Located nearly 350m above sea level on a limestone mountain range formed in the geological tectonic process of the earth thousands of years ago, the scenic spot of Hat Chuong cave (Huoi Cang village, Pa Ham Commune, Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province) is the convergence of many diverse properties of nature: geology, geomorphology, topography, climate, biology, ecology and environmental landscape. This is an attractive, interesting and attractive destination for tourists inside and outside the province.

Stalactites on the dome in the first compartment of Hat Chuong Cave.

From Đien Bien Phu City, visitors went along Highway 12, through Muong Cha Town to Hua Ngai Commune, passing Highway 6A to reach Pa Ham Commune. After arriving in Pa Ham, visitors took a boat to cross the poetic, majestic Nam Muc River to come to Huoi Cang Village and walked about 300m to reach the cave.

After enjoying the poetic and majestic scenery when going up the Nam Muc River by motorboat, visitors will enter the reborn forest, the natural scenery around the cave before discovering and experiencing other emotions when entering the cave.

One of the four doors leads into Hat Chuong cave.

The cave has four entrances. The main one faces the southeast, while the other three face the northeast. The cave is about 250m long, divided into three compartments and three small subdivisions.

The path to the third compartment of Hắt Chuông Cave. 

The first compartment has a depth of about 98m. It is divided into two large branches, the widest place is about 7m and the ceiling is about 8m high. Inside the compartment is yellow, grey and brown stones connected together. On the cave ceiling, stalactites create shapes like chandeliers or golden curtains.

The curtains of stalactites have golden colors on the wall of the compartment of Hat Chuong cave.

The cave wall features many strips of stalactites, curving as soft as velvet curtains and waterfalls in succession. The cave floor features large stone mounds with vivid images of nature such as herds of elephants and beautiful stone pillars and stalagmites. From this position, we could see a side entrance facing the northeast with daylight shining in. It looked like a spotlight to make the place more shimmering and fanciful.

The second compartment has a length of more than 80m. The ceiling of the cave is studded with spiral-shaped stalactites as well as stone bells, bunches of rice, waterfalls, umbrellas and colourful statues.

Stalactites in the second compartment of Hat Chuong cave.

The cave walls are pure white stone ledges with around 3-5m long interwoven like silk strips. The cave floor looks like stone blocks of different sizes, including some in the shape of a woman holding a child, a sleeping fairy, and rice trays.

The uniqueness of the stalactites on the dome of Hat Chuong cave.

From this compartment, the light from the two side entrances in the northeast and southeast reflects to give the space a mysterious look. There is a large space like a big hall in this compartment that can hold thousands of people.

The uniqueness of the stalactites on the dome of Hat Chuong cave.

Meanwhile, the third has a length of nearly 70m with a width of 5-10m and a height of more than 2m. The cave ceiling is arched with yellow, brown, grey and white stones and some small stalactites hanging down. The cave walls are yellow, grey, and black stone blocks linked together into seamless blocks, bringing a distinct beauty different from the previous compartments. The cave floor is wet, relatively flat, and has many small round pebbles.

Stalactites on the dome of Hat Chuong cave.

According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Đao, director of the monuments management board of Dien Bien Province, Hat Chucng cave is located in a limestone mountain range with the geological formation that created the cave having different types of ecosystems such as limestone mountain ecosystems and cave ecosystems.

Mr. Đao said the cave has retained its wild beauty with biodiversity and historical, cultural, scientific, tourism and aesthetic values.

Mang Van Nom, chairman of Pa Ham’s People’s Committee, said Pa Ham is a remote commune with four ethnic groups living including Thai, Mong, Kinh and Muong.

The commune is mainly mountainous, with a small economic scale and unfavourable natural conditions. The main source of income of the people here is mainly from rice cultivation combined with animal husbandry.

Hat Chuong has a very important meaning for the area and could make a significant contribution to the local tourism development, he said. 

Visitors will take a boat passing the Nam Muc River to reach Hat Chuong Cave.

Hat Chuong Cave has been ranked as a provincial-level scenic relic according to Decision No. 1444/QD-UBND, dated December 23, 2020 of the People's Committee of Dien Bien province. In order to have a legal basis to protect, promote the potential and benefits in exploiting for tourism activities of Hat Chuong cave, the next time the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien province will zone protected areas I, II in order to clearly delineate the boundaries, scope and scale of the relic are the legal basis to protect the constitutive elements, geomorphology, natural landscape, ecological environment including around. At the same time, the Department will guide localities to develop plans and projects related to conservation, embellishment, setting up landmarks to protect relics and granting certificates of land use rights for relics; train a team of narrators to guide at the relic site.

With the presence of a system of primitive stalactites of various shapes and sizes, the scenic Hat Chuong cave creates a beautiful visual art work of nature; is a place to satisfy the passion of discovery, experience and research of tourists from all over the world. In order to preserve and promote the value of Hat Chuong cave, local authorities and the tourism industry of Dien Bien province need to promote conservation activities, while combining the exploitation of tangible and intangible cultural values local in a practical way to serve socio - economic development and improve people's living standards.

From: VNA