Man discovered 'world's largest cave' during a storm, then spent 8 years in a Vietnam jungle relocating it

In 1990, Ho Khanh, a Vietnamese farmer, accidentally discovered the entrance to "Sơn Đoòng" — now recognized as the largest cave in the world. The discovery came about while Khanh was exploring the surrounding rainforest in search of rare, high-value woods. What began as an expedition quickly took a turn when the farmer stumbled upon the giant cave entrance, filled with nothing but darkness. Surprisingly, Khanh wasn't really fascinated by his discovery, so he almost forgot about it until British cavers came inquiring almost two decades later, CBS News reported. Life continued, and although Khanh did nothing about his discovery, he never really forgot the sight of the giant entrance.

17 years later, Howard Limbert from the British-Vietnam Caving Expedition Team contacted Khanh and insisted he lead him to the cave. The farmer agreed, but in 2007, when they set out on the wild expedition, Khanh could not locate the entrance. The team found it almost impossible to track the entrance due to the vast stretch of forest surrounding Sơn Đoòng, the unpredictable weather, and the wild creatures. Disappointed, Khanh returned to the jungle the following year and continued his search. And this time, luckily, he found the entrance and marked the location before informing the expedition team.

Finally, in 2009, the team reached the location and was shocked to see the gigantic cave, hidden in the Vietnamese jungle. Upon investigating, the expedition team realized the cave was at least five times larger than Malaysia's Deer Cave. As expected, Sơn Đoòng (1.35 trillion cubic feet) was soon confirmed as the "world’s largest cave."

Caves are one of the most sought-after tourist attractions; in fact, studies suggest that over 70 million people visit caves annually, exploring about 1,200 caves worldwide. Similarly, today, Sơn Đoòng, 36 years after it was first discovered, has become a major attraction with authorities allowing only 1,000 visitors each year. Recently, CBS featured Sơn Đoòng in an episode of 60 Minutes.

When Producer Nicole Young first pitched the idea of capturing the cave, Scott Pelley, a CBS journalist, refused, thinking they wouldn't find anything interesting. However, he later agreed, unaware that his decision would send the team on one of the most difficult expeditions. Despite difficulties, the team somehow made it to the cave, but once inside, the challenges grew tenfold. "To get to Sơn Đoòng, you have to hike through the jungle for a day and a half. There is no other way to get there, no roads. It is completely remote," Pelley explained. On their way, the team also encountered some uninvited guests, such as the leeches, who made the journey even more difficult. "Every once in a while, we would have to stop, take off our boots, and pick the leeches out," he added. 

Once inside, they marvelled at nature's masterpiece. "What you hear is a constant roar because the river that carved this cave is still running on the floor of the cave. When you're in the parts of the cave where there are no skylights, where the roof hasn't caved in, it's utterly dark. The only thing you can see is what's at the end of the light on your helmet, and you're pointing that down on your feet so you can make sure you're not stepping off some cliff somewhere."

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