“It’s a special cave like no other in the world. The stalactites here grow up from the water like shoots of bamboo shoots, forming a garden of paradise with thousands of shoots, it’s very beautiful and also very fragile,” said Howard Limbert, cave expert of the Royal Society. British experts said so about Va cave before we prepared to go on a survey in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park (Quang Binh).
The beautiful stairs in Va cave.
Journey to discover Va . cave
In the midst of the hot sun, we followed the survey team of the Department of Culture and Sports and conducted a field survey of Va cave. As always, supporting the delegation is still the top experts of the Royal Caving Society, in addition to Howard Limbert and Mrs. Deb Limbert, there are John, a rescue expert and Ms. Ruth, who is also a leading expert on caves. activities, together with Oxalis International Travel Company and Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park Management Board .
From the 28th kilometer of the West branch of Ho Chi Minh Road, our group started the journey of walking through the forest and crossing streams. The first destination is Nuoc Nut cave located along a dry stream full of rocks and pebbles. However, underground veins still crept somewhere under the cracks of the rocks, traces of the stream disappeared at the mouth of the cave. Inside the cave are underground rivers that are still flowing. The survey team took advantage of visiting Nuoc Nut cave for about 1 hour and then thought for lunch, the meal consisted of cold food and fruit but calculated to ensure adequate nutrients for the members of the delegation. to conquer the next stretch.
From Nuoc Nut cave to Va cave is only about 1km, but this road is full of jagged and sharp cat ears. The survey team had to pass a high mountain with a rather steep slope. It took us nearly 2 hours to reach the campsite in front of the cave. Hang Va is located in a small valley, surrounded on four sides by high cliffs, in the core area of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, where only Ho Khanh can find this cave masterpiece.
Because I was thinking about recuperation while walking, I was not familiar with the terrain, so when I reached the entrance of Va cave, the sky was already falling in the afternoon. To ensure safety, Howard decided to let everyone rest and have dinner. The poter team of Oxalis company came here before, when we were forever surveying Nuoc Nut cave. The sleeping tents are set up neatly, the chef is also preparing dinner with hot dishes. We took advantage of getting more water from the mini water purifier. After dinner, everyone seems to be tired after nearly a day of climbing, so they all take advantage of going to bed early, spending energy for tomorrow’s challenges. The night in the middle of the small valley was quite hot, the wind could not reach it because of the surrounding cliffs. Only the sound of nocturnal animals, sometimes a stray bird calls out to the whole valley, I can’t sleep forever…
Magical Thach Thuy cave.
Masterpiece of the great thousand
The next morning, when the sunrise was shining, after breakfast, everyone was asked to check the lights and shoes to start entering Va cave.
To ensure absolute safety for all members, Ms. Deb personally led the way. The entrance of Va cave is quite small, located more than 20m deep from the ground, the mossy, slippery rocks are always a danger for those who are careless, just need to put their feet in the wrong position to get down or go wrong. guidance could be life-threatening, which is why we were constantly asked by Mrs. Deb to follow in her footsteps. Mrs. Ruth went last, to make sure no one was left too far behind. Yesterday while waiting for dinner, we took the time to chat with Deb and Ruth to learn about Va Cave. They said, Va cave is only 1.7km long, more than 100m wide, very close to Son Doong, but the stalactites in it are magnificent and very strange. It is a cave with an underground river flowing in, stalactites lined up like chess pieces, They grow in the form of very spectacular shoots that the expedition has never seen. Explorers have gone to every corner of Va cave to make an assessment, it is a cave with dense stalactites and indescribably beautiful. An unlimited “creative” style of nature in terms of geometry.
Hang Va crystallizes the unlimited creativity of nature.
Along the underground river in Va cave are various types of stalactites, massive stalactites formed over the years. There are parts of the cave as wide as the auditorium 30-40m high, there are parts where we have to crawl our whole body to crawl through, there are places where it is very difficult to get through.
Near the end, Hang Va splits into two branches, one with an underground river below, and the other with the use of seat belt devices for us to access. This branch of the cave is a masterpiece of nature with hundreds of stalactites in the shape of shoots sprouting all over the floor of the cave, Howard was very careful when he inserted tiny stakes with a ribbon attached to make our mark on it. but walk. Ms. Deb said that when officially put into operation, there will definitely have to be a plan to build a wooden bridge, not as large as in Thien Duong cave because the stalactites here are many and very special, the number of people participating in the tour must also be limited. like Son Doong tour, if you don’t want it to quickly degrade. In front of our eyes is a strange world of nature, I feel like I’m lost in another world, I keep looking at it and don’t know what words to use to describe it.
Cave experts say: “There is no doubt that Va Cave is a masterpiece of natural wisdom”. Mother Nature has given the land of Quang Binh a “treasure” that needs to be carefully and wisely preserved.
Find a new name for the “masterpiece of nature”
In Va cave, the underground river flows through the cracks to help create strange shapes. Its end is the place where nature unleashes its creativity when the combination of wind, water and calcium has formed terraced fields. Quiet lakes hang in the middle of the sky. Especially the stalactite “gardens” rising from the cave floor. Howard Limbert sent a picture of a branch of Va cave with a strange stalactite system to a newspaper to ask readers to name. A “committee” was formed with four leading experts on caves and a translator who worked seriously for many days to find the right name, short but full of meaning. of this branch. And the name “Thach Thuy” was chosen.
Hang Va is so mysterious.
When asked why he chose the name Thach Thuy, Howard Limbert – expedition leader of the Royal British Cave Association said, “Most of us like the name “Thach Thuy” (rock – stalagmite in water – water stalagmite) because This name accurately describes the very unique shapes that can be said in this branch of the Va cave. The water element here is very special. The stalagmites are clearly formed by the movement of water, and because those stalagmites are “living” in the water, growing from the bottom of the lake, not forming thanks to a small stream of water from above. (no such trace was observed) as is common in other caves. So we found this name most appropriate.” Howard Limbert also adds,
Source: Collected internet.