Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park is a world natural heritage of pristine landscapes that the Creator has bestowed on the locals in Quang Binh Province, a Vietnamese land associated with historical heroic feats. The harmony of primeval forest, Son river, dry caves, water caves create a captivating ink painting of nature. Below are my experiences, all information I had collected for reference. Plan carefully to have the most enjoyable trip!
Means to Dong Hoi District - Quang Binh Province
Phong Nha Ke Bang belongs to Bo Trach district, about 50 km northwest of Dong Hoi city. Almost all means of transport only take you to the center of Dong Hoi city, and then you need to continue to Phong Nha Ke Bang.
You can go by train, plane, or bus to Dong Hoi Quang Binh Province.
Go to Quang Binh by bus
From Hanoi: The road from Hanoi to Dong Hoi - Quang Binh is about 722 km long. On average, there are about 23 bus trips on this route every day. The travel time is about 9 hours. The fare ranges from 200,000 VND to 250,000 VND (8,69$ - 10,87$).
You can contact the bus ticket agents:
- Ticket agent Co Huong - Hanoi: 0941 297 666 / 0941297888 - Dong Hoi: 0941 090 666
- Ticket agent Hung Long - Hanoi: 0963 388 388 / 0914 077 779 – Dong Hoi: 02323.889,889/ 0232,37979
- Ticket agent Ha Quang - Hanoi: 096.7778.772 / 096.7778.770 - Dong Hoi: 0984 229 422
- Hoang Linh bus ticket agent: 0968 333 857/ 0232. 4896896
- Dong Hien bus ticket agent: (0232)2470 688
- Dung Hong bus ticket agent: (0232). 6,292,566
- Hung Thanh bus ticket agent: (0232)3851 995/ (0232)3851 996
From Da Nang: The road from Da Nang to Dong Hoi is about 275km long. Travel time is about 4 hours 35 minutes. The ticket price for the route ranges from 125,000 VND to 200,000 VND (5,43$ - 8,69$)
You can contact the garages with beds to relieve fatigue:
- Hai Ha garage: 0905.619,619 / 0905.735,579
- Hanh Luyen garage: 0985.989.005 / 0985.898.005
- Trung Tin garage: 0905.416.681 / 0905.122.681
From Ho Chi Minh City: the distance is quite long, the ride takes a lot of time, so you should choose the means of transport by plane. However, if you have a lot of time and want to save money, you can contact:
- Hoang Long bus station in Ho Chi Minh City 028.22438989 – Ticket counter 73 - Mien Dong Station 028.35113113
- Mai Linh bus station in Ho Chi Minh: (028) 39 39 39 39 – Mien Dong Office: (028) 35 112 888
Go to Quang Binh by train
From provinces with short distances to Dong Hoi District, such as Hue, Da Nang, Vinh, choosing the train will be the safest means of transportation. From Hanoi, you should select:
- SE1 and SE3 run from Hanoi in the evening and to Dong Hoi in the morning of the next day
- QB1 train runs from Hanoi at 20:05 to Dong Hoi at 08:25 the next day.
See more train times and ticket prices at Vietnam Railways website: svn.vn
Contacts:
- Hanoi Station: Address 120, Le Duan, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi – Phone: 024.3942 3949/024.3822 1724
- Da Nang Station: Address 202 Hai Phong Street, Da Nang – Phone: 0236 3823810
- Hue Railway Station: Address 02 Bui Thi Xuan, City. Hue – Phone: 0234. 3822175
- Vinh Station: Address No. 01 – Le Ninh Street, Quan Bau Ward, Vinh City– Phone: 0238 3853 426
- Dong Hoi Station – Address: Sub-zone 4, Nam Ly Ward, Dong Hoi City – Phone: 0232 3836789
Go to Quang Binh by plane
You can easily book direct flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Hoi with Vietjetair, Jetstar, and Vietnam Airlines. You should plan your trip early and book tickets at the official ticket offices to get the best fares.
Transport from Dong Hoi District to Phong Nha Ke Bang
- Rent a car from 4 to 45 seats. If you want to visit by yourself, you can contact Quang Binh car rental company: 0232.652.8868 - 0232.652.8869
- Take a taxi with the following companies:
- Sun Taxi: 0232.353.53.53
- Mai Linh Taxi: 0232. 3835,835
- Taxi Tien Sa: 0232.3 79.79.79.
- Motorcycle rental: You can contact the motorbike rental service at the hotel reception to book and deliver the car anywhere in Dong Hoi. The price is from 150,000 VND/car/day (6,52$). Riding a motorbike will be very convenient, but the distance is a bit far. The road has many dangerous bends. The empty road when the car breaks down is very inconvenient. You need to pay attention to ensure health and safety.
- Honda motorbike taxi: parked everywhere in the city and can take you around. Negotiable price, so ask the price before going.
- The 7 Best Motorbike Rental Shops in Quang Binh
Phong Nha Ke Bang travel time
Quang Binh is located in the tropical monsoon region. Moreover, it is always affected by the climate of the North and the South and is divided into two distinct seasons:
The dry season (from April to August): This is an excellent time to explore the caves in the heart of the world's natural heritage Phong Nha - Ke Bang. While the temperature outside is 36-37°C, the temperature inside the cave is always at 20-21°C, which is very calm and pleasant.
The northeast monsoon characterizes the rainy season (from September to March next year). The average annual rainfall is from 2,000mm to 2,300mm/year. On the days of high water, storms, and floods, the rising water of the Son River obscures the mouth of the cave, tourist boats cannot enter here, so it is impossible to visit Phong Nha Cave (Water Cave). For the dry caves: Tien Son cave, Thien Duong cave, tourists can still see. You need to pay attention to the time to schedule and equip the appropriate tools and clothes.
Guesthouses – Hotels in Phong Nha Ke Bang
There are two options you can choose from depending on your needs and budget. One is in the area of Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park (Bo Trach District). The second is to rest in Dong Hoi city so that in the evening, walking on Nhat Le beach, eating seafood, and discovering the cuisine here is also very interesting. Also, it is convenient for you to commute because it is close to the train station and the airport. The number of hotels in Dong Hoi is more than in Phong Nha.
Hotels in Phong Nha Ke Bang: Heritage by Night Hotel, Saigon Phong Nha Hotel, Doan Gia Resort, Shanghai Hotel, Victory Road Villas, Hoa Phuong Hotel, Thu Ha Hotel, Chay Lap Farmstay, Phong Nha Lake House, and there are many cheap hotels, motels, homestays like Lucky Homestay, Thao Nguyen Homestay, Ho Khanh Homestay, Song Que Homestay, Son river House.
Hotels in Dong Hoi: There are many hotels, from 5-star luxury class to cheap budget motels. I will introduce some standard Dong Hoi hotels for your reference:
Top 8 beautiful homestays in Dong Hoi, Quang Binh not to miss
- Hotel near Bao Ninh beach:
- 4- 5 stars: Sun Spa Resort, Golden Sea hotel; Celina Resort,
- 3 stars: Amanda Hotel, Osaka Hotel; Hai Dang Resort
- 2 stars: XO hotel, Rose hotel…
- Hotels near Nhat Le beach, Quang Phu beach:
- 4-5 stars: Muong Thanh hotel, Vinh Hoang hotel; Northern Hotel,
- 3 stars: Seastar resort, Cao Minh hotel, Manali Resort, Thanh Phuc 2 Hotel, Phu Cuong hotel
- 2 stars: Ngan Ha Hotel, Cong Doan Hotel, Sunrise Hotel
- Hotels in the Nhat Le river area:
- 5 stars: Vinpearl Quang Binh
- 4 stars: Saigon Quang Binh hotel;
- 3 stars: Riverside hotel, Anh Linh 2 hotel, CKC Thien Duong hotel, Luxe hotel
- 2 stars: Huu Nghi hotel
- City Center Hotels:
- 4 stars: Royal Quang Binh Hotel
- 3 stars: Tuong Minh Hotel , Tan Binh
- 2 stars: Phuong Nam Hotel, Victor Hotel, Tan Truong Son Hotel, Hanh Phuc Hotel, Windy Hotel, Nam Long 2 Hotel
- Mini hotel, Dong Hoi motel: Sunshine, Hoai Thuong, Sic, Ngoc Toan, Hai Thuy…
You should book in advance to avoid the case that the room is full. You can refer to online booking at reputable booking websites.
Attractions in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park
Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park is one of the oldest and largest tropical limestone areas globally with an area of over 200,000 hectares, with a system of more than 300 large and small caves, hidden with many strange and fascinating things. Take a map of tourist routes of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park to visualize the location of attractions.
Phong Nha Cave
Among the caves, Phong Nha is the most prominent with a survey length of nearly 8 km, mainly with underground rivers ranked in the list of caves with the longest underground river in the world.
Visitors get off the motorboat and follow the Son River to Phong Nha cave. You will feel very interesting, relaxed and comfortable. The air here is fresh and cool. On summer days, it is bright outside with sunburns. But when entering the cave, the temperature is only about 17-19oC. Visitors can enjoy the strange natural beauty by going down the boat with more than 600m of water in the cave. There is the stunning grandeur of the First Cave. Explore Co Tien & Cung Dinh caves to see colorful stalactites. Listen to the music of the mountain god's wine party fluttering in the wind, admire the majesty of the chambers and limestone corridors covered with stalactites.
Ticket price to visit Phong Nha Cave:
- Adults: 150,000 VND/ 01 ticket/ 01 adult (6,52$)
- Children under 1.3 m in height are exempted from admission.
- Boat to visit Phong Nha Cave: 360,000 VND/boat (15,65$) with a life jacket, carrying up to 12 guests, including children
Paradise Cave
Dubbed the "royal palace in the ground," Thien Duong cave (in Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province) is one of the world's most magnificent and magical wonders. Thien Duong Cave is a dry cave that is considered the longest in Asia.
Stepping into the cave, you will be satisfied to be in front of countless stalactites with many different shapes. Explorers have used beautiful languages to name them—for example, a statue of a virgin mother holding a baby in her hand. The Giao Tri Palace is where the Jade Emperor discussed the country with his courtiers, surrounded by statues of unicorns, phoenixes. Compared to Phong Nha Cave, the stalactites in Thien Duong cave have more shapes.
Ticket price to visit Thien Duong Cave :
- Adults: 250,000 VND/ 01 ticket/ 01 adult.
- Children from 1.1m to 1.3m: 125,000 VND/ 01 ticket/ 01 child.
- Children under 1.1m in height are exempted from admission.
- Tram transfer service:
- 4-seat tram: One-way ticket price: 60,000 VND / route / time. Round trip ticket price: 100,000 VND/route/round
- 6-seat tram: One-way ticket price: 90,000 VND/route/way. Round trip ticket price: 150,000 VND / route / round
- Electric car 8 seats: 200,000vnd/car/round
- 14-seat electric car: 350,000vnd/car/round
Mooc Springs
Ticket price to visit Mooc Spring
- Package service ticket: 180,000 VND/ 01 ticket/ 01 adult (Including Stream bathing, Jumping, Kayaking, Life jackets, Paddles, Rescue).
- Children 1.3m and above: 100,000 VND/time.
- General admission ticket: 80,000 VND/ 01 ticket. Children under 1.3m in height are exempted from admission.
Windfall – Botanical Garden
Tickets to Phong Nha Botanical Garden:
- Adults: 40,000 VND/ 01 ticket/ 01 adult
- Children: 50% of adult fare
Ozo Park
Promotion at Ozo Park in 2021 – 20% discount on tickets:
- Adult ticket (height from 1.4m and above): Discount from 200,000 VND to 160,000 VND
- Child ticket (height from 1 - 1.4m): Discount from 100,000 VND to 80,000 VND
- Children under 1m tall: Free ticket
Phong Nha Ke Bang specialties
Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park has ancient forests, very diverse rivers, and streams. The water here is immaculate, flowing from limestone, so the products here have a unique flavor that no other place has. Guests coming here do not forget to enjoy the delicious rustic dishes of this land.
- Specialties from Son River: carp, catfish, climbing fish, river shrimp, especially the famous delicious eel dish.
- Dishes from the stream: grilled sloth fish, grilled stream crayfish. Country dishes such as eel, snakehead fish, country chicken.
- Dishes from Phong Nha mountains: venison, ban pig, mountain goat, forest bamboo shoots, forest bananas, sweet and sour forest subjects.
- Where to enjoy: Son Doong restaurant, Vung Hue restaurant, Huong Giang restaurant, Thu Ha restaurant, Phuong Nam restaurant, Co Phuong restaurant, Dark cave restaurant, Suoi Nuoc Mooc restaurant.
In addition, when coming to Dong Hoi, Quang Binh, do not forget to enjoy the unique dishes here such as Soup porridge, Oyster porridge, Filter cake, Nam cake, fresh seafood, fish, and potato hotpot.
