Son Doong Cave documentary releases promo video

On Tuesday, Variety revealed an exclusive promotional video featuring natural scenery at Son Doong, dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world,” and a team of explorers studying the cave.

Visitors tour Son Doong cave in central Vietnam’s Quang Binh province. Photo by AFP

“Deep in the jungle of central Vietnam lies an underground kingdom. Hang Son Doong, which translates as ‘mountain river cave’ is the largest cave passage in the world and a place of beauty,” Variety said.

According to the newspaper, the documentary tells the story of how local communities reacted to the plan of building a cable car system into the cave, which was proposed in 2004 and stirred controversy.

“At its core, ‘A Crack in the Mountain’ is a lens through which to explore the challenges which modern day Vietnam faces,” said Alastair Evans, director of the documentary.

“As the clock ticks down and people around the world struggle to find that optimum balance point between environmental sustainability and economic growth, nowhere is this battle more keenly contested than in a rapidly developing nation such as Vietnam.”

Son Doong is the world’s largest known natural cave passage by volume. It was first discovered by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1990. In 2009, Khanh led a team of professionals, including two members of the Royal British Cave Association into the first expedition of the cave.

“A Crack in the Mountain” was produced by the British independent documentaries studio Dartmouth Films and premiered at the 2022 DMZ International Documentary Film Festival.

Since then, the film has won several prestigious awards, including the “Film of the Year” award at the Nordic Adventure Film Festival and the “Best International Documentary” award at the Sedona International Film Festival.