Illustrative image, not a photograph
← Back to Vietnam

Phong Nha-Ke Bang

A UNESCO World Heritage karst landscape holding the world's largest cave passage and dozens more open to any visitor

Difficulty
Moderate
Duration
1 to 2 hours for the main show caves, a full day or more for the trekking routes to Paradise Cave’s far end or the Botanical Garden trail

Phong Nha-Ke Bang protects one of the world's most significant karst landscapes, twice recognised by UNESCO, riddled with hundreds of caves formed over some 400 million years. Most visitors see a handful of show caves: Phong Nha Cave itself, entered by boat along its underground river, Paradise Cave, a vast dry cave with an easy boardwalk far into its chambers, and smaller Tien Son Cave nearby. The park's fame extends much further, to Son Doong, the largest cave passage on Earth, discovered only in 1991 and opened to the small number of visitors who can secure one of its tightly limited annual expedition slots.

Highlights

  • Phong Nha Cave, entered by boat along its underground river
  • Paradise Cave, a vast dry cavern reached on an easy boardwalk trail
  • Son Doong, the largest cave passage on Earth, for the very few who book years ahead
  • A genuine UNESCO World Heritage karst landscape, recognised twice over

Getting there

Phong Nha town is about 50 km from Dong Hoi, which has its own airport and train station roughly 500 km south of Hanoi. Buses and private transfers run regularly from Dong Hoi to Phong Nha, and boats to Phong Nha Cave and vehicles to Paradise Cave’s car park both leave from the town itself.

Safety tips

The show caves are well developed with lighting, walkways and steps, so the main risks are slippery surfaces near water and the heat and humidity of a long day out; the deeper trekking routes and anything beyond the standard show caves should be done with a licensed park guide, not attempted independently.

What to bring

  • Grippy footwear for wet cave floors and boardwalks
  • A light rain jacket, since central Vietnam sees sudden showers even outside the flood season
  • Cash for cave tickets and boat fares, since not every ticket window takes cards
  • Sun protection for the open-air sections between caves