From our hotel window in Phong Nha, we had a view of the Song River and could observe people "harvesting" algae as feed for the fish in their fish farms
It also has another economic significance for the area, as hundreds of people have found employment driving tourists to the beautiful limestone caves. You can enter the Phong Nha Cave by boat. It made a great impression on us, although the huge Paradise Cave, with its height of up to 80 meters, and the Tien Son Cave, where we were completely alone, were even more impressive. Unfortunately, the size doesn't come across in the photos. But the variety of formations in all the caves was stunning. The national park comprises several hundred caves, including three of the four largest caves in the world. Compared to the European caves we have seen so far, they all seem quite small.One unforgettable experience was an organized day tour with 'Jungle Boss', which took us to the Tra Ang Cave, located in the jungle, a 30-minute walk from the road. We were equipped with life jackets, helmets, and headlamps and swam about 300 meters deep into the cave. That in itself was already exciting enough. Then we stood on a sandbank and turned off our lamps. You can't imagine a darker blackness. And then it was time to swim back without any light. I wanted to protest at first, but then Michael took my hand, and afterwards I was very proud and we were both very happy.We used the third day for a bike tour These are burial fields that can be found everywhere in the middle of the rice fields. When we ended up in a dead-end, we were quickly taken across in a fisherman's boat by a resourceful young woman. Although her little daughter was a bit shy of these strange-speaking people, she didn't hesitate to accompany her mother on the crossingA wonderful area, and here too we only met friendly people.
