Vietnam's Son Doong: A rare journey inside the world's largest cave passage
In a Nutshell
60 Minutes explores Vietnam's Son Doong Cave, the world's largest with caverns 65 stories high and wide enough for a football field and a half, via a grueling 1.5-day jungle hike, 20 river crossings, leech infestations, and expert-guided rappelling 600 feet underground. The team captures its massive stalagmites, roaring subterranean river, pitch-black passages, and unique features like skylights from roof collapses, limited to just 1,000 explorers yearly. Producer Nicole Young's persistence turned initial skepticism into an epic, once-in-a-lifetime journey hailed as unparalleled in 27 years of global reporting.
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60 Minutes overtime. Largest cave in the world in central Vietnam. 60 Minutes explored the cave. Tradition of taking viewers to places they've never been, maybe never heard of, and are not likely to ever go, done for decades all around the world. This was completely unique. Epic journey through enormous cave called Son Doong, in the slender middle of Vietnam. Caverns 65 stories high. Football field and a half wide. Could put the Great Pyramid of Giza inside this cave. Joy to go through Son Doong and bring it back to audience.
So, what are we about to do? Well, this is the beginning of a long walk.
Producer Nicole Young pitched idea to go hiking through largest cave in the world. Initially turned down: "Nick, it's a hole in the ground. I mean, what are we going to take pictures of? And it's in a cave, so it's dark."
Do you think we're going to make it? I'm certain we're going to make it because you're the producer and you told me we're going to make it.
All right, let's do it.
Cave fuels local economy around national park, offers opportunities to community discovered in 2009. Team met with Vietnamese government, promised not to desecrate the land. They were very serious about that.
To get to Son Doong, hike through jungle for a day and a half. No other way, no roads, completely remote. 20 river crossings. Jungle hardest part: dense, snakes, mud, hard to move step by step. Leeches plentiful; stop to take off boots and pick leeches out. During Vietnam War, many American soldiers had foot rot from water exposure. Wet feet for 10 to 12 hours a day while walking, bizarre feeling, one of the challenges.
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