00:00:08.606 --> 00:00:11.273
(eerie music)

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- [Interviewer] Adam Spillane
is just back

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from an experience
that's out of this world.

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Well, Adam, maybe, I guess
it's under this world,

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would that be more accurate?

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- [Adam] Yes, that'd be more accurate.

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- [Interviewer] Where were you?

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- [Adam] I was in a cave in Vietnam.

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Currently, the largest
cave passage in the world.

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The cave is Hang Son Doong,

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which means "mountain river cave."

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It's in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang
National Park in Vietnam,

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which is also a world heritage site.

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- [Interviewer] This is a huge
cave, like four miles long.

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- [Adam] Yeah, about four miles long,

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but the major thing about it
was the passage dimensions,

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which are over 600 feet
high and over 450 feet wide.

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- [Interviewer] So you
didn't need to duck?

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- [Adam] Ah, no.

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- [Interviewer] And it has
these enormous

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vaulted ceilings like a cathedral?

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- [Adam] Yes, it does.

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But a little bigger
than most cathedrals.

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(gentle music)

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- [Interviewer] What did it
feel like being in there?

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Did it feel to you like
you were in a sacred space?

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- [Adam] Could I just pass
you over to my colleague here,

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Helen Brooke, who was the
youngest member of the expedition?

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- [Helen] It felt really humbling

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and you felt just really tiny.

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- [Interviewer] Do you
have plans to go back?

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- [Adam] Yes, at the moment
we're planning

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to go back in 2011.

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(gentle music)

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It is currently the
biggest cave in the world,

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which is a big deal for lots of people.

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And as a result of that,

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there's been an awful lot of tourism

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to this part of the world.

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(gentle music)

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- [President Obama] If we're gonna
ensure the health of our people

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and the beauty of our planet,

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then development has to be sustainable.

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Natural wonders like Hạ
Long Bay and Son Doong Cave

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have to be preserved for our
children, our grandchildren.

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(poignant music)

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(music continues)

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(crickets chirping)

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(birds tweeting)

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(fire whooshing)

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(oil sizzling)

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(soft Vietnamese music)

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(music continues)

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(campers indistinct chatters)

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- [Jonathan] This is a very
temporary situation.

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If you look at what they're doing,

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you wouldn't be hopeful.

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I'm glad I got to see it when I did.

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- [Woman] It feels good knowing that

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we got to see it in its
most natural state

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before it changes.

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- [Howard] Anybody ready?

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Okay then.

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Queue up.

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You are gonna need, no, that's not good.

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You need the black ones...

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for Chad.

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Now I don't know how high

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this water's going to be,

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or even if you've got to swim,

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but we will find out and I'll
pass that information back.

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(poignant music)

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- [Jonathan] When I went through it,

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we were probably less
than a thousand people,

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maybe less than 2,000
people, been through it,

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which is fewer than
gone up Mount Everest.

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It's of interest to cavers,

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but it's gonna be
of interest to everybody

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because it's so dramatic
and so remarkable, you know.

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You can't describe it.

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(wind whistling)

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(gentle music)

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- [Man] I mean, it's a cliched phrase,

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but it took my breath away.

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It confounded every
expectation of being in a cave.

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(orchestral music)

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When I was in that cave,

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I saw things that I would not believe

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if I saw pictures of it.

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(music continues)

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It really elicits a
sense of wonder in you,

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which is the closest
feeling that I have had

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to a belief in magic
since I was a child.

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(music continues)

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(gentle piano music)

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You're walking through
an underground world.

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You go through these caverns,

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and it doesn't even seem
like you're in a cavern.

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It's pitch black.

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Alls you got is your headlamps

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and then you see these dolines

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where you see a rainforest ahead of you

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or you hear a waterfall beside you,

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and it doesn't even seem
like you're in a cave.

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(gentle piano music)

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- [Howard] At some time in its life,

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Son Doong would've been a lot
bigger than what it is now,

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and there's only sections of the cave

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that show its immense height and width.

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I'll give you an example
of sort of scale,

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and it's not one of the largest parts.

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It's just one that we've
measured quite accurately.

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There's a relatively small
part of Son Doong,

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and that's the first camp,

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which is on the Level Playing Fields.

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This is one nice flat area of sand

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where we base our first camp,

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and we know it's over 110 meters

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down to the river there.

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So it's 110 meters from
the camp down to the river

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and up is around 90 meters to the roof.

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It's just over a hundred meters wide.

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And we know this will comfortably
fit a large city block,

00:08:29.610 --> 00:08:32.610
again, which I say is one of
the smaller parts of the cave.

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So it gives you some
idea of the dimensions.

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In certain sections of the
cave, such as Doline One,

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it's immensely high.

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So from the river to the
very top is 449 meters,

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so that's the tallest part of the cave.

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The sections of the cave
that are incredibly wide,

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such as in Doline Two,
which is 175 meters wide.

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And the cliffs there
from the top of the hill

00:08:54.750 --> 00:08:56.880
that you climb up in Doline Two

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are 252 meters to the surface.

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The highest part of the dark
underground part of the cave

00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:05.490
is the Great Wall of Vietnam,

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and that is 199.98 meters,

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to which I think it's safe
to say it's 200 meters.

00:09:12.030 --> 00:09:13.650
It's very difficult to see the roof

00:09:13.650 --> 00:09:15.780
in that part of the cave.

00:09:15.780 --> 00:09:17.744
I doubt if there's ever going to be

00:09:17.744 --> 00:09:20.585
another larger cave than Son Doong.

00:09:20.585 --> 00:09:23.190
Geologically, it's just a perfect size.

00:09:23.190 --> 00:09:26.070
But I hope when people visit Son Doong

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they take with them a lot
more than that little tick box

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of "visited the world's biggest cave,"

00:09:31.350 --> 00:09:34.290
because it is so unique and special.

00:09:34.290 --> 00:09:37.470
- [Jonathan] It's very, very powerful.

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You know, it's very powerful
that cave and experience of it.

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And I think you will see
it being less powerful

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if it becomes too easy.

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The world is pretty well trampled,

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so getting to a place that
still has some essence

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becomes a mission.

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Just to get to the mouth of the cave,

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you're two days,
a day and a half into it.

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And then you're three days
from anything,

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any support system at all.

00:10:06.870 --> 00:10:09.240
- [Howard] In the area, which
is the whole karst region

00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:11.070
of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park,

00:10:11.070 --> 00:10:13.380
we've covered about 30% of the area.

00:10:13.380 --> 00:10:16.293
So 70% is still unexplored.

00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:19.920
Without the local people,

00:10:19.920 --> 00:10:22.320
very few of these caves
would've been found.

00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:25.620
In fact, of the 350
caves that we've explored

00:10:25.620 --> 00:10:27.030
in Quang Binh alone,

00:10:27.030 --> 00:10:30.723
less than 10 that we've
actually explored by ourselves,

00:10:31.590 --> 00:10:33.787
so they're led us to
99% of all the caves

00:10:33.787 --> 00:10:35.550
that have been discovered here,

00:10:35.550 --> 00:10:37.020
And they did all the hard work

00:10:37.020 --> 00:10:38.640
finding the entrances for us,

00:10:38.640 --> 00:10:40.290
and they're still doing this day.

00:11:03.430 --> 00:11:06.263
(water splashing)

00:11:50.127 --> 00:11:53.127
(crickets chirping)

00:11:54.173 --> 00:11:58.756
(porters chatting in Vietnamese)

00:12:40.140 --> 00:12:42.890
(birds chirping)

00:13:03.285 --> 00:13:05.112
(porters laughing)

00:13:05.112 --> 00:13:09.695
(porters chatting in Vietnamese)

00:13:14.064 --> 00:13:16.814
(wind whistling)

00:13:34.428 --> 00:13:37.428
(light piano music)

00:13:54.475 --> 00:13:58.308
(music continues)

00:14:14.599 --> 00:14:18.432
(music continues)

00:14:37.421 --> 00:14:42.421
(traffic humming)
(car horns honking)

00:14:44.729 --> 00:14:49.729
(siren blaring)
(car horns honking)

00:14:57.410 --> 00:14:58.660
- [Huong] It was scary...

00:15:02.910 --> 00:15:07.140
I think for me it was both scary

00:15:07.140 --> 00:15:10.263
and inspiring to find a cause.

00:15:12.030 --> 00:15:15.420
My whole life I had been
looking for something

00:15:15.420 --> 00:15:18.210
that could make me feel like
when I'm with Save Son Doong,

00:15:18.210 --> 00:15:22.110
like something that make me
feel so passionate about.

00:15:22.110 --> 00:15:25.890
Something that make me feel
like I can die for this.

00:15:25.890 --> 00:15:29.586
And Save Son Doong gave me that sense.

00:15:29.586 --> 00:15:32.003
(soft music)

00:15:34.261 --> 00:15:37.094
(traffic humming)

00:15:47.940 --> 00:15:49.650
I would like to ask you guys

00:15:49.650 --> 00:15:51.090
to close your eyes for a little bit,

00:15:51.090 --> 00:15:52.953
and keep them closed for me please.

00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.063
Now, what do you see?

00:15:58.890 --> 00:15:59.823
Darkness?

00:16:00.690 --> 00:16:02.220
Emptiness?

00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:03.053
Nothing?

00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:06.180
Well, please open your eyes again

00:16:06.180 --> 00:16:08.970
and let me tell you about my experience

00:16:08.970 --> 00:16:11.910
seeing what could be
considered absolute darkness.

00:16:11.910 --> 00:16:13.740
And my experience with absolute darkness

00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:17.400
happened at this beautiful
place, Son Doong Cave,

00:16:17.400 --> 00:16:20.658
the world's largest underground kingdom.

00:16:20.658 --> 00:16:24.270
(orchestral music)

00:16:24.270 --> 00:16:27.240
As a child, I loved reading books,

00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:29.730
and some of the first books

00:16:29.730 --> 00:16:34.170
that sparked the interest
of exploring the world in me

00:16:34.170 --> 00:16:36.575
were those by Jules Verne.

00:16:36.575 --> 00:16:39.492
(mysterious music)

00:16:42.780 --> 00:16:43.953
I loved all of them.

00:16:44.887 --> 00:16:47.287
"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea",

00:16:47.287 --> 00:16:49.200
"Eighty Days Around the World",

00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:52.380
"Journey to the Center of the Earth".

00:16:52.380 --> 00:16:55.860
Now, one interesting thing
about Jules Verne's books

00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:58.530
is that all of them
eventually become true.

00:16:58.530 --> 00:17:00.330
Nowadays we have the submarine.

00:17:00.330 --> 00:17:02.850
We can easily travel around the globe

00:17:02.850 --> 00:17:05.400
in way less than 80 days.

00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:10.400
But the only thing that had not
become true before Son Doong

00:17:10.620 --> 00:17:12.730
was "Journey to the
Center of the Earth".

00:17:12.730 --> 00:17:15.480
And Son Doong, up to
now, is the only thing

00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:18.030
that can give us the closest sense

00:17:18.030 --> 00:17:19.443
to what the book described.

00:17:20.460 --> 00:17:23.010
In the book, you have a
completely different world

00:17:23.010 --> 00:17:26.250
that exists parallel to our world

00:17:26.250 --> 00:17:27.930
underneath our feet.

00:17:27.930 --> 00:17:32.880
And that world has animals and plants

00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:36.180
that used to exist on Earth,

00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:39.630
but because of the change
in the environment,

00:17:39.630 --> 00:17:42.540
because of human beings, et cetera,

00:17:42.540 --> 00:17:45.510
they now only exist
in a different world.

00:17:45.510 --> 00:17:47.841
And that world to me is Son Doong.

00:17:47.841 --> 00:17:51.634
(orchestral music)

00:17:51.634 --> 00:17:54.217
(gentle music)

00:17:57.330 --> 00:17:59.250
The place that I remember the most

00:17:59.250 --> 00:18:01.950
is a place that had
never been photographed

00:18:01.950 --> 00:18:03.780
because it's too dark.

00:18:03.780 --> 00:18:05.670
- [Howard] Do you wanna
experience total darkness?

00:18:05.670 --> 00:18:07.020
- [Huong] Howard asked all of us

00:18:07.020 --> 00:18:08.733
to turn off our headlamp,

00:18:10.050 --> 00:18:15.050
and my immediate reaction
was I felt suffocated.

00:18:15.300 --> 00:18:16.350
I couldn't breathe.

00:18:16.350 --> 00:18:18.780
I was overwhelmed with the darkness.

00:18:18.780 --> 00:18:20.550
Putting my hands in front of me,

00:18:20.550 --> 00:18:22.020
I couldn't see them.

00:18:22.020 --> 00:18:23.250
Looking down to my feet,

00:18:23.250 --> 00:18:26.010
I couldn't see where I was standing on.

00:18:26.010 --> 00:18:27.960
And I thought to myself,

00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:31.713
this is probably what I
would feel like when I die,

00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:35.853
when my soul is still
there but my body's gone.

00:18:38.190 --> 00:18:40.440
I imagine we all have tried to envision

00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:42.780
how it felt like when we died,

00:18:42.780 --> 00:18:45.900
when our consciousness is
still aware of everything

00:18:45.900 --> 00:18:48.363
but our body just doesn't exist anymore.

00:18:49.530 --> 00:18:51.600
I was scared at first,

00:18:51.600 --> 00:18:54.660
but then later on I was more impressed

00:18:54.660 --> 00:18:58.398
with the idea that
nature is just so massive,

00:18:58.398 --> 00:19:00.831
darkness can swallow us,
basically anytime.

00:19:02.202 --> 00:19:03.704
(rain splashing)

00:19:03.704 --> 00:19:06.834
(thunder claps)

00:19:06.834 --> 00:19:09.584
(birds chirping)

00:19:13.290 --> 00:19:18.060
I remember it was probably
the third day of my trip,

00:19:18.060 --> 00:19:21.420
and we all just got to
our campsite at a time,

00:19:21.420 --> 00:19:24.393
and suddenly Howard called me aside.

00:19:25.380 --> 00:19:29.100
With teary eyes, he told
me that he regretted

00:19:29.100 --> 00:19:31.357
discovering Son Doong.

00:19:31.357 --> 00:19:34.200
Son Doong was fine on its own.

00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:35.760
But now that it's open to public,

00:19:35.760 --> 00:19:37.800
people want to exploit it for money.

00:19:37.800 --> 00:19:40.590
And as much as he like
to keep the place safe

00:19:40.590 --> 00:19:43.320
by only bringing in the
most respectful people,

00:19:43.320 --> 00:19:44.370
trekking in small groups,

00:19:44.370 --> 00:19:46.590
and cap it at a few hundreds a year,

00:19:46.590 --> 00:19:48.870
there's another
construction conglomerate

00:19:48.870 --> 00:19:51.330
that was trying to build a cable car

00:19:51.330 --> 00:19:54.603
which gonna bring in a
thousand people per hour.

00:19:56.220 --> 00:20:00.003
Going from a few hundreds a
year to a thousand an hour,

00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:02.843
that would kill Son Doong.

00:20:04.464 --> 00:20:07.214
(poignant music)

00:20:14.514 --> 00:20:18.097
(music continues)

00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:28.283
(machinery whirring)

00:20:29.460 --> 00:20:32.880
- [Bill] Vietnam has
a very patchy record

00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:35.550
of environmental protection.

00:20:35.550 --> 00:20:39.000
Yes, there are established
national parks.

00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:43.440
Yes, there are laws and there
are environmental groups

00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:45.584
that are doing their best.

00:20:45.584 --> 00:20:48.810
But when it comes to
the real competition

00:20:48.810 --> 00:20:52.260
between economic interests
and the environment,

00:20:52.260 --> 00:20:55.320
by and large,
the economic interests win.

00:20:55.320 --> 00:20:57.930
And you've seen some very special places

00:20:57.930 --> 00:21:01.950
that have been ruined
really by overdevelopment.

00:21:01.950 --> 00:21:03.900
Hạ Long Bay is the classic example.

00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:07.050
It's picture postcard beautiful,
or at least it should be,

00:21:07.050 --> 00:21:11.610
but the degree of development
and the lack of concern

00:21:11.610 --> 00:21:13.380
for the consequences of development

00:21:13.380 --> 00:21:17.490
have been shocking in terms
of pollution and destruction

00:21:17.490 --> 00:21:20.040
of the visual environment.

00:21:20.040 --> 00:21:21.390
Vietnam's economic growth

00:21:21.390 --> 00:21:23.700
has been pretty rapid by any standards.

00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:25.950
I mean, it only looks
weak when you compare it,

00:21:25.950 --> 00:21:27.750
say, to China, for example.

00:21:27.750 --> 00:21:31.470
I think that the pressures to develop

00:21:31.470 --> 00:21:33.330
are getting ever stronger.

00:21:33.330 --> 00:21:36.840
A lot of this growth is being
driven by big conglomerates,

00:21:36.840 --> 00:21:39.390
companies like Vingroup or Sun Group

00:21:39.390 --> 00:21:41.400
which are ostensibly private sector,

00:21:41.400 --> 00:21:44.100
but with a lot of state
connection and so forth.

00:21:44.100 --> 00:21:46.170
And we're seeing these big name groups

00:21:46.170 --> 00:21:48.630
driving a lot of the
real estate development.

00:21:48.630 --> 00:21:52.290
And in some places, the
power of these groups

00:21:52.290 --> 00:21:54.300
rivals that of the Communist Party.

00:21:54.300 --> 00:21:56.520
They have money, they have connections.

00:21:56.520 --> 00:21:59.280
They can bring jobs and influence

00:21:59.280 --> 00:22:01.590
into sometimes relatively
poor provinces,

00:22:01.590 --> 00:22:04.980
and it's very hard for those officials,

00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:07.980
even if they wish to,
to resist the pressure.

00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:10.950
- [Huong] There were reports
from as early as 2012

00:22:10.950 --> 00:22:13.560
that the government was
exploring the possibility

00:22:13.560 --> 00:22:16.860
of building a cable car into Son Doong.

00:22:16.860 --> 00:22:21.150
Obviously these discussions
took place behind closed doors,

00:22:21.150 --> 00:22:24.300
but a UNESCO report from around
that time warned about this

00:22:24.300 --> 00:22:26.640
and the damage it would cause.

00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:29.070
Then, in October 2014,

00:22:29.070 --> 00:22:32.010
plans for the cable car
were officially unveiled.

00:22:32.010 --> 00:22:33.600
The head of Quang Binh Province

00:22:33.600 --> 00:22:35.340
announced at a press conference

00:22:35.340 --> 00:22:38.670
that they had contracted a
large real estate developer

00:22:38.670 --> 00:22:40.350
to begin surveying.

00:22:40.350 --> 00:22:43.320
Vietnam has a track record
for building cable cars

00:22:43.320 --> 00:22:45.270
in places of natural beauty.

00:22:45.270 --> 00:22:47.205
There is a ropeway in Da Nang

00:22:47.205 --> 00:22:48.510
and another in Da Lat,

00:22:48.510 --> 00:22:50.070
but this is the first project

00:22:50.070 --> 00:22:53.610
which met with any kind
of significant opposition.

00:22:53.610 --> 00:22:57.000
A petition opposing the cable
car construction was set up

00:22:57.000 --> 00:23:01.200
which got over 50,000
signatures in less than a week.

00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:04.260
In response to this, a second
press conference was called

00:23:04.260 --> 00:23:08.070
which was essentially an
exercise in damage limitation.

00:23:08.070 --> 00:23:10.830
And after this, things went dark.

00:23:10.830 --> 00:23:13.260
The Vietnamese people are usually

00:23:13.260 --> 00:23:15.780
the last to know what
the government is planning.

00:23:15.780 --> 00:23:18.720
And it was clear that despite
opposition to the project,

00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:21.870
plans were still being
drawn behind closed doors.

00:23:21.870 --> 00:23:26.870
So in November 2014, I
co-founded Save Son Doong.

00:23:27.116 --> 00:23:29.949
(uplifting music)

00:23:33.780 --> 00:23:36.060
The ultimate purpose of Save Son Doong

00:23:36.060 --> 00:23:39.210
is not to challenge the government.

00:23:39.210 --> 00:23:41.700
We made it very clear within our team

00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:43.210
from the beginning that

00:23:45.090 --> 00:23:47.850
this is an environmental campaign.

00:23:47.850 --> 00:23:49.950
We don't wanna turn it
into a political campaign.

00:23:49.950 --> 00:23:53.520
And even though a lot of people
try to politicize our cause,

00:23:53.520 --> 00:23:55.530
we make it very clear that

00:23:55.530 --> 00:23:57.870
we believe the government of Vietnam

00:23:57.870 --> 00:23:59.310
as well as Vietnamese people

00:23:59.310 --> 00:24:01.440
can make the best choice,

00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:03.750
can make the most informed decisions

00:24:03.750 --> 00:24:06.270
when they have the information.

00:24:06.270 --> 00:24:10.920
So, our purpose is trying our
best to provide the evidence,

00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:13.080
the scientific proof to the government

00:24:13.080 --> 00:24:16.500
so that they can make the
best decisions for Vietnam.

00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:19.440
- [Giang] We had some early
success with protecting Son Doong,

00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:21.870
but success will be never enduring

00:24:21.870 --> 00:24:25.050
because we know that the
interest of the big business

00:24:25.050 --> 00:24:25.883
is still there.

00:24:25.883 --> 00:24:29.670
You know, it's really a
big potential for them.

00:24:29.670 --> 00:24:32.317
So it's very hard for them
to forego that and say,

00:24:32.317 --> 00:24:34.230
"Hey, look. We go somewhere else."

00:24:34.230 --> 00:24:36.810
They will come back
again and again and again

00:24:36.810 --> 00:24:39.720
and try to convince the leadership

00:24:39.720 --> 00:24:43.260
and convince the public
that the cable car

00:24:43.260 --> 00:24:45.540
is something good for the province

00:24:45.540 --> 00:24:47.790
and for the country to do.

00:24:47.790 --> 00:24:51.000
Of course I appreciate
that the people in Phong Nha

00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:53.850
have the right to a better livelihood,

00:24:53.850 --> 00:24:55.955
but I don't think that mass tourism

00:24:55.955 --> 00:24:59.040
and big scale project and the cable car

00:24:59.040 --> 00:25:01.500
will do any good for
them in the long-term.

00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:03.360
I think they can have a much better,

00:25:03.360 --> 00:25:05.850
much more sustainable, small scale,

00:25:05.850 --> 00:25:08.790
much more community-based tourism,

00:25:08.790 --> 00:25:11.610
and it will be of
best benefits for them,

00:25:11.610 --> 00:25:14.043
for the environment, for
the leadership as well.

00:25:15.360 --> 00:25:17.490
- [Greg] Back in 2014 when I got there,

00:25:17.490 --> 00:25:20.130
the town was just in its infancy

00:25:20.130 --> 00:25:21.600
and just starting to grow.

00:25:21.600 --> 00:25:23.610
There wasn't much going on.

00:25:23.610 --> 00:25:24.810
There was a lot of speculation

00:25:24.810 --> 00:25:26.250
about how things were gonna grow

00:25:26.250 --> 00:25:28.133
because of the discovery of Son Doong.

00:25:29.073 --> 00:25:32.040
- [Multi] Phong Nha has
exploded with tourism.

00:25:32.040 --> 00:25:34.050
Everyone is aspirational,

00:25:34.050 --> 00:25:36.660
and they all think
they're going to the top.

00:25:36.660 --> 00:25:40.350
So everyone on a bicycle
wants to be on a motorbike,

00:25:40.350 --> 00:25:43.290
everyone on a motorbike
wants to be in a car,

00:25:43.290 --> 00:25:46.620
and everyone in a car wants
to be in a helicopter.

00:25:46.620 --> 00:25:50.117
So, off we go to the future.

00:25:53.970 --> 00:25:55.350
- [Howard] As everybody's noticing now,

00:25:55.350 --> 00:25:57.213
there's massive changes in Phong Nha.

00:25:58.230 --> 00:25:59.820
It's mainly local development.

00:25:59.820 --> 00:26:03.450
It's not been big business
from outside coming in.

00:26:03.450 --> 00:26:05.550
Most of the buildings
that have been constructed

00:26:05.550 --> 00:26:07.380
in the last two or three years,

00:26:07.380 --> 00:26:09.390
they're fairly small and
they've not had the money

00:26:09.390 --> 00:26:12.697
to build very high
skyscraper accommodations.

00:26:12.697 --> 00:26:14.130
It's all low level.

00:26:14.130 --> 00:26:16.290
So things are developing.

00:26:16.290 --> 00:26:19.923
The downside of any development
is what happens to the town.

00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:50.400
- [Howard] Quang Binh Province
has changed dramatically

00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:52.560
in the last few years.

00:26:52.560 --> 00:26:55.290
In 1990, we came down to Phong Nha

00:26:55.290 --> 00:26:57.690
after five days traveling from Hanoi.

00:26:57.690 --> 00:27:00.690
It was a hell of a journey,
a really rough journey.

00:27:00.690 --> 00:27:04.080
There were no sealed roads from
Hanoi to here, none at all.

00:27:04.080 --> 00:27:06.750
It took a day to get here from Dong Hoi,

00:27:06.750 --> 00:27:09.210
which now you can do in 40 minutes.

00:27:09.210 --> 00:27:11.400
And it was quite a shock
to see this place,

00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:13.740
because basically
there was nothing here.

00:27:13.740 --> 00:27:15.570
The people were incredibly poor,

00:27:15.570 --> 00:27:16.923
incredibly friendly people.

00:27:16.923 --> 00:27:19.830
They all came and see
us, amazingly friendly,

00:27:19.830 --> 00:27:21.663
but amazingly poor.

00:27:23.370 --> 00:27:24.960
Quang Binh Province, without any doubt,

00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:27.303
was the poorest province in Vietnam.

00:27:28.230 --> 00:27:29.700
Most of the people lived on the river,

00:27:29.700 --> 00:27:31.500
and they were fishing people.

00:27:31.500 --> 00:27:33.180
They grew a little bit of rice,

00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:36.240
but that was their only
source of food, really.

00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:38.100
We didn't really understand the poverty

00:27:38.100 --> 00:27:40.050
that they were going under at that time.

00:27:40.050 --> 00:27:42.330
Very naive when we first came out here.

00:27:42.330 --> 00:27:43.470
We wondered why we were bringing

00:27:43.470 --> 00:27:45.180
all our own food from Hanoi.

00:27:45.180 --> 00:27:47.530
We didn't understand they
didn't have any food.

00:27:49.350 --> 00:27:52.170
The weeks that we arrived
and we worked here,

00:27:52.170 --> 00:27:54.720
there were about a thousand people died

00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:56.613
of malnutrition and malaria.

00:27:58.710 --> 00:28:01.020
There were lots and lots of bomb craters

00:28:01.020 --> 00:28:03.660
because this was completely destroyed,

00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:06.093
and I mean completely
destroyed, in the war.

00:28:07.770 --> 00:28:09.360
There was no standing building.

00:28:09.360 --> 00:28:12.600
Not one building was left after the war.

00:28:12.600 --> 00:28:16.290
So when we first came
in 1990, it was flat.

00:28:16.290 --> 00:28:18.930
The odd building was just
starting to be constructed

00:28:18.930 --> 00:28:20.010
in towns like Vinh,

00:28:20.010 --> 00:28:22.380
but it was just bomb craters and a mess.

00:28:22.380 --> 00:28:24.672
This was many, many years after the war,

00:28:24.672 --> 00:28:26.222
so there'd been no development.

00:28:27.450 --> 00:28:29.430
This was the area where
the Ho Chi Minh trail,

00:28:29.430 --> 00:28:31.380
the narrowest part in Vietnam,

00:28:31.380 --> 00:28:34.830
so it's the most bombed
area in the world.

00:28:34.830 --> 00:28:36.210
So more bombs were dropped here

00:28:36.210 --> 00:28:38.100
than anywhere else ever in the world,

00:28:38.100 --> 00:28:39.420
and so it just got murdered.

00:28:39.420 --> 00:28:42.857
In fact, all this area was
on fire the most of the war.

00:28:42.857 --> 00:28:46.050
(tense orchestral music)
(missiles swooshing)

00:28:46.050 --> 00:28:49.230
They had five major
excursions did the Americans

00:28:49.230 --> 00:28:50.550
a day, I've been told.

00:28:50.550 --> 00:28:52.530
From the aircraft carriers
out in the sea

00:28:52.530 --> 00:28:54.300
and from Thailand they came here,

00:28:54.300 --> 00:28:56.460
dropped bombs five times a day.

00:28:56.460 --> 00:29:00.510
So, the whole area used to
be called the fire mountains

00:29:00.510 --> 00:29:01.710
because they were always on fire.

00:29:01.710 --> 00:29:04.156
Everything was burning all the time.

00:29:04.156 --> 00:29:07.749
(missiles swooshing)

00:29:07.749 --> 00:29:11.126
(bombs exploding)

00:30:18.660 --> 00:30:20.010
Everything's new.

00:30:20.010 --> 00:30:21.120
Yeah, it's just boom!

00:30:21.120 --> 00:30:24.450
And then everyone just,
like, overwhelmed.

00:30:24.450 --> 00:30:27.810
It's like Vietnam in
the past after the war.

00:30:27.810 --> 00:30:31.890
Basically, we've been
through very rough time

00:30:31.890 --> 00:30:36.890
and then we have to start developing,

00:30:36.900 --> 00:30:40.410
but we don't have a lot of
the good direction, yeah?

00:30:40.410 --> 00:30:43.200
So we need to go that, go that, go that.

00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:46.620
And then we find, let's
see which way is good.

00:30:46.620 --> 00:30:50.580
I think the decision
now is very important.

00:30:50.580 --> 00:30:52.583
For example, the plan of Phong Nha

00:30:52.583 --> 00:30:54.960
in next 50 years, for example,

00:30:54.960 --> 00:30:56.640
the building, construction,

00:30:56.640 --> 00:30:59.040
that will make Phong Nha
look beautiful or shit.

00:30:59.940 --> 00:31:02.130
If the local people understood that,

00:31:02.130 --> 00:31:04.140
Phong Nha will keep the value it is.

00:31:04.140 --> 00:31:06.960
It's developed,
but it's a beautiful way,

00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:09.240
what is fitting to Phong Nha.

00:31:09.240 --> 00:31:12.300
Keep it original, keep it
something very Phong Nha,

00:31:12.300 --> 00:31:14.370
very unique in Vietnam.

00:31:14.370 --> 00:31:17.610
If we create that value, next 10 years

00:31:17.610 --> 00:31:20.043
Phong Nha gonna becoming
paradise for people.

00:31:21.360 --> 00:31:22.410
- [Howard] Phong Nha area now,

00:31:22.410 --> 00:31:24.930
there's more people visit caves here,

00:31:24.930 --> 00:31:26.940
both as an adventure tourism,

00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:28.200
than anywhere else in the world.

00:31:28.200 --> 00:31:31.320
More people are doing
adventure tours in caves here

00:31:31.320 --> 00:31:32.850
than anywhere else comfortably.

00:31:32.850 --> 00:31:35.460
These are not tourist caves
with lights and paths.

00:31:35.460 --> 00:31:38.190
These are proper multi-day adventures.

00:31:38.190 --> 00:31:42.300
- [Man] If we develop
it properly, naturally,

00:31:42.300 --> 00:31:44.580
it will attract a lot of people

00:31:44.580 --> 00:31:47.940
who really want to see
the natural beauty.

00:31:47.940 --> 00:31:49.110
- [Howard] It seems to be working

00:31:49.110 --> 00:31:52.350
the idea of setting up
these adventure tours

00:31:52.350 --> 00:31:53.910
to only limited people,

00:31:53.910 --> 00:31:56.490
preserve the cave, and
yet promote the cave.

00:31:56.490 --> 00:31:58.710
That's what's been a
very successful model

00:31:58.710 --> 00:32:01.170
and it's growing incredibly well.

00:32:01.170 --> 00:32:03.240
You've only got to walk
the streets of Phong Nha,

00:32:03.240 --> 00:32:05.580
which is full of foreign
tourist at the moment.

00:32:05.580 --> 00:32:07.620
It's really, really busy.

00:32:07.620 --> 00:32:09.240
- [Tourist] All right,
we have just arrived

00:32:09.240 --> 00:32:11.724
in the small town of Phong Nha.

00:32:11.724 --> 00:32:13.170
It's kind of a cute little town, huh?

00:32:13.170 --> 00:32:14.100
- It really is.

00:32:14.100 --> 00:32:15.600
- [JP] Hi, my name's JP.

00:32:15.600 --> 00:32:18.600
I'm in Phong Nha, Vietnam,
and I'm traveling the world.

00:32:18.600 --> 00:32:20.640
- [Tourist] It is absolutely beautiful.

00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:25.500
The people, the hats. (laughs)

00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:26.490
- [Multi] I love this place.

00:32:26.490 --> 00:32:28.048
I love everyone that's here.

00:32:28.048 --> 00:32:30.270
I love what they've got here.

00:32:30.270 --> 00:32:33.000
- [Denise] We're very
proud that everything

00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:34.350
has been locally owned.

00:32:34.350 --> 00:32:37.500
That's been a huge deal for Phong Nha.

00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:40.380
The local people saw opportunity.

00:32:40.380 --> 00:32:43.080
They joined forces as families

00:32:43.080 --> 00:32:45.660
and they started all
of these new endeavors,

00:32:45.660 --> 00:32:49.200
and I always thought that's
one of the biggest things

00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:52.170
that made Phong Nha so
unique and so special.

00:32:52.170 --> 00:32:54.300
- [JP] I mean, like, what?

00:32:54.300 --> 00:32:56.700
Where am I? (laughs)

00:32:56.700 --> 00:32:58.663
This is like paradise.

00:32:58.663 --> 00:33:00.951
Man! It's gorgeous.

00:33:00.951 --> 00:33:02.183
- [Small Boy] Hello!

00:33:02.183 --> 00:33:03.176
(tourist laughs)

00:33:03.176 --> 00:33:05.104
- [Tourist] You're so falling off.

00:33:05.104 --> 00:33:08.482
(uplifting music)

00:33:08.482 --> 00:33:11.565
(fireworks exploding)

00:33:13.290 --> 00:33:14.857
- [Denise] Things were going so well.

00:33:14.857 --> 00:33:17.250
Phong Nha was booming.

00:33:17.250 --> 00:33:21.870
It was busy, it was full
of energy and people

00:33:21.870 --> 00:33:26.250
and anticipation and hope
and big dreams.

00:33:26.250 --> 00:33:29.172
Everyone had big dreams.

00:33:29.172 --> 00:33:32.922
(uplifting orchestral music)

00:33:35.808 --> 00:33:38.558
(birds chirping)

00:33:47.250 --> 00:33:48.083
- [Man] In Phong Nha town,

00:33:48.083 --> 00:33:51.993
I think at least 90% business,
they close.

00:33:54.090 --> 00:33:55.473
They have no choice.

00:33:58.230 --> 00:34:00.270
So now, we blocked the border.

00:34:00.270 --> 00:34:02.520
So now, no more tourists.

00:34:02.520 --> 00:34:03.990
No customer.

00:34:03.990 --> 00:34:06.390
So they have to close
and find other solution,

00:34:06.390 --> 00:34:07.413
other jobs.

00:34:10.230 --> 00:34:11.760
- [Man] It's really difficult time.

00:34:11.760 --> 00:34:13.713
It's really tough for local.

00:34:15.270 --> 00:34:17.883
A lot of business owners,
they're very scared.

00:34:19.560 --> 00:34:23.160
Phong Nha people rely on tourism,

00:34:23.160 --> 00:34:27.063
and when the tourism is dead,
it's obviously they just...

00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:31.113
Yeah, very stressful.

00:34:32.640 --> 00:34:33.510
- [Man] A lot of business,

00:34:33.510 --> 00:34:35.430
they borrow money from the bank.

00:34:35.430 --> 00:34:40.020
And now COVID came for three times.

00:34:40.020 --> 00:34:42.060
So, bankrupt.

00:34:42.060 --> 00:34:44.763
Some of them, they sell their business.

00:34:45.840 --> 00:34:48.698
Some they gotta sell quite cheaply.

00:34:48.698 --> 00:34:51.197
They have no choice now.

00:34:51.197 --> 00:34:52.597
Too much money from the bank.

00:35:45.266 --> 00:35:46.890
- [Multi] We're building a homestay,

00:35:46.890 --> 00:35:51.570
and my wife's putting steel
inside the concrete columns.

00:35:51.570 --> 00:35:53.310
And I'm like, "What's this for?"

00:35:53.310 --> 00:35:56.700
She said, "Oh, this is to make
the building last forever."

00:35:56.700 --> 00:35:58.410
I said, "But our daughter's gonna have

00:35:58.410 --> 00:36:00.270
to knock this down soon."

00:36:00.270 --> 00:36:02.250
And she went, "What for?"

00:36:02.250 --> 00:36:04.320
I said, "Maybe a shopping center.

00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:06.360
Maybe a heliport.

00:36:06.360 --> 00:36:08.520
Maybe a cable car."

00:36:08.520 --> 00:36:10.410
And my wife said, "Oh, don't be silly,

00:36:10.410 --> 00:36:12.300
that won't happen."

00:36:12.300 --> 00:36:15.660
And I said, "You standing
here looking at villas

00:36:15.660 --> 00:36:18.990
and a swimming pool
in your banana field."

00:36:18.990 --> 00:36:20.250
I said, "When you were a kid,

00:36:20.250 --> 00:36:23.070
did you think this would be here?"

00:36:23.070 --> 00:36:26.850
She went, "Oh yeah, I
can see what you mean."

00:36:26.850 --> 00:36:28.200
People say to me, "Hey, Multi,

00:36:28.200 --> 00:36:30.090
you were here when tourism started.

00:36:30.090 --> 00:36:32.610
You should take credit for this."

00:36:32.610 --> 00:36:34.560
I don't wanna take credit for tourism

00:36:34.560 --> 00:36:36.720
because if I have to take the credit,

00:36:36.720 --> 00:36:38.190
then I have to take the blame

00:36:38.190 --> 00:36:41.340
for any bad stuff that happens.

00:36:41.340 --> 00:36:44.820
Phong Nha in 10 years, there'll
be a Mung Tang restaurant,

00:36:44.820 --> 00:36:48.180
there'll be a casino,
there'll be golf courses.

00:36:48.180 --> 00:36:51.060
The whole place will be
great and prosperous.

00:36:51.060 --> 00:36:55.050
And in the big picture,
that's a good thing.

00:36:55.050 --> 00:36:57.180
There's always gonna be the money there.

00:36:57.180 --> 00:36:59.730
But what I'm worried about is the locals

00:36:59.730 --> 00:37:01.563
that are gonna suffer from it.

00:37:02.730 --> 00:37:05.250
These people aren't gonna benefit.

00:37:05.250 --> 00:37:07.560
These people are gonna
sell their properties

00:37:07.560 --> 00:37:09.450
for twice what they're worth,

00:37:09.450 --> 00:37:12.120
and then in three years
when their property's

00:37:12.120 --> 00:37:14.670
worth 30 times as much,

00:37:14.670 --> 00:37:17.087
they're not gonna be that happy.

00:37:17.087 --> 00:37:19.670
(gentle music)

00:37:27.150 --> 00:37:29.820
- [Huong] In the middle of 2020,

00:37:29.820 --> 00:37:32.040
when people started to
talk about the new normal,

00:37:32.040 --> 00:37:33.033
the new normal,

00:37:34.020 --> 00:37:37.110
it would be very sad if the new normal

00:37:37.110 --> 00:37:41.040
is where they continue, or even more so,

00:37:41.040 --> 00:37:45.483
prioritize economic benefits
over environmental impacts.

00:37:47.040 --> 00:37:52.040
So, to me, a good new normal is actually

00:37:52.140 --> 00:37:54.570
what Phong Nha has already been doing

00:37:54.570 --> 00:37:56.460
in the last five, six years,

00:37:56.460 --> 00:37:59.070
that other provinces in
Vietnam are not doing.

00:37:59.070 --> 00:38:02.070
And I hope that the people
in charge in Quang Binh

00:38:02.070 --> 00:38:05.283
can see that, and can stick to that.

00:38:06.570 --> 00:38:08.820
I did, and I still do, sometimes have

00:38:08.820 --> 00:38:10.860
that very strong sense of guilt

00:38:10.860 --> 00:38:13.470
that inspired me to start Save
Son Doong at the beginning,

00:38:13.470 --> 00:38:17.400
sometime came back haunting
me as a question of,

00:38:17.400 --> 00:38:20.040
what am I doing to the poor people

00:38:20.040 --> 00:38:22.980
that could very much
benefit from mass tourism?

00:38:22.980 --> 00:38:27.600
Because it is impossible for
me to ask people to starve

00:38:27.600 --> 00:38:30.500
while they know that they're
sitting on a hidden treasure.

00:38:31.470 --> 00:38:33.690
It's unfair for people.

00:38:33.690 --> 00:38:34.950
It's easy for me to say,

00:38:34.950 --> 00:38:37.440
because I grew up in a
privileged background.

00:38:37.440 --> 00:38:40.890
I don't have to worry about
my next meal every day.

00:38:40.890 --> 00:38:42.810
But for those people who do,

00:38:42.810 --> 00:38:46.140
I cannot ask them to go sit and wait

00:38:46.140 --> 00:38:49.503
for the benefits of 10 years,
a hundred years from now.

00:38:51.060 --> 00:38:53.430
- [Huy] When the big
companies decide to invest

00:38:53.430 --> 00:38:54.870
into local community,

00:38:54.870 --> 00:38:58.860
the reason why the local
officers always welcomes

00:38:58.860 --> 00:39:00.840
is because they see the potential

00:39:00.840 --> 00:39:03.840
for their people to be richer.

00:39:03.840 --> 00:39:06.690
As a tourist, we love to enjoy nature.

00:39:06.690 --> 00:39:10.140
But looking from the local
people point of view,

00:39:10.140 --> 00:39:14.610
if there's no industry
for them to make money,

00:39:14.610 --> 00:39:18.420
to earn a living and
for them to get richer,

00:39:18.420 --> 00:39:20.170
for their children to go to school,

00:39:21.630 --> 00:39:23.223
then it's not fair for them.

00:39:24.660 --> 00:39:29.340
So tourism sometime is a sacrifice.

00:39:47.460 --> 00:39:50.100
- [Man] Bringing a cable
car into the national park,

00:39:50.100 --> 00:39:52.890
it's not a bad idea if you
know how to control that.

00:39:52.890 --> 00:39:55.410
A lot of people, they cannot
walk into a national park,

00:39:55.410 --> 00:39:56.730
they cannot go hiking,

00:39:56.730 --> 00:39:59.580
but they still can see the
national park from the sky.

00:39:59.580 --> 00:40:01.200
Sooner or later it's gonna happen.

00:40:01.200 --> 00:40:02.760
It's a good chance for the local people

00:40:02.760 --> 00:40:05.040
and it's a good chance for
Quang Binh and for Phong Nha

00:40:05.040 --> 00:40:06.653
to show the world that
we have everything.

00:40:06.653 --> 00:40:08.520
We have the largest cave,

00:40:08.520 --> 00:40:11.867
we have a big cave system here
and we even have cable car,

00:40:11.867 --> 00:40:15.180
so we have different
option for people to come.

00:40:15.180 --> 00:40:17.400
- [Jonathan] Humankind, as
soon as they discover something

00:40:17.400 --> 00:40:19.530
on the Earth that's
unique and wonderful,

00:40:19.530 --> 00:40:20.970
they will desecrate it.

00:40:20.970 --> 00:40:23.490
We have a terrible track
record of acknowledging,

00:40:23.490 --> 00:40:25.200
respecting, and preserving.

00:40:25.200 --> 00:40:26.190
It's one thing to watch

00:40:26.190 --> 00:40:28.530
the imperial sites of China
get trampled,

00:40:28.530 --> 00:40:29.880
but it's another thing altogether

00:40:29.880 --> 00:40:32.850
to watch a natural wonder that
took millions and millions

00:40:32.850 --> 00:40:34.110
of years to develop.

00:40:34.110 --> 00:40:35.760
And part of that is you have to have

00:40:35.760 --> 00:40:37.920
exclusivity to have sanctuary.

00:40:37.920 --> 00:40:40.020
The cave needs to be a sanctuary,

00:40:40.020 --> 00:40:42.030
but then that means you gotta limit,

00:40:42.030 --> 00:40:44.580
and the way things
get limited is by cost.

00:40:44.580 --> 00:40:46.477
- [Huong] The whole idea
that I'm pushing for is

00:40:46.477 --> 00:40:48.900
Son Doong is not a place
for mass tourism.

00:40:48.900 --> 00:40:52.680
So it is a place for a limited
number of people to go to.

00:40:52.680 --> 00:40:56.190
Now, who gets to go
is the next question,

00:40:56.190 --> 00:40:58.350
and right now one of
the biggest filters

00:40:58.350 --> 00:41:00.030
is financial ability,

00:41:00.030 --> 00:41:03.150
who can pay $3,000 for a four day trip.

00:41:03.150 --> 00:41:06.810
Given that the average income
of a Vietnamese citizen

00:41:06.810 --> 00:41:09.930
is about $6,500 a year,

00:41:09.930 --> 00:41:12.060
$3,000 is a lot.

00:41:12.060 --> 00:41:15.240
- [Multi] If you're looking at it
from an environmental perspective,

00:41:15.240 --> 00:41:17.190
yeah, okay, save Son Doong.

00:41:17.190 --> 00:41:18.063
Yes.

00:41:19.140 --> 00:41:20.490
Put a cage over the front of it.

00:41:20.490 --> 00:41:21.450
Don't walk in there.

00:41:21.450 --> 00:41:23.310
Save Son Doong.

00:41:23.310 --> 00:41:25.920
Limiting the people that go in there

00:41:25.920 --> 00:41:28.293
to the rich and famous?

00:41:29.790 --> 00:41:32.460
No, that's not saving Son Doong.

00:41:32.460 --> 00:41:36.660
That's saving Son Doong for
those that can afford it.

00:41:36.660 --> 00:41:40.950
- [Huong] Not everybody going
there was to go to Son Doong.

00:41:40.950 --> 00:41:43.680
Thanks to Son Doong,
all the caves in this area

00:41:43.680 --> 00:41:45.570
got a lot more popularity,

00:41:45.570 --> 00:41:47.640
which I don't think
they would be able to do

00:41:47.640 --> 00:41:49.140
without the story of Son Doong.

00:41:49.140 --> 00:41:52.080
Yes, people can get rich
overnight really fast,

00:41:52.080 --> 00:41:53.580
but that's not gonna last.

00:41:53.580 --> 00:41:56.580
And we've seen this over
and over and over in Vietnam,

00:41:56.580 --> 00:41:57.810
and I don't want the same thing

00:41:57.810 --> 00:41:59.557
to repeat in Phong Nha.

00:41:59.557 --> 00:42:01.380
Phong Nha is a small village.

00:42:01.380 --> 00:42:04.590
All these villagers are
literally brothers and cousins

00:42:04.590 --> 00:42:08.490
and uncles and aunties
and sisters to each other.

00:42:08.490 --> 00:42:11.520
If you're talking to the poorest people,

00:42:11.520 --> 00:42:15.180
it makes sense why they would
be excited for this project

00:42:15.180 --> 00:42:17.700
in which big companies
are promising them

00:42:17.700 --> 00:42:20.250
lots and lots of money,
lots and lots of tourists.

00:42:20.250 --> 00:42:21.450
But for those who are luckier

00:42:21.450 --> 00:42:23.520
and have access to higher education,

00:42:23.520 --> 00:42:26.340
they understand that
when big companies come,

00:42:26.340 --> 00:42:28.500
the majority of the profit
would go to the pocket

00:42:28.500 --> 00:42:31.260
of these big companies,
and they in return

00:42:31.260 --> 00:42:34.560
would just become
construction workers, et cetera.

00:42:34.560 --> 00:42:38.070
But if we support
small local businesses,

00:42:38.070 --> 00:42:41.700
then we can actually create
permanent employment.

00:42:41.700 --> 00:42:45.360
Local businesses, founded
and run by local people,

00:42:45.360 --> 00:42:48.150
would be the best turn
to empower people,

00:42:48.150 --> 00:42:50.250
because these local companies

00:42:50.250 --> 00:42:53.310
have the best interest of
the community at heart.

00:42:53.310 --> 00:42:55.890
- [Jonathan] Oxalis is...
The guy that owns it

00:42:55.890 --> 00:42:57.810
is an interesting character.

00:42:57.810 --> 00:43:00.540
He didn't really get into
Oxalis in the cave and all that

00:43:00.540 --> 00:43:01.950
because he wanted to make money.

00:43:01.950 --> 00:43:03.000
He'd already made money.

00:43:03.000 --> 00:43:05.610
And now they're throwing
off revenue and profits

00:43:05.610 --> 00:43:08.490
and they're using those
profits to support schools.

00:43:08.490 --> 00:43:09.600
That's fabulous.

00:43:09.600 --> 00:43:10.620
That's very important.

00:43:10.620 --> 00:43:12.780
Now you have a full cycle.

00:43:12.780 --> 00:43:15.930
The commerciality is
returning to the community

00:43:15.930 --> 00:43:18.090
instead of going to China.

00:43:18.090 --> 00:43:19.800
You know, that's very important.

00:43:19.800 --> 00:43:21.480
If they could keep that loop going

00:43:21.480 --> 00:43:23.070
throughout Phong Nha,

00:43:23.070 --> 00:43:26.460
if that concept could sustain that area,

00:43:26.460 --> 00:43:28.770
which it won't, but if it could,

00:43:28.770 --> 00:43:31.510
they'd have a chance of
really creating something

00:43:32.970 --> 00:43:34.950
that on the human level is remarkable,

00:43:34.950 --> 00:43:36.960
as well as associating it

00:43:36.960 --> 00:43:38.760
with the remarkable natural wonder.

00:43:38.760 --> 00:43:39.810
- [Interviewer] You say it won't,

00:43:39.810 --> 00:43:42.600
but why don't you think
that's sustainable?

00:43:42.600 --> 00:43:46.740
- [Jonathan] Because there's
too much at stake, you know.

00:43:46.740 --> 00:43:49.950
And there will be big
players that'll step in.

00:43:49.950 --> 00:43:51.600
Just imagine if the Grand Canyon

00:43:51.600 --> 00:43:53.640
was just discovered this week,

00:43:53.640 --> 00:43:57.090
and it didn't belong to anyone.

00:43:57.090 --> 00:43:59.100
And there was a government
that controlled it,

00:43:59.100 --> 00:44:02.400
but they were under the
influence of a lot of forces.

00:44:02.400 --> 00:44:05.230
And then people realized
that this is gonna become

00:44:06.780 --> 00:44:09.183
a major global tourist attraction.

00:44:10.260 --> 00:44:11.730
How would that go?

00:44:11.730 --> 00:44:12.870
It wouldn't go well.

00:44:12.870 --> 00:44:15.060
So I don't have much hope
that they're suddenly

00:44:15.060 --> 00:44:18.150
gonna wake up and figure
out how to develop Phong Nha

00:44:18.150 --> 00:44:23.150
in a way that preserves the charm.

00:44:23.760 --> 00:44:26.460
It'll just get trampled for money,

00:44:26.460 --> 00:44:28.143
and that's just the way it is.

00:44:30.637 --> 00:44:33.387
(poignant music)

00:44:39.210 --> 00:44:43.320
- [Huong] Sometimes I get this
really weird conflict within myself

00:44:43.320 --> 00:44:46.260
after I discover a beautiful place.

00:44:46.260 --> 00:44:47.580
Should I tell people about it?

00:44:47.580 --> 00:44:49.020
Should I not tell people about it?

00:44:49.020 --> 00:44:51.420
It may sound conflicting,

00:44:51.420 --> 00:44:54.030
but as an educator myself,

00:44:54.030 --> 00:44:56.250
I don't believe in the idea

00:44:56.250 --> 00:44:59.400
of hiding information from people.

00:44:59.400 --> 00:45:02.010
People should know about
beautiful places in their country.

00:45:02.010 --> 00:45:03.810
People should feel proud.

00:45:03.810 --> 00:45:06.750
And hopefully that pride
will be what motivates them

00:45:06.750 --> 00:45:09.270
to protect those places.

00:45:09.270 --> 00:45:11.880
I actually dislike the fact
that Son Doong

00:45:11.880 --> 00:45:15.810
is always advertised as
the world's largest cave.

00:45:15.810 --> 00:45:16.830
Yes, it is true,

00:45:16.830 --> 00:45:18.480
it is the world's largest cave.

00:45:18.480 --> 00:45:20.520
And that title is probably what attracts

00:45:20.520 --> 00:45:22.800
a lot of people to this place.

00:45:22.800 --> 00:45:24.630
But I think Son Doong deserves

00:45:24.630 --> 00:45:27.330
so much more recognition than that.

00:45:27.330 --> 00:45:30.510
Me, myself, I went to Son
Doong because of the fact that

00:45:30.510 --> 00:45:33.450
it was so isolated from
the outside world

00:45:33.450 --> 00:45:36.660
and its pristine charm
has been preserved

00:45:36.660 --> 00:45:38.673
through millions of years.

00:45:39.914 --> 00:45:43.680
Son Doong is beautiful
because of its ecosystem.

00:45:43.680 --> 00:45:46.620
Inside this cave, there are two jungles,

00:45:46.620 --> 00:45:48.330
two rivers, one waterfall.

00:45:48.330 --> 00:45:51.030
They have even fog inside the cave

00:45:51.030 --> 00:45:54.480
that makes you sometimes
forget that you're underground.

00:45:54.480 --> 00:45:57.000
Now imagine the same cave,

00:45:57.000 --> 00:46:01.200
but without the living
ecosystem inside Son Doong.

00:46:01.200 --> 00:46:03.030
Would it be beautiful, or just gonna be

00:46:03.030 --> 00:46:04.740
the world's largest hole?

00:46:04.740 --> 00:46:08.681
An empty chamber with
no habitats, nothing?

00:46:08.681 --> 00:46:09.630
It's dead.

00:46:09.630 --> 00:46:12.180
It's gonna be very boring
if you're just gonna walk

00:46:12.180 --> 00:46:15.153
through a hole for like three,
four, five, six, seven days.

00:46:16.320 --> 00:46:21.030
So Son Doong deserves some
time for us to study and admire

00:46:21.030 --> 00:46:25.672
before we let human beings
in and destroy everything.

00:46:30.561 --> 00:46:33.310
(car horns)

00:46:33.310 --> 00:46:35.310
- [Huy] The interesting
thing of living in Vietnam

00:46:35.310 --> 00:46:37.440
is that it grow every day.

00:46:37.440 --> 00:46:38.430
It grow every day.

00:46:38.430 --> 00:46:40.380
And throughout the history,

00:46:40.380 --> 00:46:42.090
you can see that Vietnamese people

00:46:42.090 --> 00:46:45.300
always find a way to make progress.

00:46:45.300 --> 00:46:47.190
We can never stay the same.

00:46:47.190 --> 00:46:52.110
Everyone want big things and
good things for this country,

00:46:52.110 --> 00:46:55.043
but sometime because of the aspiration

00:46:55.043 --> 00:46:56.785
we...we...

00:46:56.785 --> 00:47:01.261
we push things forward
without looking back.

00:47:01.261 --> 00:47:04.040
If one day we forget to look back

00:47:04.040 --> 00:47:05.850
and just keep moving forward,

00:47:05.850 --> 00:47:06.870
it's too late.

00:47:06.870 --> 00:47:08.220
It's too late to look back.

00:47:08.220 --> 00:47:11.040
It too late to recall what we have.

00:47:11.040 --> 00:47:13.740
So, that's a question
that we have to ask

00:47:13.740 --> 00:47:17.550
every times we consider a new
construction, a new project.

00:47:17.550 --> 00:47:20.560
We have to balance between
the benefit for people

00:47:21.660 --> 00:47:24.467
and the benefit for future people.

00:47:26.222 --> 00:47:28.805
(rain pouring)

00:47:47.834 --> 00:47:50.417
(solemn music)

00:48:07.944 --> 00:48:11.361
(music continues)

00:48:18.360 --> 00:48:21.693
(soft orchestral music)

00:48:38.427 --> 00:48:41.844
(uplifting orchestral music)

00:48:58.466 --> 00:49:01.383
(music continues)

00:49:18.557 --> 00:49:22.307
(orchestral music)

00:49:30.224 --> 00:49:31.906
- [Man] What's your answer?

00:49:31.906 --> 00:49:35.405
- Yay! (laughs)

00:49:35.405 --> 00:49:40.102
(indistinct chatter)

00:49:40.102 --> 00:49:45.102
(orchestral music)
(birds chirping)

00:50:00.166 --> 00:50:03.916
(music continues)

00:50:13.613 --> 00:50:16.363
(birds chirping)

00:50:20.176 --> 00:50:23.926
(music continues)

00:50:47.630 --> 00:50:50.963
(gentle acoustic music)

00:50:57.700 --> 00:51:00.240
- [Giang] Well, the good sign,
at least few years ago,

00:51:00.240 --> 00:51:02.100
the national government announced that.

00:51:02.100 --> 00:51:05.085
But we are very cautious.

00:51:05.085 --> 00:51:09.180
There's nothing who
held them accountable

00:51:09.180 --> 00:51:10.350
for that statement.

00:51:10.350 --> 00:51:12.180
Government comes and go.

00:51:12.180 --> 00:51:13.884
So now we got a new government.

00:51:13.884 --> 00:51:17.970
They all can have a
different thought on that, right?

00:51:17.970 --> 00:51:18.937
They can turn around and say,

00:51:18.937 --> 00:51:21.210
"Hey look, but things change.

00:51:21.210 --> 00:51:24.120
Now we need to rethink our priority

00:51:24.120 --> 00:51:26.370
and this is what we should do now."

00:51:26.370 --> 00:51:30.303
So that number, 10 years,
is just a symbolic number.

00:51:31.200 --> 00:51:35.910
It says that they are not
ready to do that right now,

00:51:35.910 --> 00:51:37.710
but it doesn't mean that they will not

00:51:37.710 --> 00:51:39.690
try it again in the future.

00:51:39.690 --> 00:51:41.340
- [Huong] We're keeping
our finger crossed

00:51:41.340 --> 00:51:46.340
that the side that leaning
towards conservation is winning.

00:51:46.410 --> 00:51:50.190
But then again, they always
say "as off right now".

00:51:50.190 --> 00:51:54.999
Even though UNESCO did ask
them to cancel all plan,

00:51:55.710 --> 00:52:00.330
all cable car plans to
Son Doong permanently,

00:52:00.330 --> 00:52:01.980
they have never said, "permanently."

00:52:01.980 --> 00:52:03.007
They always give a time, like,

00:52:03.007 --> 00:52:07.110
"Oh, until 2030," or "as of right now."

00:52:07.110 --> 00:52:12.110
So, I still believe that this
is an ongoing campaign for us.

00:52:12.904 --> 00:52:17.010
(gentle acoustic music)

00:52:17.010 --> 00:52:21.427
(singing in Vietnamese)

00:52:46.353 --> 00:52:49.686
(gentle acoustic music)