If I only have a week in Vietnam, should I even add Phong Nha in my itinerary?
I was thinking of starting from southern Vietnam from Ho chi minh city but realised Phong is almost in middle of Vietnam? or a bit northish?
Should I change my port of entry to Hanoi in that case?
But I only want to do if its worth the hype lol
I am coming here after watching the Alan walkers Alone youtube video so was thinking of doing Son doong cave but it shows booked for 2025.
What other caves which are as good as son doong I can do and how much would it take?
Damn, its a lot of questions but I really need help, thanks folks!!
Like super touristic things like food tour in Hanoi or danang dragon bridge or bana hills?
Well then Phong nha won’t be that much fun for you since it’s a little off the tourist trail.
But if you want to do some adventure tour or just a motorcycle loop around beautiful countryside of Vietnam which very few people know about, then Phong nha is for you!
And you asked if 1 week in Vientma is enough if you also add phong nha then I would say only if you don’t try to do too many cities.
Just choose 2 cities including either Hanoi or Danang or Hue. Ok maybe 3 cities haha
Give Phong nha 2-3 days.
If you have 3 days then you can do one exclusive phong nha cave like hung thoong or hang en which would cost you around 300 usd for two days in jungle camps and after that keep one day for relaxing activities like duck stop and a motorcycle tour till the Ho chi Minh trail!
it depends to be honest. frankly a week in Vietnam is too short to explore hidden gems like Quang Tri (phong nha).
but if you really wanna explore largest caves of the world like Son doong (largest), Hang en (third largest), Hang Pygmy (fourth largest), then why not!
If you told us your budget, then would have been easy for me to suggest.
If I remember correctly, Vietjet has direct flights from both hanoi and ho chi minh city TO dong hoi airport (Phong Nha). From dong hoi you can take a grab or a govt bus which will take your directly to phong nha town.
if you are on budget then you can always do tours on your own without guide for caves like dark cave and paradise cave. will cost you less than $15 + motorbike fuel cost.
there is also the botanic garden waterfalls in phong nha which you can do on your own. tickets cost really cheap around 40k VND (around 1.5 $)
phong nha is more than worth it for what it offers.
honestly, if you have the money ($3k) and are fit enough, just do the son doong cave tour in phong nha. only cave tour which comes close to it in adventure and difficulty is kong collapse which is also super costly at $1400
are you a backpacker and on super budget? then just do the phong nha caves on your own without guides like paradise cave and dark cave. rent a bike. go to duck stop and bong lai valley. tons of places to explore.
just be wary of snakes in jungle if you go on your own to lesser known caves
Phong Nha was named best budget travel destination for 2025 in south east Asia by agoda!
besides that its insanely under rated and yet not that commercialised like other top cities of Vietnam eg. Hoi An, Nha Trang etc
Regarding which phong nha cave to do, I would say, just visit here first rather than booking in advance. check out some self guided tours and if you like it and have the time and money, then do adventure tours from jungle boss or oxalis.
pick any based on your fitness level and budget or days you have in phong nha.
ah didn’t know that. I read I can just take a bus from dong hoi to phong nha. wanna see the local villages along the way. somehow that soothes me always when travelling haha
one of us.. one of us! how do i insert that meme here haha
honestly both are top destinations of Vietnam with insane landscapes.
I would at least spend 3 days in Ninh binh and do tam coc boat tour and mua caves + a bit of bicycle around the villages. it really is halong bay on land. infact skip the halong bay and just spend more time in ninh binh.
if you can afford an extra day then also do the trang an boat tour because why not. you will get to see the kong skull movie shooting locations too
yes its rainy season. Tu lan can be done I think but call oxalis first.
mada lake is an easy trek which is open even in rainy season except when its too heavy
