Son Doong Cave. Photo: Oxalis

The news was announced by the Quang Binh Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The tour is jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Quang Binh province.

The eight ambassadors selected to participation in the tour come from the US, Australia, England, Sweden, Italy, Canada, the Czech Republic, and Argentina.

Especially, this adventure tour also draws the participation of the US Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski.

Participants will cover their own expenses for this trip, which will last from May 11 to 17.

Before the trip, experts of Oxalis and Terra Verde Travel, the organizers of the tour, will train the ambassadors in terms of health, knowledge on adventurous tourism and the experience to live in the forest, according to Mr. Nguyen Chau A, Director of Oxalis Ltd., the operator of Son Doong exploration tours.

Deputy Director Nguyen Van Ky of Quang Binh's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism expressed his hope that the upcoming tour is expected to help further promote the image of Son Doong cave in particular and Vietnam tourism in general.

Son Doong was first opened to tourists on a trial basis in August 2013. Oxalis is charging tourists US$3,000 each for a one-week tour.

The tour is opened for only 500 tourists each year and tickets for this year have sold out.

To preserve Son Doong, the maximum number of visitors for each tour is only ten. They will be served by 30 assistants, including two cave experts from England, 1 tour guide, 2 safety assistants, 2 cooks, 2 rangers, 20 porters carrying 600kg of safety, camping equipment, and food and a leader of the porter group.

Quang Binh has recently opened more caves in and around the nature reserve to tourists, including Tu Lan, Tien, Va and Nuoc Nut, all of which have amazed tourists with their captivating limestone structures and primeval sight.

By Nhu Y
(Source: Quang Binh Portal)