A representative from the central province said that the English cavers told the provincial authorities at a meeting on April 22 that the cave, called Son Doong, is approximately 200m high, 140-150m wide and over 6km long. The find is located in an area that is extremely difficult to access, about 6 hours walk from the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The Son Doong Cave has replaced the Deer Cave in Malaysia to take pole position as the world’s largest cave.

The local authorities say that the local people knew of the caves existence several years ago but have always been unable to access it.

During their one month trip, the English explorers discovered another 20 caves, bringing the total number in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to 150.

During their meeting, the English mission handed over all the information on their discoveries to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and promised to return in the future to carry out for further exploration with more advanced technology.

Deputy Director of Quang Binh’s Foreign Affairs Service Vu Ngoc Quy said that the English explorers have returned to Phong Nha-Ke Bang several times since they first arrived in 1995 and their research has contributed considerably to the conservation of the world natural heritage site.

When describing the newly-discovered cave, the team’s spokesman Haward Limbirt said that it was a thing of overwhelming beauty and grandeur. He also warned the local administration against using the cave to attract tourists and recommended reserving it for scientific research.

This is the third consecutive year Sheraton Hanoi has been awarded. This year’s vote was the largest ever organised in the 16-year history of the World Travel Awards.

Over 17,000 experts took part in the vote to honour the most excellent services in Asia’s tourism industry. The vote was based on criteria such as training programmes for staff, process of operation and customer satisfaction.

The website features an attractive interface and supplies updated information about the Sea Festival 2009 and other sea festivals regularly held in Nha Trang City, south central Khanh Hoa Province.

Also on the occasion, an online photography competition on the theme of Nha Trang City has been launched and the deadline for entries is June 3, 2009.

Photos must have minimum size of 1280×1772 and maximum size of 1969×2460 pixels, at a resolution of over 72dpi in JPEG format, or as a photo with dimensions of 13×18cm to 20×25cm.

Photos can also be sent to the Khanh Hoa Province’s Department of Information and Communication at A1 building, Lien Co Area No1, Tran Phu St, Nha Trang City.

The winners will receive prizes worth VND16 million in total, with a first prize of VND4 million.

A total of 1,250 tourists from Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the UK on board the cruiser toured popular sites in Halong Bay, Yen Tu area and a number of northern famous villages.

The five-star cruise ship docked at the Tien Sa Port in central coastal Danang City on August 31 where its passengers will explore the city. They will also visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, King Minh Mang’s royal tomb and Dai Noi (the Citadel’s Inner City) in former imperial Hue City and the Thanh Ha pottery village in central Quang Nam Province.

Costa Allegra will leave Danang City on the evening of August 31 and is scheduled to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City on September 2 where tourists will explore the Cu Chi tunnel, travel around the city by cyclos, and enjoy music and dance programmes.

Saigontourist said that it will receive around 3,000 tourists aboard the cruise liner in September, bringing the total of sea tourists welcomed by the company to 45,000.