Category Archives: Phong Nha Travel Guides

Phong Nha Ke Bang is a mountain town in Quang Binh province. The complex karst formations stretching throughout the surrounding Ke Bang National Park were formed approximately 300 million years ago, making them the oldest in Asia. Part of the cave system, you also hear about Paradise Cave, Tu Lan, or Son Doong is the largest and most beautiful cave in Vietnam.

Phong Nha Ke Bang national park: Kingdom of the cave:

Phong Nha cave – the early discovered cave located in the village of Son Trach, 50 km drive from Dong Hoi Airport, the Ke Bang National Park was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 2003. Phong Nha Cave is remarkable for its thousands of meters of underground river caves filled with abundant stalactites and stalagmites.
In November and December, Son River is prone to flooding and the underground cave may be closed.
Phong Nha means Cave of the wind and teeth, but, unfortunately, the ‘teeth’ (or stalagmites) that were by the entrance are no longer there. Once you get further into the cave, it’s mostly unspoiled. In 1990 a British expedition explored 35km of the cave and made the first reliable map of the underground (and underwater) passageways. They discovered that the main cavern is nearly 8km long, with 14 other caves nearby.
Tien Son Cave is known as the dry cave on the mountainside just above Phong Nha Cave. You can walk to it from the entrance to Phong Nha Cave (10 minutes) – look for the sign at the foot of the stairs.
In the Vietnam War, Phong Nha Cave was used as a hospital and ammunition depot. The entrance shows evidence of aerial attacks. That warplanes spent considerable time bombing and strafing the Phong Nha area is hardly surprising: this was one of the key entrance points to the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Entrance fees Phong Nha Ke Bang:

The Phong Nha Reception Department, an enormous complex in Son Trach includes a restaurant, boat station, Ticket courter, and coffee shop…. You buy a Phong Nha entrance ticket here and organize a boat to take you to the cave. This is the only way is being used to visit Phong Nha and Tien Son caves.
Boats on Son River seal up to 12 people and of course, they also single ticket for sharing with other travelers. The cave system is electrically lit, but you may want to bring a flashlight.

The actual cave entrance is 3 km by river from Xuan Son boat station. The one-way ride takes about 30 minutes and gives a great glimpse into the life of river people. Overall, it takes about 2 hours to visit the river cave, or about 4 hours with a trip to the dry cave too.

Sleeping & Eating

There is good accommodation available in Dong Hoi City, but staying in Son Trach (DT20) or Phong Nha town, you can find some services: grocery stores, restaurants, bars, pubs, markets,…
Hotels in Phong Nha town provide rooms with en-suites hot water, and free breakfast.
Remember that: this is a mountain town, so you spend more fees for meals (Rice, Phở, Noodles, Banh Mi…) It is more expensive than goods in Hue City, Danang, and don’t expect haute cuisine.
Make sure you bring cash, as there are 2 banks here. Many customers can not get cash from ATMs. Now, Credit Card is popular in Phong Nha town