Stalactites
Joined columns.
Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0 · trungydang — CC BY 3.0 · Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0
Nguom Ngao is a limestone cave in Ban Gun village, Dam Thuy commune, in Cao Bang province in the far north of Vietnam. It lies inside a mountain about 5 km from Ban Gioc Waterfall and about 50 km in a straight line east of Cao Bang city. Its name means «tiger cave» in the Tày language. A local story says fierce tigers once lived in it and raided nearby villages for livestock, until the villagers set traps and caught them all and could live in peace. The cave was found in 1921, opened to tourists in 1996 and listed as a national relic in 1998. According to a survey by a British caving expedition in 1995, it is 2,144 m long in total and has three main entrances. The visitor route passes through three areas: the first with joined columns of stalactites and stalagmites, the central one with formations likened to coral, a boat and rice terraces, and a third called the «treasure area» for its crystals that glint gold and silver. Small streams run through the cave. The temperature inside stays at roughly 18 to 25 °C, and a lit path leads through it. Around the cave lie rice fields and green karst peaks, and it is easy to combine with Ban Gioc Waterfall in one day.
Joined columns.
Glinting crystals.
Rice fields and peaks.
Ban Gun village, Dam Thuy, Cao Bang, Vietnam
«Tiger cave» in the Tày language.
Yes, they are about 5 km apart.