Before we’d even set foot within the country, my boyfriend and I had really clear expectations what we might see. We were naive, our preconceptions may
not be the more wrong …..until we visited Phong Nha-Ke Bang, the national park that borders Laos.

It was there that abundant of the hand to hand jungle combat formed famous in films such as Platoon occurred. For the first time, the scenery we passed to correspond with all the movies we tend to know - rivers and jungles and dense vegetation, together with rice paddies, villages and ancient rural life.

There is abundance within the area for those who have an interest to discover the American War and local tour operators run visits to many sites which
main battles took places. Crucial parts of the famous Ho Chi Minh trail are located in the park, and it's potential to go to the nearby Vinh Moc tunnels,the Ben Hai River Museum, and also the Hien Luong Riverbank where the previous demilitarized zone was officially set.

But Phong Nha is over the sum of its war connections. As a result of its biodiversity, distinctive beauty and geodiversity, the national park became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003. Hidden within the depths of the mountains is the spectacular Son Doong (the world’s largest cave, discovered in 2005). If that doesn’t satisfy your caveman instincts, pop into Phong Nha cave that contains many beautiful stalactites and stalagmites as well as the world’s longest underground river.

The trickiest factor regarding the area is achieving there. Be warned: it's remote, except for worth the journey, and also the most cost-effective possibility could be a six hour haul by native bus from Danang. Our bus ride entailed an ongoing game of musical chairs while passengers and their baggage
(including a motorbike) were shuffled round the available house. We slept at the Phong Nha farmstay, alittle utopia with a swimming pool at the end of a rice paddy, and spent happy evenings there meeting other travelers and trying local dishes.

My favorite day was really the smallest amount activity packed – I merely went for a walk with some new friends along the native roads. I’ll forever chuckle
over the excitement, we caused after we had walked past a college – all the children burst through the gate and surrounded us, laughing and demanding to possess their photo taken. Their enthusiasm and warm were welcomed, in the midst of the gorgeous national park, is one of my happiest reminiscences from our travels in Vietnam.

Source:VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

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