Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu
DhabiRoyal Ruling Family in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said he is held in
awe by the splendor of Son Doong Cave, the world’s largest of its kind, during
his visit to Vietnam in early Feb.
According to Oxalis Co.,
which provides tours to Son Doong in Quang Binh province’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang
National Park, the sheikh, his friend and two assistants have just returned
safely to Phong Nha after their trip to the cave.
The sheikh and his companions began their
trip to the cave on Feb 6 after marveling at the cave’s magnificence from ads
on foreign magazines.
He exclaimed that he has yet to see such an
imposing, splendid place in the world, which made a strong impression on him
and fully satisfied his adventurous pursuits.
The Sheikh added that he will promote the
cave on one of his kingdom’s major tourism magazines and expressed hopes that
local tourism officials will work hard to preserve Son Doong Cave’s pristine
beauty and better tap into its adventure tourism potentials.
He stressed that he will return with his
family to Phong Nha soon.
Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, also
known affectionately as The Rainbow Sheikh, has retired from his army service
and diplomatic life and now devotes most of his time to the development
of new vehicles in the world.
Sheikh Hamad owns some of the world’s
largest cars and trucks. He also holds the Guinness Book of World records
for the world’s largest caravan, which is on display at the Emirates National
Auto Museum.
Vietnam’s Son Doong Cave, which has a large
fast-flowing underground river inside, was found by a local resident named Ho
Khanh in 1991.
The cave became public after a group of
British scientists from the British Cave Research Association, led by
Howard and Deb Limbert, conducted a survey in Phong Nha-Ke Bang, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in Apr 2009.
According to the Limberts, Son Doong Cave is
five times larger than the Phong Nha Cave, previously considered the biggest
cave in Vietnam. The biggest chamber of Son Doong is more than five kilometers
long, 200 meters high, and 150 meters wide.
With such large dimensions, Son Doong
overtakes Deer Cave in Malaysia to take the title of the world's largest cave.
Late last year Quang Binh province decided
to launch tours to Son Doong Cave on a piloting basis.
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