A month in Vietnam: Part 6 - Phong Nha

Lost in a cave! (Just meters from an exit...)

Phong Nha is a rural and absolutely stunning area of Vietnam, with jungles, wildlife, and the world's largest cave. Although it has been a very poor region, it is now developing rapidly due to the huge numbers of tourists that come through to see the incredible caves. Unfortunately, rapid development is not always done sustainably, and not all the cave tours or jungle trek tours are as considerate of the local environment and people as they could be. Phong Nha is definitely worth visiting, but do take some time to ensure that you are spending your money ethically. 

We stayed at one of the many guesthouses along the main street in town, called Mountain View. It was very quiet and clean, and while the hosts didn't speak much English, they were very helpful and friendly. The town is very small so pretty much everything you might want will be located along the main street.

A small festival in Phong Nha for Tet, the lunar new year

Boats for the cave tours

The world's largest cave is an exciting draw, but in reality most people go to the smaller and much more affordable ones. Tours of the largest are very expensive and usually require a reservation well ahead of time. Since we were on a budget, we took one of the tours of the two smaller and more popular caves. You can buy tickets for it at the main tourist office in town, which is also where you board boats for the tour.

Entrance of the first cave

Boat tour through the first cave

Getting off at the beach in the first cave

The boats carry you down river past beautiful mountains and countryside, to the first cave, and then take you on a boat ride through the cave itself. The formations in the cave are absolutely amazing - it's hard to believe that they're actually real. While the cave is lit up, typical of most tourist-y caves in Asia, at least these two are done using natural colors (as opposed to flashy LED lights), and it is only a certain portion of the caves that are lit up. The lighting does actually help you to appreciate the beauty of the caves. 

Will connecting with his inner Gollum

Entrance of the second cave

The boat eventually drops you off at a little sandy area near the entrance, where you can walk around and look at the formations up close. Unfortunately, this means that most of the tourists get very handsy, which is detrimental to the cave. If you visit, remember to touch the cave walls and formations as little as possible.

After that, you can walk through a souvenir and snack area, and then up a steep staircase to the second cave. It is a bit of a hike, especially in the humid jungle air. The second cave is much less crowded though, and you can walk through along platforms and enjoy the scenery.

Fisherman on the main river in Phong Nha

Cycling into the jungle

Mountain views in Phong Nha national park

Many people rent motorbikes while staying in Phong Nha, in order to get out and drive around the jungle and surrounding countryside. Be careful if you do so though, as the bikes rented to tourists frequently break down. We decided to try and mix in some exercise so we rented regular bicycles in town and cycled out to a nature conservation in the jungle called the Phong Nha Botanic Garden. There were some pretty steep uphill bits on the way there, and it probably took around an hour to get to the park from town. 

Entrance to the Botanic Garden

Base of the waterfall in the Botanic Garden

View from the top of the waterfall in the Botanic Garden

The Botanic Garden was really nice - it had a lot of information about plants and animals that live in the area, as well as the work the garden is doing to rehabilitate certain species. You can see a few monkeys and a porcupine in an enclosure near the entrance. There are a few hiking options in the park. We did the longest, which made a loop through the park and probably took about 1.5-2 hours. The first part of the hike takes you through the dense forest, and eventually you end up at the base of a waterfall. Using ladders, ropes, and climbing over rocks, you climb from the base up to the top of the waterfall, where you get a great view of the mountains and jungle.

Countryside around Phong Nha

The nicest part of Phong Nha was just spending some chill days riding around quiet countryside roads and enjoying the nature. The people we met there were incredibly kind and friendly. We stopped at a family's home that advertised coffee, and the entire family - parents, children, grandmother - came out to make us coffee and chat with us, despite the language barrier.