Hang Son Doong - Cave of the mountain river!

Hang Sơn Đoòng ('cave of the mountain river' or 'mountain cave of Đoòng [village]' in Vietnamese),also known as Sơn Đoòng cave (often without thetone marks) is a solutional cave in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Bố Trạch District, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam. As of 2009 it has the largest known cave passage cross-section in the world,and is located near the Laos–Vietnam border. Inside is a large, fast-flowing subterranean river. It was formed inCarboniferous/Permian limestone.

Hang Sơn Đoòng was found by a local man named Hồ Khanh in 1991. The whistling sound of wind and roar of a rushing stream in the cave heard through the entrance as well as the steep descent prevented the local people from entering the cave. Only in 2009 did the cave become internationally known after a group of cavers from theBritish Cave Research Association, conducted a survey in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng from 10 to 14 April 2009. Their progress was stopped by a large, 60-metre (200 ft) highcalcite wall, which was named the Great Wall of Vietnam. It was traversed in 2010 when the group reached the end of the cave passage.

According to the Limberts, the main Sơn Đoòng cave passage is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume – 38.4×10⁶ cubic metres (1.36×10⁹ cu ft). It is more than 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long, 200 metres (660 ft) high and 150 metres (490 ft) wide. Its cross-section is believed to be twice that of the next largest passage, inDeer Cave, Malaysia. The cave runs for approximately 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) and is punctuated by 2 large dolines, which are areas where the ceiling of the cave has collapsed. The dolines allow sunlight to enter sections of the cave and has resulted in the growth of trees as well as other vegetation.

The cave contains some of the tallest known stalagmites in the world, which are up to 70 m tall. Behind the Great Wall of Vietnam were found cave pearls the size of baseballs, an abnormally large size.