The Thoughtful Travel Podcast · Tuesday, July 28, 2026
The discovery of Son Doong cave, noted for having the world's largest known chamber cross-section, initially sparked a tourism boom in Vietnam's Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. While the cave itself was a significant draw, its challenging access and cost led visitors to explore other numerous caves in the park, diversifying the region's appeal as a caving destination.
“And that's when they discovered that it had the biggest chamber cross-section of any known cave chamber anywhere in the world.”
“So people were hooked by the fact that this area had the biggest cave in the world, at least by one measure.”
“But then there are all of these other caves that the national park has. People were able to visit in different ways that were more suitable to what they wanted and also more suitable to their budgets.”