Phong Nha – Ke Bang is one of the most favorite destinations for adventuring lovers in Vietnam. It is located in Bo Trach District, 50 kilometers from Dong Hoi City of Quang Binh Province. This destination attracts tourists by the harmony of the primeval forests, the river, dry caves, and water caves, creating a fascinating picture of nature. Let's travel to Phong Nha with Handspan Travel Indochina!

This post will provide you with a list of useful information for a fantastic trip to Phong Nha. You will get to know these things below. 

• Phong Nha general information
• Suitable time to visit Phong Nha
• How to get Phong Nha
• Attractions to visit in Phong Nha
• Accommodations in Phong Nha

General information about Phong Nha - Ke Bang

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park is one of the largest limestone areas in the world. The cave system here is valuable with a long underground river, tall and wide cave mouth, beautiful sandbank, and stalactites. 

Phong Nha – Ke Bang has a complex system of rivers and streams due to the karst features. There are three main rivers in this national park, which are the Chay River, Son River, and Trooc River. 
Besides the caves, rivers, and streams, Phong Nha also has a diverse flora and fauna type. Most of the area of the national park is covered with primeval forests and humid evergreen forests. The national park is home to 140 species of mammals, 302 types of birds, 72 fish species, and many other species. Many of them are included in the Vietnam Red Book and the World Red Book. 

Suitable time to visit Phong Nha

Quang Binh and Phong Nha are located in the monsoon tropical climate area with two distinct seasons, dry and rainy season. 

Dry season

The dry season starts in April and ends in August. This is a suitable time to explore the natural beauties of the cave in Phong Nha. While the outside temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius, the temperature inside the cave is milder, at 21 degrees Celsius on average. 

Rainy season

The rest months of the year belong to the rainy season. Visiting Phong Nha at this time, it may be hard to explore the water caves. However, you can still discover some dry caves such as Tien Son Cave, Thien Duong Cave, etc. 

No matter what season you come to Phong Nha, if you have enough preparation and information about the weather, you can still enjoy your best time in this charming land.

How to get Phong Nha

You can choose to travel to Phong Nha by bus, by train, or by airplane. 

Traveling to Phong Nha by bus

If you choose to travel by bus, you can get directly to the center of Phong Nha. The road from Hanoi to Quang Binh is about 722 kilometers. It will take you 9 hours to reach Dong Hoi and about one hour to Phong Nha. You can choose many buses from, such as Hung Thanh, Camel Travel, Queen Cafe, Hey Travel, etc. Every day, there are buses departing from around 6.30 p.m to 8.30 p.m.

If you travel from Da Nang, you will stay in the coach for about 5 hours to get to Quang Binh. You can catch the coach from the city center station in Hoa Khanh, Lien Chieu. Hanh Luyen, Trung Tin, and Hai Ha are the three most popular coaches running the Da Nang – Dong Hoi route. 

Compared to Hanoi and Danang’s road to Phong Nha, the road from Ho Chi Minh City is the longest, which is about 1100 kilometers. You can choose Hoang Long, Thuan Thao, or Mai Linh coach to travel to Dong Hoi.

In contrast to traveling by coach, if you travel by train or by airplane, you should go to Dong Hoi first. Coming to Dong Hoi, you can take a taxi or hire a motorbike to Phong Nha yourself. Let’s find out how to reach Dong Hoi city by train and airplane. 

By train

To reach Dong Hoi by train, you can take the Thong Nhat North-South train with 19 stations. Dong Hoi Railway Station is one of the eight main stations of the train. 

Every day, there are four turns from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Hoi. You can take the night train from Hanoi to come to Dong Hoi in the morning, while from Ho Chi Minh city, you should travel by the morning train. 

To buy the train ticket, you can go directly to these railway stations.

• Hanoi Railway Station in 120 Le Duan Street, Hanoi
• Hue Railway Station in 02 Bui Thi Xuan, Hue
• Da Nang Railway Station in 202 Hai Phong, Da Nang
• Sai Gon Railway Station in 09 Ward, 03 District, Ho Chi Minh City

Otherwise, you can refer here for more information about the departing time, type of seat, and price of each kind. 

By airplane 

Traveling by airplane is the fastest way to get to Dong Hoi. Currently, there are direct flights to Dong Hoi from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City. It will take you about nearly two hours to reach the travel destination.

Attractions to visit in Phong Nha

The journey to explore Phong Nha - Ke Bang will include beautiful caves, botanical gardens, streams, etc. Let’s visit these attractions below and get closer to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park’s natural beauties!

Phong Nha Cave

Phong Nha Cave is the most outstanding cave in Phong Nha with an 8-kilometer length surrounded by tropical forests. It belongs to Ke Bang Limestone Mountain, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province. 

To reach Phong Nha Cave, you will stay on the boat for about 30 minutes. Along the Son River, you will have the chance to admire the picturesque scenery on the river banks and the typical Vietnamese riverside villages’ daily lives. Coming to the cave, you can enjoy a cool and mild atmosphere, colorful stalactites in various shapes, and listen to the water’s sound. 

Tien Son Cave

After visiting Phong Nha Cave, tourists will choose to visit Tien Son Cave, one of the dry caves in Phong Nha. 

The entrance to Tien Son cave is about 1,000 m from the Phong Nha cave entrance, about 200 meters above sea level. The road to Tien Son cave is beautiful, along the winding cliffs. In the middle of the mountain, you can stop to see a peaceful landscape of local villages in the afternoon, of small fields between the winding mountains of the Chay river and Trooc stream.

Thien Duong Cave (Paradise Cave)

Thien Duong Cave, a popular attraction in Phong Nha, is dubbed as the “Underground Palace.” It is located in the heart of a complex of limestone mountains at an altitude of 191 meters. The cave is one of the longest dry caves in Asia with a total length of 31,4 kilometers, the width from 30 to 150 meters.

Among 31,4 kilometers of the cave, only one first kilometer is exploited with modern and safe wooden stairs. The sparkling lighting system in the cave will bring you the most memorable experience. Entering the cave, you will have the chance to use your imagination to see countless stalactites in different shapes.

Chay River - Toi Cave (Dark Cave)

Chay River - Toi Cave belongs to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, 59 kilometers from Dong Hoi City to the West. The river has a smooth and romantic flow with clear crystal jade watercolor. 

Staying the boat along the Chay River, you will see magnificent Karst mountains, cornfields, yellow flower gardens stretching. Besides, you will have the chance to experience indigenous people’s cultural life in ancient riverside villages such as Ha Loi, Na, Phong Nha, Tram, Me, Chay Lap, etc. Flowing along the river, you can reach the Toi Cave.

Coming to Toi Cave, you can see the combination of dry and water cave with a length of 5258 meters and a height of 80 meters. Unlike Phong Nha and Thien Duong Cave, Toi Cave does not have glistening lighting systems. To discover this cave, you will have to use a flashlight or a headlamp. Toi Cave is pristine with thousands of stalactites covered by a large amount of moss. It is one of the characteristics of the cave that hard to see at other caves. 

Mooc Stream Eco-tourism site

Mooc Stream Eco-tourism site is an ideal attraction for relaxation in Phong Nha. This ecotourism route passes through limestone mountains, along with the flow of Mooc Stream and the Chay River. With the pristine and poetic beauty, charming landscapes, and fresh atmosphere, Mooc Stream has attracted many tourists. Visiting this eco-tourism site, you will see an all-year-round crystal stream surrounded by the primeval forests. Besides, you can take part in some experiences below. 

• Discovering the diversity of the world natural heritage on the trail deep to the forest
• Admiring the water dunes rising out of the ground and merging into Chay River
• Hanging a hammock under the tree
• Listening to the stream’s sound and immersing in the cool water
• Kayaking, swimming, racing, fishing
• Enjoy specialties in Quang Binh.

Botanic Garden 

Botanic Garden is a conservation area in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, with a total area of 20 ha. It is a favorite attraction for tourists who love discovering the magnificent landscape of the primeval forests with diverse and rare flora and fauna. 

Coming to the garden, you will see a stunning view of the Gio Stream, Vang Anh Lake, the forest of the rare trees, etc. You will see the diversity and richness of the endemic and rare species of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park species in the specimen display house. 

There are three routes to explore the Botanic Garden below.

• The first route: Specimen display house - Animal behavior restoration area - Gio Waterfall
• The second route: Specimen display house - Animal farming area - Vang Anh Lake - Chim Cong - Gio Waterfall 
• The third route: Specimen display house - Animal farming area - Chim Cong - 100-year-old tree - Gio Waterfall

The first route is the shortest and simplest route with a total length of 1 kilometer. If you travel in a large group or travel with your kids, this route will be a suitable choice. The second and third route is longer with more experiences, appropriate for trekking lovers. 

Besides these above attractions, which you can explore yourself, there are also many attractions you have to join a tour to visit. They include Son Doong Cave, Tu Lan Cave, En Cave, Pygmy Cave, and Tra Ang Cave. Let’s see some brief information about each of the spots!

• Son Doong Cave

Son Doong Cave is regarded as the largest natural cave globally, located in the complex of Phong Nha - Ke Bang Cave.

• Tu Lan Cave

Tu Lan Cave, 70 kilometers from Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, is a complex, including more than ten caves. The journey to explore the cave has a combination of many physical activities, from walking, mountain climbing to swimming upstream. 

• En Cave

En Cave, the third-largest cave in the world, is an exciting attraction in the Phong Nha - Ke Bang tour. Besides exploring the En Cave, walking 22 kilometers in the forest, and hill-climbing, you will have a chance to visit the ethnic minority of Doong village here. 

• Pygmy Cave

Pygmy Cave belongs to the Vom Cave, together with Dai A and Over Cave. It is an area with beautiful landscapes, natural forests on limestone mountains, high biodiversity, and an attractive cave system. 

• Tra Ang Cave

Tra Ang Cave impresses tourists with the cool and crystal underground water system and pristine stalactites in unique shapes and structures. 

Accommodations in Phong Nha

To discover Phong Nha, you should spend at least two days here. Therefore, you should choose to stay overnight in Phong Nha instead of finding accommodation in Dong Hoi City. There are various choices of accommodation in the center of Phong Nha, both homestays and hotels. However, Handspan recommends you stay in Chay Lap Farmstay, which provides you with unforgettable experiences besides discovering the caves. 

Chay Lap Farmstay is 18 kilometers from Phong Nha and 8 kilometers from the national park. This resort has an innovative combination of rustic decoration and luxurious and classic facilities. Staying in the resort, you can join many activities. You can join some of them without paying any fee and pay for the other activities. Some of the activities are listed below. 

• Gardening
• Biking to discover the surrounding sceneries
• Joining cooking class
• Kayaking, SUP
• Jetski water motor 
• Water skippers
• Basket boat boating

With this above information, you will definitely have an unforgettable experience in Phong Nha - Ke Bang. Let's take your luggage and prepare for your trip to Phong Nha!