Exotic Canyons, Caves and Cultures of Indochina

Text and photography by Richard D. Fisher with photography by Maria Gates

Sapa Vietnam, Gateway to the Grand Canyon of Vietnam, is approached from the north from border town of Hekow China, a 5-7 hour bus ride south of Kunming Yunnan, Hakou is a tropical place hot and humid in the summer and very pleasant and dry in the winter.  Hekow is a relatively clean border town reflecting the modernization and relative wealth of the “New China”.  From the south Sapa is approached from Hanoi to Lao Cai by train (9+ hours) and then a spectacular 1-2 hour bus or private car ride up the mountain to the comfort of Sapa.

Fansipan Peak (3134 meters-10,308 feet) is called the “Roof of Indochina” dominates the view from Sapa but few see the canyons that are hidden in the mountains and rugged terrain on all sides.  The exact extent of the “Grand Canyon of Vietnam” is still to be determined but preliminary results reveal that the low elevation is about 1000 meters making the canyon about 6,000 feet deep, roughly the size the Grand Canyon of the Colorado in Arizona USA.

On my two visits to the area weather was a big factor for my exploration and photography. In mid-winter and early spring Sapa is very often fogged in completely for weeks at a time and in the summer monsoon rains create incredible thunder storms and again, lots of foggy days. In the summer, however, I found some incredible sunny afternoons. Late spring late fall are perhaps the best times to tour this spectacular region.

Unexplored slot canyons like the one above abound in this region which host the Grand Canyon Vietnam.

Besides being the gateway to the Grand Canyon of Vietnam, Sapa is home to some of the most diverse hill tribes in S.E. Asia. Hmong and Yao groups are seen in the largest numbers but Tay and Giay are selling crafts as well. Until 1910 or so these tribal groups dominated the high mountains and deep canyons. After that the French stated colonization here due to the “healthy climate”  the precipitous lands were slowly dominated in turn by the French followed by the lowland Vietnamese (Kinh) and now by…tourist from all over the world.

This region is now protected as the “Phong Nha-Ke Bang”  National Park as recognized  by UNESCO World Heritage Site (2003).  This is a Limestone (Karst) geological topography abounding in caves and underground rivers (estimated at 300+) but also hundreds of  “slot canyons” many of which are still unexplored. This is an extension of the famous Annamite Range which runs south along the Laos-Vietnam border for hundreds of kilometers. This is one of the two largest Karst/Limestone regions on the planet Earth. Technically the limestone is from the Palaeozoic era some 400 million years ago.

I stayed in several hotels in Sapa prices ranging from 8-30 USD per night, but I recommend the 3 Star Holiday Sapa due to their English speaking staff:

Holiday Sapa
16 Muong Hoa St.
Lao Cai Vietnam
(84) 203-873-874
info@holidaysapa.com
www.holidaysapa.com

Traveling south from Sapa one can visit Dien Bien Phu the township where the native Vietnamese defeated the colonial French colonist in a 6-7 hour private hire car or a 10-12 hour bus ride. This drive is overflowing with conical Karst mountain peaks, small canyons,valleys rivers, agricultural villages connected with very winding narrow but mostly paved roads. From there one can cross into Laos or continue south to the coast and down to the town of Dong Hoi, the gateway to the most spectacular caves yet discovered in Vietnam. This region is now protected as the “Phong Nha-Ke Bang”  National Park as recognized  by UNESCO World Heritage Site (2003).  This is a Limestone (Karst) geological topography abounding in caves and underground rivers (estimated at 300+) but also hundreds of  “slot canyons” many of which are still unexplored. This is an extension of the famous Annamite Range which runs south along the Laos-Vietnam border for hundreds of kilometers. This is one of the two largest Karst/Limestone regions on the planet Earth. Technically the limestone is from the Palaeozoic era some 400 million years ago.

As exotic a system of canyons and caves as found anywhere in the world in the Central Vietnam Highlands.

It was a long and grueling 2 day bus ride from Dien Bien Phu to Dong Hoi gate way ti the cerntral highlands. There I found a wonderful small family style hotel specializing in catering and providing assistance to cave explorers and environmental researchers. The owners there provide by far the best service to anyone wanting to see world class caves, rivers, canyons, and wildlife in this spectacular region.

Sy and Nga Ho Van run the Nam Long Hotel:
Address: 22 Ho Xuan Huong st – Dong Hoi city- Quang Binh Province, Vietnam
Tel: (84-52) 821851 ; Fax: (84-52) 829774
Email: sytrang25@yahoo.com
Website: www.hotels84.com/quangbinh-hotels/namlonghotel.htm
Room rate: from 10-16 USD

Conical Karst peaks dominate foothills landscapes of central Vietnam north to Dien Bien Phu and starting near Sapa.

Phong Nha Cave
A wonder of recent historical importance, this cave played a key role in conflicts since the 1950′s as it provided an air raid shelter for the population north of the DMZ. The Son river actually penetrates into the mountain for over a half a mile and from the mouth where there are 14 chambers  and secondary corridors that branch in all directions which which served variously as a hospital,  living quarters and storage areas large enough for a small city. There are numerous natural features such as the Lion, the Fairy Caves”, the Royal Court and the Buddha seen on the daily tours.

This tour actually starts and ends with a half hour boat trip on the river with about a two hour walking tour upon sailing into the cave.

Thien Duong Cave

Also called “Paradise” cave this is a newly found cave in the National Park. Some of the most beautiful and spectacular stalactites and stalagmites in the Park are found in this cave. The cave has been leased to a private company which has done a good job in developing it by putting in professionally designed road access, board walks and lighting. This cave was opened to the public in early 2011.  This cave is about 70 km or 1 hour+ by private car from Dong Hoi on a paved road that winds through the rice paddies and into the mountains and canyons to reach the cave parking area. In January 2011 the entry fee was about $6 USD.

Son Doong Cave
This mountain river cave gained much international attention in the last year as it has been designated by National Geographic USA and the British Cave Research Association as the largest cave in the world between the years of  2009-2011.

Wildlife of the Vietnam NationalParks in the Annamite Range

The forest is also home to 98 families, 256 genera and 381 species of vertebrates. Sixty-six animal species are listed the Vietnamese in the Red List of Endangered species and are still found here in these protected parks.

In 2005, a new species of gecko (Lygosoma boehmeiwas) was discovered here by a group of Vietnamese biologists together with biologists working for the park, Cologne Zoo in Germany and the Saint Petersburg Wild Zoology Institute in Russia.The Gaur and one species of eel have been discovered in this park.[1] Ten new species never seen before in Vietnam were discovered by scientists in this national park. The Park is home to significant populations of primates in Vietnam, with ten species and sub-species. These include the globally vulnerable Pig-tailed Macaque, Assamese Macaque, Stump-tailed Macaque and White-cheeked Crested Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys and Nomascus leucogenys siki). The Park is probably home to the largest population of Francois’ Langur in Vietnam, including two different forms of the species. The area is highly significant for its population of Hatinh Langur and Black Langur. It is undoubtedly the largest population of these species in the world, and probably the only population represented in a protected area. Other endangered large mammals include theMainland Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis), Giant Muntjac (Megamuntiacus vuquangensis) and possibly the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis). TheAsiatic Black Bear (Selenarctos thibetanus) and Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) are confirmed. Other smaller mammals include Sunda Pangolins (Manis javanica) and the recently discovered Striped hare, called locally ‘tho van’ (Nesolagus timminsii). Ten bat species listed in the IUCN List of Threatened Species have been recorded in this park.Of the 59 recorded reptile and amphibian species, 18 are listed in Vietnam’s Red Data Book and 6 are listed in the IUNC Red List of Threatened Animals. The 72 fish species include 4 species endemic to the area, including Chela quangbinhensis.

The park is home to over 200 bird species, inclusive of several rare birds such as: Chestnut-necklaced Partridge, Red-collared Woodpecker, Brown Hornbill, Sooty Babbler andShort-tailed Scimitar-babbler. There is good evidence for the Vietnamese Pheasant (Lophura hatinhensis) and Imperial Pheasant (Lophura imperialis) species at Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng area. An initiative survey conducted by Russian and Vietnamese scientists from Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre (funded by WWF) recorded 259 butterfly species of 11 families. Almost all major butterfly taxa in Vietnam can be found in the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park.

The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was recognized by UNESCO in 2003 and again in 2007 as a World Natural Heritage Site.

Son Doong Cave
This mountain river cave gained much international attention in the last year as it has been designated by National Geographic USA and the British Cave Research Association as the largest cave in the world between the years of  2009-2011.

It is so good to see that such good hearted people have survived the dark years and are living so happily in our times to be our host, guides and now friends. This lovely couple welcomes guest from all countries globally with warm and hospitable services and true comradeship as well.

Into Laos….
Feb. 13, 2011

Lao Bao, southwest of Dong Hoi and near Dong Ha in Central Vietnam, is a good border crossing to obtain a 30-day Lao visas (US$30) are available on arrival in Nam Phao. If one is traveling the other way to Vietnam from Laos, Vietnamese visas still need to be arranged in advance; available at the Vietnamese embassy in Vientiane. Due to the border crossing problems encountered there we opted to hire our friends from Sy and Naga Ho Van to drive us to the border crossing. From the Vietnamese side it’s a short walk to the Laos border. Once in Laos, motor bikes,  jumbo (three-wheeled taxis) and sawngthaew (pick-up trucks) are available to Lak Sao the first place with hotels and cafes. We were glad to be well rested for this part of the trip as it was a very difficult 3 day transit to Paksi the gateway to the Bolaven Plateau.

Pakse (also spelled Pakxi) was founded by the French in 1905 as an administrative outpost, Pakse sits at the confluence of the Mekong River and the Se Don (Don River). The town has doubled in size since construction of the new bridge across the Mekong in 2002, facilitating a tourist crossing as well as considerable trade into Thailand. Pakse is the gate way to the canyons of the Bolaven Plateau.

Bolaven Plateau
Is home to some of the most spectacular waterfalls and canyons in Southeast Asia. The geology of the plateau is igneous which contrast sharply with the Karest Limestone to the Annamite ranges to the north.

The area wasn’t farmed intensively until the French started planting coffee, rubber trees and bansidered strategically vital to both the Americans and North Vietnamese, as evidenced by the staggering amount of UXO (unexploded ordnance) still lying around. The slow process of clearing UXO continues, but in areas where it has been cleared, both local farmers and larger organisations are busy cultivating coffee (see Kąaféh Láo ). Other local products include delicious tropical fruits. The largest ethnic group on the plateau is the Laven (Bolaven means ‘home of the Laven’). Several other Mon-Khmer ethnic groups, including the Alak, Katu, Ta-oy (Tahoy) and Suay, also live on the plateau. Katu and Alak villages are distinctive because they arrange their palm-and-thatch houses in a circle.

Among other tribes, the animistic-shamanistic Suay (who call themselves Kui) are said to be the best elephant handlers. Elephants were used extensively for clearing land and moving timber, though working elephants are hard to find these days.

The Alak, Katu and Laven are distinctive for the face tattoos of their women, a custom slowly dying out as Lao influence in the area increases. Several Katu and Alak can be visited along the road between Pakse and Paksong at the western edge of the plateau, and along the laterite road that descends steadily from Muang Tha Taeng (That Heng) on the plateau to Beng, in Salavan Province.

About 40km east of Paksi is in Paksong which host a large day market frequented by many tribal groups. Paksong is the center the coffee growing in Laos and claims to have the “best cup of coffee in the world”. The plateau has many several spectacular waterfalls, including Tat Fan  few kilometres west of Paksong, and Tat Lo on Rte 20 to Salavan.nanas in the early 20th century. Many of the French planters left following independence in the 1950s and the rest followed as US bombardment became unbearable in the late ’60s.

We variously took several bus rides and  a boat ride down the river through the 4,000 islands and stayed on the most exotic “hippy island” where all the young European travelers hung out on the Mekong Beach.

The Khone waterfalls and Pha Pheng is a waterfall located on the Mekong River in southern Laos, near the border with Cambodia. The Khone Falls are the largest in southeast Asia and they are the main reason that the Mekong is not fully navigable into China. The falls are characterised by thousands of islands and countless
waterways, giving the area its name Si Phan Don or ‘The 4,000 islands’. The highest falls reach to 21 metres (69 ft); a succession of falls stretch 9.7 km (6.0 mi) of the river’s length.

“Great to hear that you are putting Laotian Canyons on the world map and introducing new words to Sanskrit dictionaries in South east Asia.”

“It would be a bit presumptuous for us to put any new words in the Sanskrit dictionary, but we were told by local authorities there was no word for canyon in the Laotian dictionary. What I have found world wide over the past 25 years is that there is often not any geographical distinction between Canyon and Mountain topography. In this, new discoveries and new concepts can emerge. Can anyone advise us of a word in the Laotian or Sanskrit languages for canyon?” Richard D. Fisher May 5, 2010

“Journey to a Paradise Found”

by Luisa Hommerich

Whomever wants to feel the enchantment of a small paradise called Muang Ngoi Neua has to go there by river. No road ever carried any friend, foe or foreigner to the little village on the Nam Ou River in the North of Laos.
Just board in Nong Khiaw and the journey begins.

A Sea of Green.

Countryside of dreams.

Eco and Cultural tourism at it’s best.

Family Tropical lifestyles.

Childhood pleasures.

Karst topography of the Nam Ou River Canyon.

Even Lao water buffalo have itchy noses and find a way to scratch them and brown nosing is a worldwide tradition?

After leaving the high-season hustles of touristy Luang Prabang, the experience of floating along the river towards Muang Ngoi in a long pointed motor barge may be like a catharsis. Observing children playing jolly games at the banks, buffalos protruding their heads out of the water, while sensing the fresh winds and the pounding of the waves might inspire contemplation, an exercise of calmness, or even meditation.

Or, as in our case, the little boat might get so stuffed with young sun-tanned adventurers that it seesaws like being on the brink of capsizing.

You might have to persevere on hard, hurting wooden banks for one long hour, crammed together like sardines in a can. The dressy Italians in front of you might twist their mouths askew as you touch them with your legs accidentally, due to shortage of space.

Though, as the boat lands in Muang Ngoi, the squeeze is quickly forgotten. The green of the giant karst mountains fills up our thirsty senses. Palm trees caress the simple dirt road, the river winds through the valley in beautiful loops, pleasing the eyes. Tranquility immediately saturates the visitor’s mind.

For centuries, life in Muang Ngoi had been only affected by the gentle pace of the river. Fishing for dinner, panning river stones hoping for gold, spending hard days on the paddy rice field were activities which had given life its daily frame, its traditional routine.

Still in the afternoon, people take their daily refreshing bath in the river after finishing work here. Still, every evening, they observe the shadow of the mountains languorously bowing over their scattered huts and homes.

With one tiny difference: Muang Ngoi today is a prime example for the development of positive tourism in rural regions in Laos.

It had all began about ten years ago. Besides flotsam and jetsam, stones and fishes, the river one day also carried the first strangers ashore. Pale, mammoth foreigners with huge Jack-Wolfskin backpacks and soul stealing Olympus cameras stranded at the shallow banks of the Nam Ou in search of their personal paradise.

The first encounters with the visitors must have been strange. Different worlds may have collided, paradigms may have clashed. “Is this going to work out?” the village elder may have asked himself.

After some years, people got used to it. Restaurants and Guesthouses nowadays decorate the little road like colorful oddities and have become the inhabitant’s main source of income.

Quietly and constantly, tourism has brought Muang Ngoi income over the years.

Once being an adventurous insider tip, this sleepy patch of earth has finally developed into a relaxing waypoint at the Lao banana-pancake-trail.

Even so it is remarkable how the tourist growth seems to nestle into the peacefulness of the village, how harmoniously the pancake smell contrasts the fragrances of coriander and sticky rice.

A misty day, the mountains loom in a distance, covered with green velvet.
Clouds gather at the blue grey sky, subtly threatening.

It is in the air: The rainy season, insistently adjured by the Lao with New Year water ceremonies and rocket festivals beforehand, is about to return.

The mountains will be washed clean and will be given their lushness back. The grey and blue Nam Ou will be churned up and will rediscover a healthy reddish earth brown, ending as well the touristy high season.

In Khamla’s restaurant, mother, grandmother and daughter are sitting already well sheltered under a bamboo roof, peeling carrots, waiting for the rain. “With the time we found out more and more what foreigners like to eat”, says the mother, pointing proudly at the English menu. “Now we can make a living on running this restaurant.”

In the shelf, unchilled chocolate bars melt in their plastic wrappings. The village does not have electricity yet. A whiteboard advertises “Muesli with Fruits and Yoghurt”. They have learned all these tricks from Luang Prabang, have imported all these products from Vientiane.

In the night, the first thunderstorm of the year devours Muang Ngoi. I go outside, disturbed in my dreams, and the brutal beauty of the storm hits me like a slap in my face. Lightening perfuses the sky like white spectral veins. For instances, it creates negative images of the karst landscape. The central mountain looks even more stunning for the blink of an eye – a monstrous black outline cut into a white rainy sky.

The rainy season just arrived. Now the stream of visitors will be cut off a bit. The original village life will recapture Muang Ngoi now.

In Muang Ngoi, which never had any road access, there is one single car now. Some months ago someone had firmly claimed that a car would be somehow useful to cultivate the village’s rice fields. So they got a pickup from Luang Prabang. One man was on the wheel, thirty on the back, bushwhacking all the way to Muang Ngoi through the jungle with machetes for hours and hours.

The first rain just fell, and now that the rice planting period is about to come, the villagers of Muang Ngoi will try out their new four-wheeled trophy of modern spirit to plant their traditional source of living. It is just one of the fruits of an ambivalent miracle named tourism in Laos.

We bid a half million “kip” ( 60 USD) for this prime riverside property, and are still waiting to see if our offer is accepted.

The lineup of the usual, beautiful, eco tourism suspects crammed like sardines in a can, we motor up the river in our long pointed narrow wooden barge bobbing back and forth.

Slash and burn agriculture dominates the local tropical rainforest, the house used
to guard the maturing crops from raiding wild life is newly constructed..

Canyon beauty of the Nam Ou River Gorge..

The “Huck Finn” family of the Nam Ou River playing in the tropical aquatic paradise.

This girl’s smile reflects her inner spiritual happiness and not the dangerous and difficult job of panning for Gold in the middle of the river.

The “Grand Canyon” of Laos, as a new discovery of canyon topography.

The author: Luisa Hommerich entertains on our river trip with her vast knowledge of eco and cultural tourism of Laos.

You will notice the brilliant red-stained teeth and lips of the local women. Betel nut is the cause. Green betel nut is a nut that grows in the tropical climates of South East Asia and is popular in the South Pacific Islands. It is chewed as part of social occasions or as a part of everyday life. Betel nut has a mild stimulant effect and in addition to reasons of tradition local people chew it for stress reduction, heightened awareness, and suppression of hunger.

Akha in Northern Laos

The Akha in Laos are concentrated in the higher areas of the high plateau of Phongsaly (close to the Black River and Vietnam) and Luang Namtha Province (bordering Sipsongpanna, Burma, and the Mekong River) interspersed with Mien, Hmong, Khmu, Htin, Lisu, and Lahu. Some were displaced during the Vietnam war, in which they were involved in fighting the Americans or the CIA Hmong groups led by Vang Pao, and in conflicts between the Pathet Lao groups (Dassé, 1976; Cooper and Tapp, 1991). People calling themselves Akha in Laos are called, in Lao, I-ko or Kha Ko. Other names given by outsiders include: Puli, Pussang, Oepa, Oema, and Kopien. The number of Akha in Laos can be estimated conservatively to be between 92,000-100,000, but might well be higher (Lao UNESCO Committee, 1996; Duy Thieu, 1996).

Akha women wear the wealth of their families as coins on their colorful daily dress. Akha also have no written language and make up for it with very animated verbal communication.

The Akha

In the last 200 years the Kor or Iko (preferably called the Akha) have relocated to Laos , China , Vietnam , Thailand and Burma . They came from Kuaichao and Yunnan (modern day China ) to escape war and to cultivate the land. This traditional hill tribe has a population of just over 90,000 in Laos alone; they count over 15 different sub groups. The Akha have no written language, therefore communication becomes highly important. Akha men can usually recite their genealogies 60 generations back! This ability is what has helped link clans together over five nations.

The Akha usually live in remote valleys near mountain tops, 1000 meters above sea level and higher.
They mainly grow rice, maize and cotton. Some sub groups are known to grow indigo, vegetables, peanuts, sesame, and soybean. During the month of December the new cotton is spun into thread for the women to make crafts. Jewellery for the traditional headdresses, clothing, and neck-rings are (or rather used to be) made by the Akha men. Unfortunately traditional handicraft-making is steadily decreasing, as particularly Akha women have to work extremely hard and long hours which lets them prefer to buy cheap imports (plastic and aluminium goods) rather than making handicrafts by themselves. Increasingly, handicraft-making is seen as a necessity for poor families (the vast majority of Akha are extremely poor) who cannot afford to buy the imports.

As the menu shows, the Muang Ngoi people have learned that the tourists enjoy free range meats.

The Nam Ou meets the mighty Mekong at the ancient capital and modern tourism center of Luang Prabang.

On the Nam Khan River, the elephant Keo enjoys her daily swim with her girlfriend, Maria and her care taker, Chanty.

Photography by Maria Gates & Richard D. Fisher