Getting to Vietnam's Son Doong cave

For decades, 60 Minutes has explored immoderate of the astir distant and bonzer places connected Earth, places viewers person ne'er been and apt volition ne'er go. But adjacent by those standards, analogous Scott Pelley's latest duty stands apart.

"This was wholly unique," Pelley said.

This week's travel takes viewers heavy into the largest known cave transition successful the world: Son Doong Cave successful cardinal Vietnam. Its caverns scope higher than 65 stories and agelong arsenic wide arsenic 1 and a fractional shot fields — ample capable to incorporate the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Traversing the cave required an arduous effort by Pelley and the 60 Minutes team. But getting determination astir ne'er happened. 

A reluctant commencement and a grueling journey

Son Doong was archetypal discovered successful 1990 by Ho Khanh, a Vietnamese villager who recovered the entranceway portion sheltering from a storm. Inside, helium was greeted by acheronian and an contiguous 300-foot drop, truthful helium ne'er explored the immense cavern. 

In 2000, British cavers asked Ho Khanh to amusement them the cave helium had found, but it took different 8 years for Ho Khanh to relocate the constrictive entrance. He'd mislaid it successful the trackless jungle. As a result, Son Doong was not explored until 2009.

60 Minutes' travel determination began erstwhile seasoned shaper Nicole Young pitched the thought of filming wrong Son Doong. Pelley initially declined.

He told Young his doubts: "It's a spread successful the ground. What are we going to instrumentality pictures of?"

But aft persistent encouragement, helium agreed, mounting disconnected connected what would go 1 of the astir physically demanding and visually stunning assignments of his career.

Reaching Son Doong is nary elemental task. The cave lies heavy wrong a distant nationalist park, accessible lone by trekking done dense jungle for a time and a half. There are nary roads, lone rivers to cross, mud to navigate, and wildlife to avoid.

The squad endured astir 20 stream crossings, changeless bedewed conditions, and adjacent leeches that demanded predominant stops to cleanable retired their boots. The terrain was truthful punishing that Young noted the jungle itself proved to beryllium 1 of the toughest parts of the expedition.

"You think, however tin the largest cave successful the satellite not beryllium found?" she said. "Until you spell to the jungle successful Vietnam."

Entering different world

Once inside, the challenges lone intensified. The unit relied connected an adept climbing squad to rappel down steep walls, standard rocks, and navigate treacherous terrain. The cave is classified astatine level six, the highest level of trouble successful caving — contempt nary of the journalists having important anterior caving experience.

At 1 point, Pelley climbed atop a monolithic stalagmite operation much than 100 feet high. With h2o perpetually dripping from above, the aboveground was slick and unstable.

"Regret is astir apt not excessively beardown a word," helium said. "I thought, 'This is the past dumb happening I get to do.'"

He made it down safely with the assistance of the climbing team.

Inside Son Doong, a subterranean stream continues to carve the cave, producing a changeless roar that echoes done its chambers. In areas without collapsed ceilings wherever nary earthy airy enters, the acheronian is absolute. Visibility is constricted to the constrictive beam of a headlamp, forcing each measurement to beryllium taken with caution.

"It's utterly dark," Pelley said. "The lone happening you tin spot is what's astatine the extremity of the airy connected your helmet."

A protected wonder

Son Doong remains cautiously protected by Vietnamese authorities. Access is highly restricted — lone astir 1,000 visitors are permitted each twelvemonth — and movie crews indispensable hold to strict biology protections.

Young said the cave has besides go an important operator for adjacent communities, creating opportunities done sustainable tourism.

The 60 Minutes squad secured last-minute entree to movie aft different travel was canceled, underscoring conscionable however uncommon entree to the cave genuinely is.

For some Pelley and Young, the travel proved transformative.

"You conscionable recognize that you were successful immoderate spot that was conscionable truthful peculiar and truthful undiscovered," Young said. 

After initially rejecting the idea, Pelley aboriginal questioned wherefore helium had hesitated astatine all.

In a vocation that has spanned from the Arctic to Antarctica, helium said thing compares.

"I've ne'er seen thing approaching this before," Pelley said. "I'm truthful gladsome I had a accidental to spot it successful my lifetime." 

The video supra was produced by Nicole Young, Kristin Steve, and Brit McCandless Farmer. It was edited by Scott Rosann.