The karst along the Laotian border holds the largest caves on earth, and four of them need no experience at all: Phong Nha Cave, which you can only enter by boat up the Sơn river; Paradise Cave, walked on a kilometre of wooden boardwalk; the Dark Cave, which is not a show cave but an adventure circuit with a zipline, headlamps and a mud pool; and small Tiên Sơn Cave above the boat landing. Sơn Đoòng and Hang Én are a different proposition entirely – multi-day expeditions with one licensed operator, a fixed annual quota and a season that ends in September. The prices between the two worlds differ by a factor of twenty to five hundred, which is why booking 'a cave tour in Phong Nha' without reading the small print is a bad idea.
- TicketsTwo completely different systems sit side by side here.
- Price150,000 VND (about $5.74) – Phong Nha Cave, adults (admission, boat not included)
- OpenThe day caves open every day of the year.
- Best timeFebruary to August for the day caves: low river levels, everything open, and the only window in which Sơn Đoòng and Hang Én run at all.
- ClaustrophobiaBarely an issue in the show caves: the chambers are enormous and Paradise Cave is up to 100 m wide.
Eight caves in the park, compared
Phong Nha Cave (Động Phong Nha)
The cave that gave the place its name, and the only one you reach from the water. A flat wooden boat runs 25 to 30 minutes up the Sơn river from the landing in the village, cuts the engine before the entrance and is rowed into the chamber. You go roughly 1.5 km into the mountain, then the boatman puts you ashore on a sandbank and you walk back out through the dry section.
7,729 m long in total, with 14 grottoes and a 13,969 m underground river; only the first 1,500 m are visited. No timed entry, no online ticket – but the boat is charged per boat, not per head.
150,000 VND admission (about $5.74) plus 700,000 VND per boat for up to 12 people (about $26.79); children under 1.30 m free (09/2026)
Paradise Cave (Động Thiên Đường)
Asia's longest dry cave: 31.4 km surveyed, up to 60 m high and 30 to 100 m wide, 150 m in places. The first kilometre is developed for visitors, a lit wooden boardwalk through a chamber of columns and flowstone curtains. From the car park an electric buggy carries you 1.6 km to the foot of the hill, after which there is about 500 m of climbing and then a wooden staircase dropping steeply into the chamber.
To go further than kilometre 1 you book the guided route to kilometre 7 with helmet, headlamp and a kayak across the underground lake (2,000,000 VND, about $76.55), or the two-day version (4,000,000 VND, about $153.09).
250,000 VND admission (about $9.57), standard ticket with the buggy 270,000 VND (about $10.33); children 1.10–1.30 m about half, below that free (09/2026)
Dark Cave (Hang Tối) on the Chày river
Not a show cave but an adventure circuit. You ride a 400 m zipline across the Chày river – the longest in Vietnam – swim into the unlit entrance, wade by headlamp and helmet through narrow passages to a natural mud pool, and come back swimming and by kayak. There is no lighting at all, and your clothes end up wet and muddy.
The price includes the zipline, the cave, the mud bath, the kayak, helmet, headlamp, life jacket, locker and insurance. The system is around 5.5 km long; only a short section is entered.
450,000 VND full package (about $17.22), reduced package 250,000–270,000 VND, admission only 80,000 VND; children 1.00–1.30 m 150,000 VND (09/2026)
Tiên Sơn Cave (Động Tiên Sơn)
The dry neighbour above Phong Nha Cave, reached by a long staircase from the same boat landing. Considerably smaller and quieter, often done in a few minutes and therefore skipped by most day groups.
The cheapest cave in the park. If you are taking the boat anyway, the combined boat ticket costs only 50,000 VND more.
80,000 VND (about $3.06); with the combined boat ticket for both caves, 750,000 VND per boat (09/2026)
Hang Én
The third-largest cave in the world: 1,645 m long, up to 140 m high and 200 m wide, with a sand beach and a turquoise lake inside. Reached on foot only – 25 km of jungle and river paths with 650 m of ascent – and you sleep in a tent about 700 m inside the entrance at 18 to 24 °C. Oxalis Adventure is the only licensed operator.
Oxalis requires proof of fitness: within the past twelve months either an overnight trek or day walks of at least 6 km in steep terrain with 500 m of ascent. The group is looked after by 2 guides, 4 safety staff, a cook and 8 porters.
9,500,000 VND (about $363.60; Oxalis prices it at $358) for 2 days / 1 night, including equipment, food and insurance (09/2026)
Sơn Đoòng (Hang Sơn Đoòng)
The largest cave in the world: over 9 km long, up to 200 m high and 150 m wide, around 38.5 million cubic metres, the biggest known cave cross-section anywhere. Two collapsed dolines let daylight in and jungle grows beneath them; individual stalagmites stand 80 m tall. This is not a sight but an expedition: 28 km of trekking, roughly 50 river crossings, an 80 m rope descent and the 90 m flowstone barrier known as the Great Wall of Vietnam.
Since 2013 only Oxalis Adventure may run tours. Booking requires an overnight trek in the past twelve months covering at least 8 km a day with 1,000 m of ascent, plus the ability to run 5 km in 45 minutes. The group of ten travels with a caving expert, a guide, six safety staff, two cooks and 18 porters.
80,000,000 VND per person (about $3,061.89; Oxalis prices it at a flat $3,000) for 6 days / 5 nights (09/2026)
Hang Va and Nước Nứt
Hang Va sits in the same underground river system as Sơn Đoòng and is known for its cone stalagmites growing out of rimstone pools – rare worldwide, and filmed for the BBC series Planet Earth III in 2023. Nước Nứt is the last link in that system before the river surfaces, and can be done in a day.
Hang Va means a harness and rope work, 15 km of trekking, 7 km inside the cave, 100 m of swimming and a 20 m crawl. Nước Nứt is the simplest way to see an unlit river cave with a guide.
Hang Va 9,400,000 VND (about $359.77) for 2 days / 1 night; Nước Nứt as a day tour 2,150,000 VND (about $82.29) (09/2026)
Tú Làn (near Tân Hóa)
A separate cave system about 70 km north of Phong Nha, in the valley of Tân Hóa – the village used as a location for Kong: Skull Island in 2016. The tours combine river and dry caves, you swim through underground passages in a life jacket, and you sleep in a tent or a homestay.
The two-day tour covers 14.5 km of trekking with 300 m of ascent, up to 2 km inside caves, 1 km of swimming and a 15 m ladder descent. It starts with a 2.5 km walk across maize and peanut fields to the Rào Nan river.
day tour 2,000,000 VND (about $76.55); 2 days / 1 night 6,700,000 VND (about $256.43); 4 days 10,900,000 VND (about $417.18); 5 days 18,000,000 VND (about $688.93) (09/2026)
Tickets and prices
Two completely different systems sit side by side here. For the day caves there is no timed-entry system and no online requirement: you buy tickets for Phong Nha Cave and Tiên Sơn Cave at the counter by the boat landing, and tickets for Paradise Cave and the Dark Cave at their own entrances. The expeditions are the opposite – Sơn Đoòng is sold out for 2026 and 2027 and the season now being booked is 2028, while Hang Én, Hang Va and Tú Làn are often full weeks ahead in high season.
Official prices
- Phong Nha Cave, adults (admission, boat not included)150,000 VND (about $5.74)
- Boat to Phong Nha Cave, return, up to 12 people – charged per boat, not per person700,000 VND (about $26.79) per boat; with the boat full that is about 58,000 VND or $2.23 a head
- Boat for Phong Nha Cave and Tiên Sơn Cave together, up to 12 people750,000 VND (about $28.71) per boat
- Phong Nha Cave, children under 1.30 mfree
- Tiên Sơn Cave, adults80,000 VND (about $3.06)
- Paradise Cave, adults – admission only250,000 VND (about $9.57)
- Paradise Cave, adults – standard ticket including the electric buggy both ways270,000 VND (about $10.33)
- Paradise Cave, children 1.10 m to 1.30 m; under 1.10 m free135,000–145,000 VND (about $5.17–5.55)
- Dark Cave / Chày river, full package with zipline, cave, mud bath, kayak and all equipment450,000 VND (about $17.22)
- Dark Cave, reduced package without the zipline or without the mud bath250,000–270,000 VND (about $9.57–10.33)
- Dark Cave, admission only, no activities80,000 VND (about $3.06)
- Nước Moọc spring (Suối Nước Moọc), adults, depending on season180,000–220,000 VND (about $6.89–8.42)
- National park botanical garden40,000 VND (about $1.53)
- Paradise Cave, guided tour to kilometre 7 with helmet and headlamp, one day2,000,000 VND (about $76.55)
- Paradise Cave, guided tour with an overnight, two days4,000,000 VND (about $153.09)
- Oxalis: Nước Nứt, day tour2,150,000 VND (about $82.29)
- Oxalis: Tú Làn Cave Encounter, 2 days / 1 night6,700,000 VND (about $256.43; Oxalis prices it at $253)
- Oxalis: Hang Va Expedition, 2 days / 1 night9,400,000 VND (about $359.77; Oxalis prices it at $355)
- Oxalis: Hang Én, 2 days / 1 night camping inside the cave9,500,000 VND (about $363.60; Oxalis prices it at $358)
- Oxalis: Wild Tu Lan Cave Explorer, 4 days / 3 nights10,900,000 VND (about $417.18)
- Oxalis: Tú Làn Cave Expedition, 5 days / 4 nights18,000,000 VND (about $688.93)
- Oxalis: Sơn Đoòng Cave Expedition, 6 days / 5 nights80,000,000 VND (about $3,061.89; Oxalis prices it at a flat $3,000)
As of 09/2026 · source and direct booking: phongnhakebang.vn
When everything is sold out
Sơn Đoòng: the quota is 1,000 people a year in groups of ten, and the year's allocation has repeatedly gone within hours of opening. Oxalis shows 2026 and 2027 as fully booked. A booking is not simply a payment: Oxalis requires documented trekking experience from the past twelve months as a condition of the booking, not as advice.
Tours and transfers around Phong Nha
The day caves need no booking at all - you buy at the counter in dong, and a rented motorbike puts Paradise Cave, the Dark Cave and the boat landing on one day's loop for under $10. A reseller earns its keep on transport and on the things you cannot do alone: the transfer from Dong Hoi or Hue, an English-speaking guide, or the Dark Cave package bundled with pickup. Check whether cave admission and the 700,000 VND boat are actually included - on the cheaper listings they are collected again at the gate. Nothing on any resale platform gets you into Son Doong or Hang En; those go through Oxalis alone.
Phong Nha & Paradise Caves Guided Boat Tour All-Inclusive
Phong Nha: Zipline Dark Cave & Paradise Cave All-Inclusive
Paradise Cave & Phong Nha Cave Boat Tour Full-Day Adventure
Hue: Phong Nha Cave & Paradise Cave Guided Boat Tour
Show all 9 offers
Phong Nha: Paradise Cave & Dark Cave with Zipline & Mud Bath
Half-Day Phong Nha Cave Adventure by Dragon Boat
Hue: Paradise Cave & Dark Cave Zipline – Full-Day Tour
Phong Nha: Phong Nha Cave Boat & Dark Cave All-Inclusive
Phong Nha: Zipline Dark Cave,Paradise Cave & Duck Tang Farm
Booked through GetYourGuide (affiliate link, advertising). Most offers can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead. Prices as of 20 September 2026.
Opening hours and best time
The day caves open every day of the year. The ticket office at the Sơn river boat landing sells from roughly 7:00 to 17:00, the first boats to Phong Nha Cave leave around 8:00 and the last ones cast off between 15:30 and 16:00. Paradise Cave opens at 7:00 and closes at 16:00 or 16:30 depending on the source – arrive after 15:00 and you risk being turned away. The Dark Cave runs about 7:30 to 16:00 with last admission around 15:00. The weather matters more than the clock: when the river is high the tourism centre suspends operations at Phong Nha, Tiên Sơn and the Dark Cave, on the Chày river and at the Nước Moọc spring with no notice at all, and during a typhoon the park can shut completely for one to three days. The Oxalis expeditions run to their own seasons, and the seasons are not the same: Sơn Đoòng January to the end of August, Hang Én December to mid-September, Hang Va December to August, Tú Làn mid-November to mid-September.
When it is quietest
February to August for the day caves: low river levels, everything open, and the only window in which Sơn Đoòng and Hang Én run at all. But do not carry one season across all the caves – Oxalis publishes a different window for each, and Hang Én (December to mid-September) and Tú Làn (mid-November to mid-September) are open in months when Sơn Đoòng is not. January and February give the deepest shafts of sunlight through the dolines; June to August is clearest inside but over 36 °C outside. September to November is the rain and typhoon season: the Sơn river rises, the tourism centre closes caves at short notice, and a typhoon can shut the park for one to three days. Within the day, take Paradise Cave as early as you can, because the coaches from Đồng Hới and Huế arrive late morning; Phong Nha Cave is still good in the afternoon once the day tours have moved on.
Who it suits
With children
Phong Nha Cave is the easiest with children: you sit in a boat and the walking is short. Paradise Cave means about 1 km of approach uphill (or the buggy), then a steep staircase down and the 1 km boardwalk. The Dark Cave has a 1.30 m minimum height and requires swimming in the dark – not for small or nervous children. Oxalis tours have minimum ages from 12 (Nước Nứt) to 18 (Sơn Đoòng).
Minimum age
Day caves: no minimum age, but the Dark Cave requires at least 1.30 m in height and 40–90 kg for the zipline. Oxalis: Nước Nứt 12–70, Hang Én 16–70, Hang Va 16–70, Tú Làn 16–70, Sơn Đoòng 18–70.
Wheelchair
None of the caves is accessible. At Phong Nha Cave you step from a rocking boat onto uneven rock; at Paradise Cave a wooden staircase drops steeply into the chamber after 500 to 1,000 m of climbing. The Dark Cave is explicitly unsuitable for anyone with restricted mobility.
Pushchair
Not workable – stairs, boat transfers, uneven boardwalks. Use a carrier.
Dogs
Not provided for in the national park or the caves; dogs stay outside.
Claustrophobia
Barely an issue in the show caves: the chambers are enormous and Paradise Cave is up to 100 m wide. The Dark Cave is the exception – you crawl and wade by headlamp through narrow wet passages to reach the mud pool.
What to wear
It is 18 to 25 °C underground at high humidity, and over 36 °C outside in summer – light clothing plus something against the draught on the boat. Firm, non-slip shoes: the boardwalks are wet. For the Dark Cave bring swimwear, a change of clothes, a towel and water shoes; helmet, headlamp and life jacket are provided. The Oxalis river caves add a wetsuit.
Photography
Allowed in the show caves, and in Paradise Cave without flash. In the Dark Cave you have no free hand and no dry bag – use a waterproof case or leave the phone in the locker.
Getting there
By public transport
The nearest station is Đồng Hới on the north–south main line, 45 km away, with through trains from Hanoi (roughly 10 hours) and Huế (about 3 hours). From the station it is 2 km to the bus terminal, where local bus B4 runs to Phong Nha for 35,000–50,000 VND (about $1.34–1.91), roughly hourly from 5:30 to 17:30, taking 60 to 90 minutes. More comfortable is the shared shuttle from airport, station or hotel at around 300,000 VND (about $11.48). A taxi costs 400,000–550,000 VND (about $15.31–21.05) and takes 45 to 60 minutes.
By car
The motorbike is the normal way to get about: 100,000–160,000 VND a day (about $3.83–6.12), with roughly 60,000 VND of fuel for a loop of all the day caves. Paradise Cave lies about 25 km out, the Dark Cave about 5 km, the boat landing is in the village itself. All three entrances have car parks. Bring an International Driving Permit valid for motorcycles – Vietnamese police do check – and wear the helmet.
From the nearest city
Đồng Hới airport (VDH) is 45 km away, with domestic flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; there are no scheduled international flights, so most visitors connect through Hanoi (HAN) or Da Nang (DAD). From Huế, buses and sleeper 'limousine' vans take 3 to 4.5 hours for roughly $4 to $24 depending on the class of vehicle, typically one morning and one late-afternoon departure. Hanoi is about 500 km north, Hội An and Da Nang about 250 km south. Phong Nha is the standard overnight stop on the Hanoi–Huế rail run, which is why two nights here costs almost nothing in travel time.
Tips for your visit
- Do not walk to the boat landing on your own. The boat to Phong Nha Cave costs 700,000 VND whether one person or twelve is in it. There are usually other travellers waiting at the counter – split twelve ways that is $2.23 a head, alone it is $26.79.
- Bring cash in dong. All three ticket offices take cash only in practice; cards are unreliable and the ATMs are in the village, not at the caves.
- Take Paradise Cave first thing in the morning and pay the extra 20,000 VND for the electric buggy. The 1.6 km approach plus 500 m of climbing in the midday heat costs more than you think.
- For the Dark Cave, wear your swimwear rather than carrying it. Phone, camera and clothes go in the locker, and the mud never comes out of light-coloured fabric.
- Rent a motorbike instead of booking a tour. Paradise Cave, the Dark Cave and the boat landing sit on the same road and fit into one day: 100,000–160,000 VND of rental plus about 60,000 VND of fuel is a fraction of any day trip. Carry an International Driving Permit endorsed for motorcycles.
- If you come in September, October or November, build in spare days and ask at your guesthouse each morning about the level of the Sơn river. Closures are decided on the day and never announced in advance.
- Hang Én is the cave for anyone who dreams of Sơn Đoòng: same order of magnitude, same company, $364 instead of $3,062 – and a season running from December to mid-September, so it is open in months when Sơn Đoòng is not.
- Treat the Oxalis fitness requirements as a formal booking condition, because that is what they are. If you cannot show the required day walk or overnight trek, choose the easier grade rather than signing up and failing on the trail.
- Two nights in Phong Nha is the sensible minimum. One day covers Paradise Cave and Phong Nha Cave, the second leaves room for the Dark Cave, the Nước Moọc spring or a weather day.
What the internet gets wrong
Quảng Bình province ceased to exist on 1 July 2025. Under resolution 1680/NQ-UBTVQH15 it was absorbed entirely into Quảng Trị province, and the same reform abolished the district level, so Bố Trạch district is gone too. The park authority gives its own address as "xã Phong Nha, tỉnh Quảng Trị" – Phong Nha commune, Quảng Trị province – and English Wikipedia has been corrected to "Quảng Trị Province". Almost every English page still prints the old province; it is the single most common error about this place.
Oxalis sells the expedition as 6 days and 5 nights at 80,000,000 VND, a flat $3,000. The "4 days" comes from the operator's own legacy URL, which still ends in /son-doong-cave-expedition-4d3n/ while the page itself reads "Duration: 6 days 5 nights". Three of those five nights are camping – one near the entrance, two inside the cave – which is probably where "3 nights" got detached from the trip length.
There is no list. Since 2013 exactly one operator, Oxalis Adventure, holds the concession. There are 1,000 places a year in groups of ten, the season runs January to the end of August, and Oxalis shows 2026 and 2027 as fully booked – the season being sold now is 2028. Booking also requires documented fitness: an overnight trek within the past twelve months covering at least 8 km a day with 1,000 m of ascent, plus the ability to run 5 km in 45 minutes. It is a condition of the booking, not a recommendation.
There is no single season here. Oxalis publishes a different window for every cave – Sơn Đoòng January to the end of August, Hang Én December to mid-September, Hang Va December to August, Tú Làn mid-November to mid-September. In practice that means Hang Én and Tú Làn are running in November and December, when the blanket "February to August" would have you believe everything is shut.
The 2026 price list gives 700,000 VND per boat for up to twelve people, and 750,000 VND for the boat that also serves Tiên Sơn Cave. Everything below that is a pre-2026 figure still circulating.
There is no 55,000 VND boat fee. That figure is roughly what one seat works out to when twelve people split a 700,000 VND boat – but the boat is hired whole, and if you turn up alone you pay all of it. The boat is also not included in the cave ticket: admission and boat are two separate purchases at the same counter.
The Dark Cave full package is 450,000 VND (about $17.22) and includes the 400 m zipline, the cave, the mud bath, the kayak and all equipment; there is a stripped-down package at 250,000–270,000 VND and an admission-only ticket at 80,000 VND. Nước Moọc is 180,000 to 220,000 VND depending on the season. And the Dark Cave is not a sightseeing stop between two show caves: it has no lighting whatsoever, a minimum height of 1.30 m, a 40–90 kg limit for the zipline, and you have to be able to swim.
The dong figures are right, the dollar figures are not. At the rate of 20 September 2026, 1 USD = 26,127.6 VND, those tickets are $5.74, $9.57 and $3.06. English pages tend to carry dollar conversions made years ago at a much stronger dong and never revisited – the error runs 20 to 30 per cent high.
the national park authority's own English page gives a maximum height of 60 m, with a width of 30 to 100 m and 150 m in places, over 31.4 km of surveyed passage. The 72 m figure circulates widely in English and German alike but does not come from the operator.
Sơn Đoòng has no ticket, no price promotion and no opening hours. It has a permit quota of 1,000 people a year, sold by one company, in groups of ten, for a six-day expedition. A portal page in that layout is a template applied to a cave it does not sell.
History in brief
- The karst of Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng has been developing since the Palaeozoic, around 400 million years ago, which makes it the oldest major karst region in Asia.
- In early December 1990 a local man, Hồ Khanh, sheltering while looking for timber, came across a cave mouth with cold wind and cloud pouring out of it – the cave later named Sơn Đoòng. He could not find the spot again for years.
- In 2003 the national park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, at first for its geology alone (criterion viii).
- Paradise Cave was found in 2005 and surveyed by the British Cave Research Association; in 2011 Vietnam's records centre confirmed it as the longest dry cave in Asia.
- On 7 April 2009 Hồ Khanh led the British–Vietnamese expedition back to the entrance, and on 14 April 2009 Sơn Đoòng was announced as the largest cave in the world. The flowstone barrier christened the Great Wall of Vietnam stopped the survey at first; it was not climbed until 17 March 2010.
- Guinness World Records recognised the record in 2013, and in August 2013 the first paying group went in – at $3,000, effectively the same price as today.
- UNESCO enlarged the World Heritage area in 2015. In 2019 British divers found an underwater passage linking Sơn Đoòng to neighbouring Hang Thung, which would add roughly 1.6 million cubic metres on paper.
- On 13 July 2025 the World Heritage Committee in Paris approved the transboundary extension to include Hin Nam No National Park in Laos – the first shared natural heritage site of Vietnam and Laos. The area grew by 46 per cent to 126,236 hectares.
- On 1 July 2025 Vietnam dissolved Quảng Bình province and merged it into Quảng Trị. The national park has been in Quảng Trị ever since, and the district level was abolished in the same reform, which is why 'Bố Trạch district' no longer exists either.
Frequent questions
How much does it cost to visit the Phong Nha caves in 2026?
Phong Nha Cave is 150,000 VND (about $5.74) plus 700,000 VND for the boat, which takes up to twelve people – about $2.23 a head with the boat full. Paradise Cave is 250,000 VND, or 270,000 VND with the electric buggy (about $9.57 and $10.33). The full Dark Cave package is 450,000 VND (about $17.22) and Tiên Sơn Cave is 80,000 VND. Converted at 1 USD = 26,127.6 VND, the rate of 20 September 2026.
Is the boat included in the Phong Nha Cave ticket?
No. Admission and boat are separate purchases, and the boat is charged per vessel: 700,000 VND return for up to twelve passengers. If you are travelling alone or as a couple, wait at the counter by the landing until a group has formed – otherwise you pay the whole boat yourself.
Can you visit Son Doong Cave?
Only through Oxalis Adventure, the single concession holder. There are 1,000 places a year, groups of ten, and a season running January to the end of August. The expedition lasts 6 days and 5 nights and costs 80,000,000 VND – about $3,062, which Oxalis prices as a flat $3,000. 2026 and 2027 are sold out and the season being booked now is 2028. You must be 18 to 70 and document your trekking fitness before the booking is accepted.
How much does the Son Doong tour cost and how long is it?
$3,000 per person for 6 days and 5 nights, three of those nights camping – one near the entrance, two inside the cave. English pages routinely say four days because the operator's own web address still ends in 4d3n; the page itself says six days and five nights. The price covers park and environmental fees, the guiding and safety team, porters, food and all caving equipment.
Which cave should I visit if I only have one day?
Paradise Cave in the morning and Phong Nha Cave in the afternoon fit into a single day and show two completely different kinds of cave: a kilometre of boardwalk through Asia's longest dry cave, and a boat ride into an active river passage. With the buggy and a shared boat the pair costs about $12 a person.
Is Phong Nha worth visiting?
If underground landscapes interest you at all, yes – this is the largest cave in the world, the third-largest, and Asia's longest dry cave inside one national park, and two of the four day caves cost under $10. What it is not is a single attraction you tick off in an afternoon. Give it two nights, or you will spend most of your time on the road from Đồng Hới.
When is the best time to visit Phong Nha?
February to August for the day caves: low river levels, everything open, and the only window for Sơn Đoòng. But the seasons differ cave by cave – Hang Én runs December to mid-September and Tú Làn mid-November to mid-September, so the blanket "February to August" you see everywhere is wrong for them. September to November is rain and typhoon season, when the tourism centre closes caves at short notice.
Are the caves open in October or November?
It is decided day by day. Most of the annual 2,000 to 2,500 mm of rain falls in these months and the Sơn river can flood the entrances. Paradise Cave sits higher and stays open longest; the boat trip to Phong Nha Cave and the Dark Cave are the first to be suspended. Oxalis's Tú Làn tours, on the other hand, start again in mid-November. Build in spare days and ask locally each morning.
Can you visit the Phong Nha caves without a tour?
All four day caves, yes. The boat landing is in Phong Nha village, the Dark Cave is about 5 km away and Paradise Cave about 25 km, on the same road. A motorbike costs 100,000 to 160,000 VND a day (about $3.83–6.12), with roughly 60,000 VND of fuel for the loop. Tickets are sold at each entrance, cash only. Everything beyond the lit walkways – Hang Én, Hang Va, Tú Làn, Sơn Đoòng, the 7 km route in Paradise Cave – requires a licensed operator.
How do you get to Phong Nha?
Through Đồng Hới, 45 km away: an airport with domestic flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and a station on the north–south railway, roughly 10 hours from Hanoi and 3 hours from Huế. From Đồng Hới bus station, local bus B4 runs about hourly from 5:30 to 17:30 for 35,000 to 50,000 VND and takes 60 to 90 minutes. Shared shuttles from the airport, station or your hotel cost around 300,000 VND (about $11.48); a taxi is 400,000 to 550,000 VND. From Huế, buses and limousine vans take 3 to 4.5 hours.
How long does a visit take?
Allow 2 to 3 hours for Phong Nha Cave from the landing, 25 to 30 minutes of that on the boat each way. Paradise Cave takes 1.5 to 2 hours including the climb up and the stairs down. The Dark Cave programme runs 2.5 to 3 hours. All three together make a long day.
What is the Dark Cave in Phong Nha really like?
It is an adventure circuit, not a show cave. You cross the Chày river on a 400 m zipline, swim into an entrance with no lighting at all, wade and scramble by headlamp to a natural mud pool, then swim and kayak back. Minimum height 1.30 m, 40 to 90 kg for the zipline, and you must be able to swim. The full package is 450,000 VND (about $17.22) including helmet, headlamp, life jacket, locker and insurance.
Are the Phong Nha caves suitable for children?
Phong Nha Cave yes – you sit in the boat and children under 1.30 m go free. Paradise Cave works from primary-school age but means a climb and a steep wooden staircase; under 1.10 m is free and up to 1.30 m is half price. The Dark Cave has a 1.30 m minimum height and requires swimming in the dark. Oxalis minimum ages run from 12 (Nước Nứt) to 18 (Sơn Đoòng).
How many steps are there at Paradise Cave?
Nobody publishes a number, and any figure you find online is a guess. What is documented is the shape of the approach: 1.6 km by electric buggy from the car park, then about 500 m of climbing on foot, then a steep wooden staircase down into the chamber and a 1 km boardwalk on the level. The same is true of the staircase up to Tiên Sơn Cave – no official count exists.
What should I wear?
It is 18 to 25 °C inside at high humidity and over 36 °C outside in summer, so light clothing plus something for the draught on the boat. Firm, non-slip shoes matter – the boardwalks are wet. For the Dark Cave wear your swimwear and bring a change of clothes and a towel; helmet, headlamp and life jacket are provided, and the mud will not come out of light fabric.
Are the caves wheelchair accessible?
No. At Phong Nha Cave you step from a rocking boat onto uneven rock; at Paradise Cave a steep wooden staircase leads down into the chamber after 500 to 1,000 m of climbing. The Dark Cave is explicitly unsuitable for anyone with restricted mobility. The most manageable option is the boat ride as far as the cave mouth, with someone to help you on and off.
How do you get into the third-largest cave in the world?
Hang Én can only be reached with Oxalis Adventure: 25 km of trekking with 650 m of ascent, a night in a tent 700 m inside the entrance, 9,500,000 VND (about $364) for 2 days and 1 night, season December to mid-September, ages 16 to 70, maximum 16 guests. The cave is 1,645 m long, up to 140 m high and 200 m wide – and unlike Sơn Đoòng, it is usually still bookable.
Sources
Show 36 sources – every figure on this page is sourced
- oxalisadventure.com/tour/son-doong-cave-expedition-4d3n/ – Sơn Đoòng: "Duration: 6 days 5 nights", "USD 3,000 • VND 80,000,000/pax", "Operation: January to August", group of 10, ages 18–70, fitness condition (overnight trek with 8 km/day and 1,000 m ascent in the past 12 months, 5 km in 45 minutes), 28 km trekking, about 50 river crossings, 80 m descent, Great Wall of Vietnam, three camping nights; also the two conflicting availability notes for 2027 and 2028 – and the legacy URL '4d3n' that keeps the 'four days' error alive
- oxalisadventure.com/tours/ – price list of all Oxalis tours 2026 in VND: Sơn Đoòng, Hang Ba, Tú Làn (5 and 4 days), Hang Én, Hang Va, Tú Làn Encounter, Hang Tiên, Nước Nứt, day tours
- oxalisadventure.com/tour/hang-en-adventure-cave-camp/ – Hang Én: 9,500,000 VND / $358, 2 days / 1 night, season December to mid-September, max 16 guests, ages 16–70, 25 km trekking, 650 m ascent, cave 1.6 km long / 140 m high / 200 m wide, camp 700 m inside the entrance, 18–24 °C, team, inclusions
- oxalisadventure.com/tour/hang-va-expedition/ – Hang Va: 9,400,000 VND / $355, 2 days / 1 night, season December to August, max 10 guests, ages 16–70, 15 km trekking plus 7 km of cave, 100 m swimming, 20 m crawl, harness
- oxalisadventure.com/tour/tu-lan-cave-encounter/ – Tú Làn: 6,700,000 VND / $253, 2 days / 1 night, season mid-November to mid-September, ages 16–70, max 10 guests, 14.5 km trekking, 300 m ascent, 1 km swimming, 15 m ladder, 70 km from Phong Nha, Tân Hóa, Kong: Skull Island
- oxalisadventure.com/tour/phong-nha-ke-bang-national-park-tour/ – Nước Nứt: day tour 2,150,000 VND, ages 12–70, max 12 guests, entry-level grade, inclusions
- oxalisadventure.com/son-doong-cave-discovery-and-exploration/ – Sơn Đoòng: discovery in early December 1990 by Hồ Khanh, return 7 April 2009, announced as the largest cave 14 April 2009, Great Wall of Vietnam 90 m, climbed 17 March 2010, Guinness 2013, quota of 1,000 people a year, season January to August, a single operator
- oxalisadventure.com/weather-and-climate-inside-son-doong-cave/ – climate: 22–25 °C inside Sơn Đoòng in summer, over 36–37 °C outside, cloud forming inside the cave, tropical storms September to November, no tours September to the end of December because of flooding, best months January and February
- phongnhakebang.vn/ – official national park authority site: address given as "xã Phong Nha, tỉnh Quảng Trị", telephone, tourism hotline
- phongnhakebang.vn/travel/dong-thien-duong13-en – Paradise Cave: discovered 2005, record as Asia's longest dry cave 2011, 31.4 km long, 60 m high, 30–100 m wide and up to 150 m in places, 1 km boardwalk, 1.6 km buggy plus 500 m on foot, admission 270,000 VND with buggy, children 145,000 VND, 7 km tour 2,000,000 VND, two-day tour 4,000,000 VND
- phongnhalocals.com/phong-nha-entrance-fee/ – 2026 price list (as of 2 January 2026): Paradise Cave 270,000 VND, Phong Nha Cave 150,000 VND, Tiên Sơn 80,000 VND, boat 750,000 VND, Nước Moọc 180,000/220,000 VND, Dark Cave 450,000 / 220,000 / 80,000 VND, botanical garden 40,000 VND, child rules by height
- www.quangbinhtravel.vn/gia-ve-tham-quan-du-lich-phong-nha-ke-ba… – Vietnamese price overview: Phong Nha 150,000 VND, Tiên Sơn 80,000 VND, boat 700,000 VND (750,000 VND combined), Paradise Cave 270,000 VND including the electric buggy, children 135,000 VND, Dark Cave 450,000 / 270,000 / 80,000 VND, Nước Moọc 80,000/180,000 VND
- junglebosstours.com/explorer/tourism-blog/phong-nha-cave-vietna… – Phong Nha Cave: 150,000 VND, boat 700,000 VND for 12 people, 25–30 minutes each way, about 1.5 km into the cave, ticket office and park 7:30–17:00, last boats 15:30–16:00, 30–45 minutes on foot, flooding October–December, 45 km from Đồng Hới
- junglebosstours.com/explorer/tourism-blog/paradise-cave-phong-nha – Paradise Cave: 250,000 VND, children 125,000 VND, open 7:00–16:30, 600 m on foot, 1 km boardwalk, constant 18 °C, the 7 km tour, best time February to August
- junglebosstours.com/explorer/tourism-blog/dark-cave-phong-nha – Dark Cave: 450,000 / 250,000 / 150,000 VND, children 1.00–1.30 m 150,000 VND, 400 m zipline (the longest in Vietnam), 5.5 km of cave, kayak, minimum height 1.30 m, zipline 40–90 kg, swimming required, 7:30–16:00, 2.5–3 hours, 18–20 °C, equipment provided
- junglebosstours.com/explorer/tourism-blog/self-guided-phong-nha-tour – visiting independently: which caves work without an operator, Dark Cave about 5 km from the village, Paradise Cave by motorbike, rental 100,000–150,000 VND plus 60,000 VND of fuel, concession requirement beyond the lit walkways
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phong_Nha_Cave – Phong Nha Cave: 7,729 m long, 14 grottoes, 13,969 m underground river, 1,500 m open to visitors; also the corrected location, "a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam"
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Doong_Cave – Sơn Đoòng: about 9 km long, 200 m high, 150 m wide, volume 3.84 × 10⁷ m³, discovery 10 December 1990 by Hồ Khanh, survey 10–14 April 2009, two dolines, stalagmites up to 80 m, first tourist group August 2013 at $3,000, permits January to August, Oxalis since 2017, Hang Thung connection 2019 with 1.6 million m³
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phong_Nha_%E2%80%93_K%E1%BA%BB_B%C3%A0ng_… – national park: core zone 857.54 km², buffer zone 1,954 km², UNESCO 2003 (criterion viii), extensions 2015 and 2025, karst around 400 million years old, about 300 caves, 126 km of surveyed passage, rainfall 2,000–2,500 mm, humidity 84 %, Hang Én 1,645 m, located in Quảng Trị province
- en.vietnamplus.vn/phong-nha-ke-bang-becomes-vietnams-first-tran… – transboundary World Heritage extension with Hin Nam No (Laos), decided 13 July 2025 in Paris, total area 126,236 hectares, an increase of 46 per cent
- quangbinhtravel.vn/en/after-the-merger-how-many-communes-and-wa… – provincial merger: Quảng Bình was absorbed entirely into Quảng Trị province on 1 July 2025 under resolution 1680/NQ-UBTVQH15, and the district level was abolished; the national park has been in Quảng Trị ever since
- vir.com.vn/phong-nha-ke-bang-caves-close-due-to-heavy-rains-612… – example of a short-notice closure: the tourism centre suspended operations at Phong Nha, Tiên Sơn and the Dark Cave as well as on the Chày river and at the Nước Moọc spring because of flooding
- www.vietnamtourism.com/en/dong-hoi-to-phong-nha-the-complete-tr… – getting from Đồng Hới to Phong Nha: 45 km, local bus B4 35,000–50,000 VND hourly 5:30–17:30, taxi 400,000–550,000 VND, private car 500,000–700,000 VND, motorbike rental 150,000–200,000 VND, station 2 km from the bus terminal
- phongnhacave.org/dong-hoi-phong-nha-shared-shuttle-bus/ – shared shuttle Đồng Hới–Phong Nha at 300,000 VND with pick-up at the airport, the station and hotels
- vinpearl.com/en/hue-to-phong-nha-quang-binh – connections Huế–Phong Nha: bus and limousine van, 3 to 4.5 hours, price range, typical departure times
- www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g4014591-d2307216-Reviews… – booking situation: Sơn Đoòng seasons 2026 and 2027 sold out, reservations open for 2028. The page URL itself still carries 'Quang_Binh_Province'
- culturephamtravel.com/phong-nha-entrance-fee/ – evidence for English-language errors: "Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park is located in Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts, Quang Binh province", "Boat to visit Phong Nha Cave: VND 550,000/ 1 boat", "Tien Son Cave for adults is VND 80,000 (roughly 4USD)"
- www.indochinavoyages.com/travel-blog/how-to-get-to-paradise-cave – evidence: "a UNESCO World Heritage site in Quang Binh province, central Vietnam", "stalactites cascade from heights of up to 72 meters", "The dry season, running from April to late August"
- breezevietnam.com/phong-nha-caves-guide/ – evidence: "Quang Binh province, north-central Vietnam", "February–August (dry)", "A 4-day, 3-night undertaking costing around US$3,000", boat "roughly 550,000–750,000 VND for the whole boat"
- phongnhacavestour.com/blog/phong-nha-cave-entrance-fee – evidence: location given as "Phong Nha Tourist Center, Quang Binh, Vietnam", "Phong Nha cave costs 150,000 VND ($7) per person", "Paradise cave costs 250,000 VND ($11.50) per person", boat "360,000 VND" and 400,000 VND for the combination
- www.vietnamtourism.com/en/phong-nha-ke-bang-national-park-ticke… – evidence for several outdated prices in one 2026 guide: "Phong Nha Cave: 150,000 VND ($6)" plus "boat fee of 55,000 VND ($2.20)", "Dark Cave: 350,000 VND ($14)", "Nuoc Mooc Springs: 100,000 VND ($4)", "Son Doong Cave 72,000,000 VND ($2,880)" for "4 days", "The dry season from March to August", "Quang Binh Province, central Vietnam"
- junglebosstours.com/explorer/tourism-blog/dong-hoi-caves – evidence that a licensed local operator repeats the errors too: "550,000 VND per boat (up to 12 people)", Son Doong as "a 4-day/3-night trek", season "the dry season (roughly April-August)" – while correctly naming Quảng Trị province
- absoluteasiatravel.com/vietnam/things-to-do-vietnam/son-doong-c… – evidence: page titled "Son Doong Cave Tours 1 Day, 3 Days and Price", body gives "Son Doong Cave Tour 3 Days" and "US$3,000 per person", and claims "You can find a list of authorized companies on the National Park website"
- www.trip.com/travel-guide/attraction/thuong-trach/son-doong-cav… – evidence for the booking-portal template applied to a cave with no tickets: "Son Doong Cave Tickets [2026] - Promos, Prices, Reviews & Opening Hours"
- meetup.travel/blog/son-doong-cave-expedition-guide – English counter-example that gets it right: "6 days, 5 nights", "Quang Tri province (formerly Quang Binh)", "January to the end of August", 1,000 permits a year
- open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD – exchange rate for every dollar figure on this page: 1 USD = 26,127.6 VND, as of 20 September 2026 (exchangerate-api.com)