far beyond what one can imagine. Opening to a new world through a small entrance, the cave is home to vast rainforests, huge beaches and never-before-seen animal species. Some strange sounds are heard inside. Giant footprints were found inside the cave and these traces continue into the depths of the cave.
A team was appointed to conduct research in the cave, and research was carried out in the cave for about 20 days. As a result of the researches, it was said that the cave contained a different world and that the end could not be reached. Entrances to the mysterious cave have been banned indefinitely by the Vietnamese government, even with orders to shoot anyone who comes close to breaking the ban. The cave, which resembles an underground planet, has been hidden from the world for 10 years.
An American mountaineer, who had heard about the cave from the locals, obtained permission from the Vietnamese government to explore the cave. The researchers, who entered the cave with a team, are determined to go to the end of the cave, but are not successful.
One of these researchers recorded the following words about the cave in his diary; “I thought the stories the natives told might be legends. But when we got inside, I realized that everything was real. My friends and I were in doubt as to whether I should move forward. A human voice was constantly echoing in our ears. But since such sounds are a situation we encounter in many caves, we started to move forward by suggesting each other. There were endless forests inside. How could this be, how could a new world appear when we entered a tiny hole? There are incredible beaches built around huge trees, previously unrecorded animal species, rivers, large lakes.
The altitude is almost 200 meters. It took us a week to advance about 6 kilometers inland. The huge footprints mentioned start here, too. The leader of our group calculated that we found 12 different tracks in total. 12 different footprints, each about twice as large as a normal human’s footprint. A friend of ours says that in such a place, these footprints could only belong to an unknown human species. Sometimes we come across huge cliffs. Although it is difficult to notice and overcome these chasms in the pitch dark, the worst thing is to try to sleep by listening to that non-stop sound. We are planning to take the audio recordings and start the return journey in a few days. Because we’re running out of batteries and supplies…”
Features of Hang Son Doong Cave
The temperature in the cave remains constant at an average of 22 degrees Celsius. As you go deeper into the cave, this temperature decreases. The cave, which is estimated to be 3 million years old, and the limestone around it are thought to be 400 million years old. There is no flat structure in the cave, which is surrounded by quite complex systems. There are fossils about 350 million years old in a place called “fossil passage” inside the cave. Strange and complex sounds are heard inside the cave due to the wind current.
There are dolines formed as a result of melting and collapse in the cave. The lights coming into the cave cause the formation of clouds by heating the river waters in the cave. Sunlight penetrating through the dolines creates wonderful views. Deep in the cave, there are literally natural wonders of rainforest. These forests create a different ecosystem within themselves. The trees in the forest have a length of more than 45 meters. Animal species such as monkeys, eagles and owls have made these forests their home. There are also foxes, endangered tigers and rare langurs in the forest.
7 different new species such as centipedes, fish, crabs and spiders were found in the cave. Since the cave is dark and has a different structure, these creatures took on a different shape by adapting to the environment. Some of them have transparent streams, some are colorless, and some have lost their eyes because of the lack of light and have evolved. There are lakes that reach 600 meters wide in the cave. The amount of water in the lake changes seasonally and is connected to other caves by underground tunnels. An underwater passage was found during the researches carried out by the divers in the lake. The cave is extremely large and contains a life quite different from the normal world.
