🇻🇳 [Son Doong Cave Day 2] Jungle Trek to Hang En | River Crossings, Village & Cave Camping

Day 2 of my 6-day, 5-night Son Doong tour begins the 4-day, 3-night cave expedition. We leave Commander Lodge, descend through the jungle, cross the Rao Thuong River repeatedly, visit Ban Doong Village and camp inside Hang En Cave. Son Doong is the world’s largest known natural cave by volume. Located in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, it is about 9 km long with an estimated volume of 38.5 million cubic meters. Local forest expert Ho Khanh found its entrance in 1990, and the British-Vietnamese Cave Expedition Team conducted the first major survey in 2009. After breakfast, I handed over my semi-dry bag, limited to 7 kg, for the porters. My passport, cash and cards were tagged and stored at the Oxalis office. We received new gloves, drove to the trailhead and gradually lost phone reception. The trek began at 10:09 a.m. The morning was mostly downhill. We saw orchids high in the trees and thorn-covered rattan, which can be split to make rope and woven items. In the valley, we followed the Rao Thuong River and crossed it several times. Cloudy weather and surprisingly warm water made the trek comfortable. ■ Ban Doong Village We reached Ban Doong at around 11:30 a.m. According to our guide, 11 families—about 60 people—lived there. This settlement is home to the Bru–Van Kieu ethnic community. Through the Oxalis Foundation, tourism revenue supports local education and infrastructure, including a school and solar power. We heard that villagers preferred using the new electricity for large karaoke speakers rather than the television provided by the government. We ate bread, bananas, meat and soup for lunch, tried starfruit and departed at 1 p.m. ■ Trekking to Hang En Cave After more river crossings along channels that rise dramatically during the wet season, the huge entrance of Hang En came into view. Hang En is about 1.6 km long with an estimated volume of 6.7 million cubic meters. Its largest chamber is roughly 200 m wide and reaches 145 m high. Oxalis describes it as the world’s third-largest cave. The Rao Thuong River disappears underground here and connects with the Son Doong cave system downstream. We put on helmets and headlamps, entered the darkness and crossed an underground lake by boat. Our campsite stood inside an immense chamber. The porters had already delivered our bags. Each tent included a mosquito net, mats, a pillow and sleeping bag, and every guest received a battery-powered fan. ■ Swimming and camping underground Wearing a life jacket, I swam beside the campsite and floated beneath the enormous ceiling. SUP boards were also available. Soap and shampoo cannot be used in the water to protect the environment. Drinking water, coffee and tea were provided. The camp also had washing water, changing rooms, a smoking area, dining space and waterless composting toilets. “Én” means swallow in Vietnamese, and swiftlets nest high in Hang En’s brighter chambers. Bats inhabit darker areas. I could not tell which animals were flying overhead that evening, but we spent our first underground night surrounded by birds and insects. The next day, we would finally enter Son Doong. ■ Official information Son Doong Cave Expedition https://oxalisadventure.com/tour/son-... Hang En Cave https://oxalisadventure.com/cave/hang... Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park—UNESCO https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/951/ #SonDoongCave #HangSonDoong #VietnamTravel #CaveExploration #PhongNhaKeBang #OxalisAdventure --- Hi, I’m kurakurakurarin! Thank you for watching my video. Born in Tokyo / Graduate of the Department of Landscape Architecture Science at Tokyo University of Agriculture / Vintage clothing enthusiast / Former employee of a major international travel guidebook publisher / Collector of vintage football shirts / Author of an article explaining how to date Umbro labels by era / Former Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer with JICA, assigned to the Chuuk State Tourism Office in the Federated States of Micronesia in 2018 / Over 400 scuba dives / Award-winning wreck-diving photographer / Traveled to more than 60 countries / Visiting vintage clothing stores around the world / Airbnb Experiences host and English-speaking guide for a vintage shop tour in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo / Islay whisky enthusiast / Favorite gemstone: opal / Google Maps Local Guide Level 10 Instagram   / kurakurakurarin   Kurarin Store Original merchandise featuring photographs taken in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia https://kurakurarin.theshop.jp/ All music is from the YouTube Audio Library. Subtitles were created using Vrew.