Phong Nha is a small town in the Center region of Vietnam, it’s becoming more and more popular over the recent years, and here’s why you should not miss it…
On the border of Laos and Vietnam, there’s a mountainous area called Truong Son, with mountain tops up to 1 000 m high, where the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park lies.It is the largest (116 700ha) and most protected national park in Vietnam, and one of the vast limestone space in the world. But the surprises are under the ground… Over 50 caves and only some of them are open to public, the rest is still under inspection and scientific studies.
I went to Phong Nha for the first time in July 2022, I just came back to Vietnam, from Europe, where I was born and grew up… And after the Covid lockdowns, I couldn’t wait to get on the road again, in my family’s home country. The Vietnamese call me a ‘viet kieu’, but as I mentioned before in my previous article, I’m a ‘Parisian-Hanoian’ and I’m glad to be one.
My adventure started in Hue, with a group of friends. We took a night train from Hanoi to Hue and arrived at our hotel at around 8AM. Hue is actually my favorite city in Vietnam, beside Hanoi. People are incredibly kind and generous, the city is romantic during the day and during the night as well. Driving 1h30 to get to the beach is worth it, like Lang Co Beach, or Hai Van Pass… Nevertheless, the french colonization has installed its marks very early on. Therefore, the architecture is very european-like, but very Vietnamese as well, it’s a beautiful mixture of both.
The ideal time to spend in Hue, I’d say 3-4 days, you can peacefully walk around the Imperial city, visit Vietnamese Kings Tombs, the Incense village, Le Ba Dang (french-vietnamese artist) art foundation, have a drink on the beer street at night, and beyond…
Hue is actually an aquatic city, full of lagoons and they are just breathtaking…
My friends had to go to Hanoi for work, so I headed to Phong Nha on my own, with the train to Dong Khoi station, then the taxi to Phong Nha (about 30mins drive), I stayed at a large place called Hahaland, next to the Son River. The owners are a young married couple, who are very welcoming. I rented a motorbike and drove around for 5 days, and it was just so amazing… Note that there are also buses from Hanoi/Ninh Binh/Ha Long/Da Nang to Phong Nha…
Hahaland is the only hotel that has a waterpark in Phong Nha, with a Water Slide, a swing and a water tube. From the patio, you can observe the most beautiful sunrise in the morning, and sunsets at around 5h45 during summertime. It is only 1 km from the town center, so easy access to restaurants, markets and all… The roads around Phong Nha are new and modern, so very safe for you to ride all kind of vehicles. In the town center, there is an ATM machine, and a medical service, if needed.
Some places to visit in Phong Nha and some tips below.
I would suggest booking a tour with Oxalis in advance, since Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park is a very well preserved and nature friendly place belonging to Unesco since 2003. the whole loop of the park is around 65km, and make sure your bike gas is filled before hitting the road. And only 1 group of travelers can get in one cave each day. I took their Hang Tien tour 2 days 1 night, and I loved it.
Phong Nha Ke Bang Park is very clean, therefore, no trash on the floor, no plastic in the waters, people are and have to be very respectful to the environment. The air is pure, which is a perfect setting to get away from big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh city…
Secondly, the biggest cave in the world is in Vietnam! Son Doong cave is magnificent and has indeed a 2 years waiting list, and at the moment, Oxalis is the only agency that has tours there. You have to go with a guide from Oxalis, and it costs around 3000$ to see the most amazing cave in the world! My friends have said it’s worth it.
Coming back from my trip in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, I headed back to Hahaland, and the next day, I rode to the Phong Nha Cave, it was beautiful, but there was a few issues. It’s extremely crowded since it’s the main and cheapest Cave in Phong Nha (with a boat ride), and also the reception didn’t speak any english and were trying to overprice some french tourists, I had to speak and explain for them, the lady at the ticket cashier even got angry because, she had to deal with a whole crowds of travelers buying tickets and she couldn’t understand what they were saying for 30 minutes, until I started translating…
I, then, headed to the Dark Cave, not so far from it, and it was more peaceful, more activities, especially for children, and very fun… I had lunch at the restaurant of the attraction, and the chicken was just fresh and yummy.
And on my last day in Phong Nha, I rode around in the Botanical garden, for some nature beauties pictures and videos, and went to the Paradise cave for a last visit.
Note that every attraction open at 6AM and close at 4PM everyday.
If you need anything you can contact Quang Binh Immigration Office and have a memorable trip in Vietnam!
After visiting Phong Nha, I certainly notice that Vietnam can be environment friendly if people have to, and ecological when needed, therefore, big cities like Hanoi or Da Nang, would be much more appreciated (even though they already are), if Vietnamese people from the city would take further care of the streets and put out more bins. Nonetheless, the Covid pandemy actually made Hanoi cleaner in my personal opinion, hanoians have become more aware of the importance of sanitary purposes.