THAM NANG MAN CAVE – CON CUONG DISTRICT

Tham Nang Man is a limestone cave in Na Pha Village, Yen Khe Commune, Con Cuong District, formed by the Karst weathering process hundreds of millions of years ago with an area of about 1800m2. The cave has an arch structure, a beautiful system of underground caves and beautiful stalactites.

Tham Nang Man Cave is located in front of a large field in Na Pha Village, Yen Khe Commune, Con Cuong District. The nature has created several stalagmites, stalactites, and columns at Tham Nang Man, many of which have unique shapes, including those of a mother holding her child, animals gathering, pillars of heaven, terraces, umbrellas, throne, dragon flying & phoenix dancing, silks, star, rice dune shape, etc. Besides, there are rocks like beds, tables and chairs, etc. There are several rocks that make magical sound when we tap on. Especially, there is a rock block shaped like mother and daughter hugging each other; the child looks up over the open space in the cave and the mother is facing the main cave entrance, looking down at Yen Khe village.

Local people also tell legends about the name and beauty of this cave. According to legend, a family lived at foothill and had a daughter called Nang Man. In the village, her family is the wealthiest and most influential. As she grew older, everyone in the village adored her for her beauty and excellent singing voice. Every time she sang, the birds that were flying by, would stop to listen. Every time she went down to the stream, shrimp and fish would also swarm around to look at her white legs. Then, she fell in love with a poor boy in the village. When her parents found out that, they forbade her from marrying the boy since his family was destitute and unworthy of theirs. She still had a great love for the unfortunate boy despite her parents' prohibition. After her parents knew that she was pregnant with that boy, they were furious and locked her in a cave. At that time, this cave had an ugly, dark, damp appearance. After that, God know. He chose some skilled craftsmen from the Heaven to travel to the Earth in order to renovate the cave and make it lovely since he had pity on the beautiful girl, who was pregnant and confined in a gloomy cave. This helped her alive and gave a birth safely. Since then, the cave has become as magnificent as we see it today. The human petrified form in the cave is Nang Man and her child.

Due to the cave's unique beauty, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee designated Tham Nang Man cave as a provincial-level scenic relic in Decision No. 6388/QD.UBND dated December 28, 2017. This is a frequent destination of tourists in the journey back to the West of Nghe An, ecotourism, and community tourism in Con Cuong district.

Currently, Con Cuong district has also made investments in a variety of construction projects, such as an old stilt house that serves as a rest stop for visitors who come to see Tham Nang Man 's natural beauty.