Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: Entering the World's Largest Cave

Monday, March 31, 2025

Entering the World's Largest Cave

The world's largest cave: It has a forest, a river, and clouds inside

(Ruhi Çenet) Vietnam's Son Doong is the largest [known] cave in our planet. To learn more about Son Doong or to visit Son Doong, check out Oxalis's website: oxalisadventure.com.

This cave is so massive that it has a completely self-sustaining ecosystem with its own climate conditions. Hundreds of meters underground, clouds like the ones we're used to seeing in the sky form inside this enclosed cave. Son Doong even has an untouched prehistoric rainforest hidden far below the surface and a vast underground river.

Flora and fauna

From transparent fish to colorful monkeys, over 250 endemic [found nowhere else but here] plant and animal species live in this underground world. Seven new animal species were recently discovered here and are unique to this place.

Stretching 5.6 miles (9 kilometers) in length, this cave encloses 38.5 million cubic meters of space. Its passages are so enormous that a 40-story skyscraper could fit inside. Its giant stalagmites rise like towers from ancient cities. Walking inside, it’s impossible not to feel as small as a tiny bug.

Son Doong even contains phytokarst rocks, which move towards the sun like semi-living organisms. Rare cave pearls and many other unique formations are also found here. For 3 million years since its formation, the world had no idea about this cave's existence until it was fully explored in 2009 in Vietnam. Now, it’s time for you to see the largest cave on earth. Individual access is forbidden to protect both visitors and the fragile environment. This expedition is operated by Oxalis, the only authorized agency.

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I... My name is Ruhi Çenet. I'm an independent documentary maker. I go to unique places and meet unique people and investigate or analyze them with a unique approach. My motto is, "Curiosity is the best guide." Join me. Let's learn something new and different. Instagram ► instagram.com. Twitter ► ruhicenet.

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