Phong Nha is an absolute jewel of Vietnam. If you thought Sapa and Halong Bay were the ultimate must see places for natural beauty, think again. Phong Nha, more correctly Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park is a stunner. If all you want from Vietnam is natural beauty and the unspoilt Vietnamese rural landscape, that’s fine. However, Phong Nha doesn’t just have that. Phong Nha happens to have the biggest caves in the world and there are several for you to visit, easily.
The Phong Nha area is really beautiful. Do as we did and take a motorbike tour and/or boat trip, along with visiting caves.
In this post we’ll give you information on visiting Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park and caves and Phong Nha accommodation.
There are many places to stay in and around Phong Nha, and various areas for you to choose from. Phong Nha offers farmstays, eco cabins, guest houses, hostels and hotels but all up, it’s pretty low key.
Tourism hasn’t, as yet, had a huge impact on this part of Vietnam. Hopefully, Phong Nha will retain its unique character because when we visited it was a very special place.
You have a lot of choices in where to stay in Phong Nha. There are plenty of accommodation options in Phong Nha Village itself (actually the town of Son Trach), but there are also lodgings in the surrounding countryside.
If you want to enjoy peaceful scenery and nature, try one of the out of town options.
Farmstays are also popular around Phong Nha.
If you aren’t comfortable with hiring your own scooter locals with mopeds are available for hire. To get from the town to the caves, you will probably go by scooter.
Some out of town accommodation providers run shuttle buses into Phong Nha Village (Son Trach) and some will pick you up from the bus or train station.
If you’re looking for an apartment or home rental in Phong Nha, there aren’t many. Take a look here on Stayz/VRBO. Alternatively, click through to our interative map, which gives you all accommodation options in Phong Nha, with prices, for most providers.
How Many Days Should You Stay in Phong Nha? & Day Trips
I would recommend staying at least 2 nights so that you have one full day to see at least one cave. If you can, stay longer, there is a lot to see and do, and there are several caves and cave systems to explore.
Inside Paradise Cave you can walk and walk. It’s like no other cave I’ve seen before.
The caves are spread over a wide area, so, depending on which cave or caves you decide to visit, “near” is hard to quantify. Paradise Cave and Dark Cave really don’t have much accommodation nearby but Phong Nha Cave is quite close to Phong Nha Village.
To get to Phong Nha Cave by boat you can depart from the boat jetty in this small town, correctly called Son Trach. Book a trip like this here.
The boat ride from Phong Nha to the cave takes around 20 minutes along the Son River (Green River)
The world’s largest cave, Son Doong is deep in the park, and you’re unlikely to be able to see it unless you have plenty of time and very deep pockets. Hang Son Doon was only discovered in 1991 and recently revealed to divers that it is even bigger than first thought.
Can You Stay in Phong Nha National Park?
One of the views as we drove around the park by motorbike.
Phong Nha Ke Ban National Park is virtually pristine and untouched by development. There isn’t much by way of accommodation within the park itself but plenty in the surrounding farmlands and in Phong Nha Town.
Phong Nha Farmstay
Phong Nha Farmstay is famous as one of the original properties offering accommodation in Phong Nha. The farm stay started out as a budget backpacker place but evolved into a comfortable rural guesthouse. They do have a family room and you’ll find this one about 8Km from Phong Nha Town on the edge of the Bang Lai Valley. See it here on Booking, or here on Agoda.
Eco Cabins Resort Near Phong Nha
We loved staying in our rustic eco-cabin in the countryside near Phong Nha. If you know Vietnam, you’ll know all about hard beds. These were super comfortable.
This was our Phong Nha accommodation choice, and honestly, we fell in love with this place. I promised the staff at this little gem of an eco resort hotel, also known as Nguyen Shack, that I’d be back soon to live for a while.
I can picture myself working, sitting facing the lake and enjoying the tranquility and rustic surroundings for weeks on end.
We took the triple room you can see above, but rooms for larger families were available. They had a swimming pool and restaurant with lake views, and they’re very affordable. Check them out here on Booking, or here on Agoda. Nguyen Shack is also on Hostel World. Compare prices carefully because when we last checked, the cost on Booking included a complimentary cave tour by boat.
This company has a sister property in Phong Nha Town itself. This one is better suited to young backpackers and features open glamping units.
The Best Hotel In/Near Phong Nha
Victory Road Villas was, at the time of our visit, the fanciest hotel nearby. It was the only real international hotel. It was modern and recently built but the price was still affordable. They had villas suitable for families or groups as well as couples. It’s here on Booking.
There also seems to be a Victory Road Villas listed as being in nearby Dong Hoi. Take a look here on Agoda. Both have the same photos on the booking platforms. I can’t figure it out! Either way, the reviews are excellent.
The Party Hostel
Easy Tiger’s Original Hostel was the main party hostel in Phong Nha Village. It was very popular and they don’t take their partying lightly. Easy Tiger Hostel is on Agoda here .
Staying in Bong Lai Valley
Bong Lai Valley had plenty of Phong Nha accommodation too. Bong Lai Valley is dotted with farms, small villages and relaxed livestock and, a few famous local institutions. The Duck Farm is here, along with The Bar With Cold Beer and the Wild Boar Eco Farm.
Bong Lai Valley is best explored by bike, be it a scooter or a mountain bike. There are possibilities for walks here but guided hiking is advised due a possibility of unexploded munitions. Bong Lai Valley is under 10 Kms from San Trach (Phong Nha Village or Town)
Pepperhouse Homestay was here, so-named because pepper is a famous local product.
Getting To And From Phong Nha
Phong Nha is not the easiest place to get to, which is probably why so many travellers overlook it. We travelled by minibus from Hue and returned to Hoi An from Phong Nha the same way. We simply didn’t have time to arrange bus and train travel.
Train
Dong Hoi is the closest train station to Phong Nha and it’s some 45 Km away. Dong Hoi is on the main Reunification Express train line. To book train tickets in Vietnam we generally use 12GoAsia. From Dong Hoi there is a bus or you can arrange a taxi or other vehicle.
Bus
Buses, again, will take you to Dong Hoi. At Dong Hoi you’ll need to change to a local bus or arrange a taxi or private transfer. Check if your accommodation or tour will pick you up from Dong Hoi.
Air
Dong Hoi has an airport as well as the train station. The only direct flights to Dong Hoi at time of writing were internal. But check this for yourself, flight routes do change and can be seasonal.
When To Visit Phong Nha
Avoid the annual flooding season if at all possible. Many parts of Vietnam flood between September and December and Phong Nha is no exception. We were in the Hoi An floods one year and nearby Hue also floods. Water levels inside the caves can rise dramatically, some will close and tours may not operate.
February to September is generally the best time to visit Phong Nha. We visited in October. It was incredibly hot and we had some rain at that time of year.
Conclusion
Phong Nha surprised us. We’re not usually terribly interested in caves, but the unimaginable size and beauty of the caves we saw was awe-inspiring. The natural landscapes, lack of tourists and pristine nature of Phong Nha was refreshing. If you have time, absolutely try to get to see Phong Nha, it’s worth it.
Alyson is a British medical scientist who jumped ship to chase dreams. A former Chief Biomedical Scientist in London hospitals, she started in website creation and travel writing in 2011.
Alyson is a full-time blogger and travel writer, a published author, and owns several websites. World Travel Family is the biggest.
A lifetime of wanderlust and over 6 years of full-time travel, plus a separate 12 month gap year, has given Alyson and the family some travel expert smarts to share with you on this world travel site.
Today Alyson still travels extensively to update this site and continue her mission to visit every country, but she's often at home on her farm in Australia.
