Primate’s “Kingdom” Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh is known the world over with the title “Kingdom of Caves” because there are hundreds of caves with fanciful beauty and hidden mysteries and surprises. is discovered. Not only that, this place is also known as “Primate Paradise” because it has the highest number of primate species and density in Vietnam. Notably, the whole Vietnam has 24 primate subspecies, here there are 10 species and subspecies living, lasting with time and is identified as the place with the highest diversity of primates in the National Parks. In which, there are 3 globally endangered primate species: the white-necked langur, the brown-shanked douc langur and the white-cheeked gibbon. When coming to any limestone mountains in Phong Nha – Ke Bang, many people are surprised because if they can’t meet monkeys, it is easy to admire the splendid beauty of the brown-shanked douc, or heard the sacred song calling the herd of siki gibbons. The forests: Hung Dang, Hung Lau, Tro Mong… are frequent spots of brown-shanked douc and white-necked langurs. While the white-necked langur often occurs in the Tro Mong area, many people have found that the brown-shanked douc is abundant in Hung Dang. Mr. Le Thuc Dinh, Director of the Center for Rescue – Conservation and Biological Development of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, said that every day when “surveying” or patrolling, officials in the National Park easily encounter douc paws. brown with the number of about 3 herds, each group about 15 individuals. The brown-shanked douc with its brightly colored fur, is considered by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as the “queen” in the primate world. Meanwhile, in the U Bo forest area, located on the West branch of Ho Chi Minh Road, is the largest population of siki gibbons (local people call it song gibbons) in Vietnam. Here, scientists and rangers recorded about 41 herds of siki with hundreds of individuals. According to Mr. Dinh, in this National Park, there are many primate species belonging to rare goods, such as: loris family, there are large loris, small loris; monkey family, there are pig-tailed monkeys, moldy monkeys, yellow monkeys, red-faced monkeys, jet-black langurs, white-necked langurs, brown-shanked douc langurs; and the gibbon family has the white-cheeked gibbon… According to research documents with unspecified statistics, the white-necked langur alone is estimated to have about 700 individuals; brown-shanked douc, estimated at over 500 individuals. White-necked langur in the area of ​​​​Doi mountain in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park Primates are being cared for, rescued and conserved in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park The place to save primates With the rarity, especially there are rumors about the miraculous value of monkeys and apes, so primates in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park always face a great threat from hunting and trafficking. The illegal sale of wild animals makes the officials and experts working here very hard in the work of protection, conservation and prevention. Center for Rescue, Conservation and Biological Development of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, where many officials are working every day to rescue and nurture dozens of precious and rare primates in danger of extinction, like : brown-shanked douc langur, red-eyed monkey, white-cheeked gibbon… The center is located on the banks of the Son River, where it has a mild climate and an abundant food source for rescued primates. Busy preparing lunch for a red-faced monkey, Pham Kim Vuong – Head of the Wildlife Rescue Department, said that this monkey was very pitiful, previously being hunted by a group of people into the forest. Thanks to the forest ranger’s discovery, this monkey was saved. However, his spirit was panicking, his body was injured due to being entangled in an animal trap, fortunately thanks to the careful care of the brothers in the rescue department, his health is now stable and ready to return to the natural environment. Veterinarian Le Ngoc Anh, deputy director of this center, said that wildlife rescue activities have been carried out since its establishment in 2001. However, the rescue infrastructure is still very poor at this time. temporary, there is no animal rescue area, so the rescue only focuses on a few endangered species. From 2015 to now, the unit has received nearly 600 wild animals; The rescue success rate is nearly 90%. Currently, the center is continuing to nurture and rescue dozens of wild animals. “The care is not simple, it’s hard work, sometimes in the face of danger,” said veterinarian Le Ngoc Anh. Develop a conservation strategy lược Mr. Pham Hong Thai, Director of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park Management Board, said that the unit has developed action programs on wildlife protection and conservation; endangered, precious and rare forest fauna and flora to meet the requirements of conservation according to the actual situation. From 2015 to now, people have been propagated to be more conscious and responsible in handing over wild animals for conservation, including rare primates: pig-tailed macaques, golden monkeys, monkeys Coc, small loris, border mountain turtle, Ha Tinh langur… In addition, in order to contribute to the good implementation of wildlife conservation, the National Park has also signed a regulation on coordination with the provincial border guards, forest rangers and authorities of 7 buffer zone communes to prevent the transportation of forest products. illegal; Sign a commitment not to violate regulations on forest protection, not to trade, trade or consume wild animals for households, restaurants in the buffer zone communes and mining and trading units. travel…

According to information from the Quang Binh Department of Tourism, it is estimated that there are about 110,000 visitors during the holiday of April 30 – May 1, reaching about 55% compared to the same period in 2019. In which, the number of visitors canceled or postponed the program. There are a lot of travel schedules to Quang Binh before and during the holidays due to concerns about the Covid-19 epidemic. One of the most popular attractions in Quang Binh is the Tomb of General Vo Nguyen Giap, which is not open to visitors on this occasion. Tourists go sandboarding at Quang Phu sand dunes, Quang Binh. The situation of attracting tourists, especially in Phong Nha – Ke Bang area, has been significantly overcome; The situation of clinging to tourists, especially at the junction of Ho Chi Minh road to Phong Nha, has been directed by the People’s Committee of Bo Trach district, so it basically does not happen. The quality of tourism service businesses is focused, creating a good impression. Service prices are relatively stable, the listing of prices and selling according to the listed prices are strictly implemented by accommodation businesses, tourist attractions and zones. On this year’s holiday, in addition to tourists traveling in groups served by travel agencies and chartered trains, the number of visitors to Quang Binh mainly travels by family cars. According to evaluations from businesses, tourists coming to Quang Binh during the holiday have quite high spending compared to previous years. The models of homestays and farmstay are increasingly attracting tourists. The average occupancy rate of tourist accommodation establishments is about 60%, focusing mainly on 3-star establishments or more or homestays, farmstays with swimming pools or beautiful landscapes. The motels, hotels, hotels from 1-2 stars have a relatively low occupancy rate (about 35%). During this year’s holiday, the main destinations of tourists in Quang Binh are Phong Nha cave, Thien Duong cave, Mooc spring, Chay river area – Dark cave, Ozo Park, Thac Mo, General Vo memorial house Nguyen Giap, Temple of Heroes and Martyrs on 20 Quyet Thang Street, Hoang Phuc Pagoda, Holy Mother Lieu Hanh Temple; Da Nhay, Nhat Le, Quang Phu, Bao Ninh beaches and check-in points, community tourism./.

Before starting the 4 day 3 night journey to conquer the largest cave in the world, the whole group will gather to listen to the guide to disseminate safety information and receive equipment. At the same time, people will meet porters (porters), safety assistants, chefs … Son Doong cave belongs to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park (Quang Binh), this is the address in the list of 20 destinations to break natural records voted by Insider (USA) in 2020. In 1991, the cave was discovered by Mr. Ho Khanh while going to the woods and looking for a place to avoid rain. Then the British Royal cave experts, led by Mr. Howard Limbert, have researched, measured and officially confirmed this is the largest cave in the world. Day 1: Phong Nha – Hang En The first day of the group was the journey from Phong Nha to Hang En. The group will start to walk down a long slope, across the forest with many climbing and downhill sections. After that, you continue to walk and wade streams. Due to going on a rainy day, the water in the cave is quite cold. Going all this way, you will come to Ban Doong, the village of the ethnic minority community of Bru Van Kieu. Group stop for lunch and rest here. After lunch break, the group continues to move about 3 hours to reach Hang En door. This is the third largest cave in the world with a length of about 1.6 km. This location used to be the setting of a famous movie Peter Pan . After more than half a day of traveling, the members were divided into tents and camps. Next to the camp is a blue lake, you can go swimming if you like. The first night in the cave, the chefs will serve the group with a variety of dishes. All processed ingredients are brought from the outside by porters, the dishes are processed deliciously, both taste and attractive. After dinner, the whole group will exchange, chat and end the first day. Day 2: Son Doong cave entrance – Bai Trai 1 In the morning, the whole team explores deeper in Hang En to come to Son Doong. After that, the group stopped for lunch before wearing seat belts and climbed down to the mouth of Son Doong cave. Although I still had a lot of confusion in handling situations, I finally set foot on the cave floor. With its majestic looks and giant size, the store surprised the whole group. From here, the group continued to cross many underground streams. The water is flowing fast, the porters have to stand in line to reduce the water strength, helping the group pass through safely. However, I boldly swim through this stream. In the afternoon, the delegation arrived at the first campsite of Son Doong cave. From here, you can look to sinkhole 1, also known as “Dinosaur’s Void”. This sinkhole was formed as part of the cave ceiling collapsed thousands of years ago. After dinner, I went to bed early because the day 2 itinerary was quite tiring. Day 3: Garden of Eden – Beach camp 2 Garden of Eden and Hole 2 is the most impressive place in this journey. From the very beginning, the group had to overcome very high and slippery rock slopes, so down quickly. You have to wriggle through many narrow rocky niches to reach sinkhole 1 – “Dinosaur’s Vape”. Continue to go deep and climb the rope over some steep rocks to get to the other side of the sinkhole 1. From here, you can capture the magnificent scenery of Son Doong cave. The group stops for lunch to prepare to conquer “Garden of Eden” at the second sinkhole. Because there is a sinkhole, light can enter the cave, creating a diverse vegetation. After exploring the forest, the group rested at camp No. 2 and continued to go into the dark cave to learn about the unique creatures, admire the masterpieces of stalactites. Finally, the group returned to the campsite, had dinner and rest, ending the third day. Day 4: The Vietnam Wall The last day, the group wore seat belts to conquer the Vietnamese Wall. This is an important milestone of the journey to conquer Son Doong. Before that, you are instructed on essential skills such as climbing ropes, operating safety equipment … First, you need to take a boat ride on an underground lake 600 meters long to reach the foot of the wall. You will start with a 20 m of iron ladder. The challenge increases in difficulty as you continue to swing with your hands to successfully conquer the wall and out of the cave. After leaving the cave, the group had lunch and continued to cross the forest for about 2 hours to go to the gathering point. About 15-16h, the transfer car took the group to the hotel, ending the journey. I stayed at a homestay for one night, then moved back to Hanoi. Note If you are planning this trip, you should register for the tour early. It was 8 months from the time I registered to the start of the journey. The number of visitors to explore the cave is limited per year. – Before starting the journey, it is necessary to practice according to the instructions of the tour provider. – About supplies, I prepare according to the list provided. In particular, you must bring organic shampoo, shower gel (organic), to not affect the environment in the cave. Good trekking shoes will decide 70% of your trip. Tour cost: 58.2 million VND / person Difficulty: 6 – difficult Age of participation: 18 years old and above Distance: 17 km through the forest, 8 km to explore the cave, 800 m up the slope, 90 m to climb the rope – Vietnam wall, across the river, stream or underground river in the cave. Do you have a trip this summer yet? Please share with us about the schedule, costs and beautiful pictures at: lifestyle@zing.vn The articles will be edited and published in the Zing Travel column.

The Quang Binh tourism industry is making efforts towards more positive results in the coming months. In the second quarter of this year, the Department of Tourism of Quang Binh strives to welcome 470,000 visitors, expected to increase 13% over the same period in 2020 and mainly target the domestic market. To achieve this goal, the locality is making efforts to develop new tourism products, improve service quality and promote tourism promotion and promotion. It is expected that in the second quarter, Quang Binh tourism will deploy and launch a number of new tourism products such as “Son Doong – virtual space, real experience” with Mix Reality technology; city ​​tour (city tour) Dong Hoi city; natural bicycle and jogging tourism products in Phong Nha area; adventure travel products; Hot spring ecotourism resort … Son Doong cave. Source: Oxalis Adventure These tours will add to Quang Binh’s rich and constantly refreshing product treasure. A series of tourism programs have just been launched in the first quarter, typically the product “Explore nature and learn about Van Kieu community culture in Quang Ninh and Le Thuy districts” or “Experience Learn about Ruc community culture and culture in Thuong Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district “… Besides, Quang Binh tourism is focusing on promoting on digital platforms; at the same time, upgrading the system of Quang Binh tourism website in English and Vietnamese and continuously updating information on social networking sites. Upcoming events to be held such as Dong Hoi Culture and Tourism Week, Culture, sports, tourism week and full moon festival in March Minh Hoa; The Quang Binh Discovery Marathon … is also a good opportunity to promote and attract visitors to Quang Binh. Cave discovery tour is a “specialty” of Quang Binh tourism. Notably, although the Covid – 19 epidemic is still complicated, Quang Binh tourism always maintains its connection with the international tourism market. Recently, Phong Nha has been rated by Booking.com as the most hospitable destination in Vietnam; Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park was voted by TripAdvisor as one of the top 20 national parks in the world; Son Doong cave was chosen by CNN as one of the 10 great destinations to explore in Vietnam. In the first quarter of 2021, Quang Binh Department of Tourism is the main partner to cooperate with Google in Asia – Pacific and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism organizes the program “Vietnam Wonders” on “Google Art and Culture”. In addition, the program “Conquering Son Doong – the largest cave in the world” was organized for travel bloggers and international press reporters to promote the image of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. The photos of Son Doong cave, En cave, Va cave appeared on the fanpage of National Geographic magazine and attracted great public’s attention./.