I know it might sound absurd but I only have a couple days in phong nha since I have a bus to Ninh Binh on third day where I gotta meet my other group of friends.
So, I was thinking if I should do the tourist trail and just do the Paradise cave and dark cave + duck stop and then just relax and do a motorbike tour the next day OR should I spend a bit more and do a proper cave tour in Phong nha with Tu Lan by oxalis?
Which one is worth it?
honestly OP, two days are just not enough in Phong Nha!
Anyways Tu Lan is proper cave expedition territory. You are trekking, swimming through river caves, camping by waterfalls and crawling into places that make your knees question your life choices. Oxalis runs multi day or overnight encounters and it is priced and organized like a premium adventure. If you only have two full days in town and need to catch a bus on day three, you will feel rushed trying to cram Tu Lan in. The Oxalis trips also have set seasons and require advance booking so just u know. You can’t just go and book it like paradise cave by buying a ticket at the counter.
Tu Lan cave has multiple tours by oxalis with various names depending on how many days tour you want
here is the link to tu lan cave encounter tour where you can find other tour links too just below the page
Now coming to paradise cave it is one of the most gorgeous caves of Phong nha which you can do in a half day. Also, you don’t need a tour guide for this and can do it on your own.
read this if you wanna do other caves on your own without guide - Phong Nha Caves By Yourself - Safe Or Not?
Dark Cave is the fun adrenaline half of the combo with ziplines and a mud bath and river swimming + kayaking and that whole experience normally eats up a good chunk of a morning or afternoon. Together they make for a satisfying combo tour of phong nha I think.
So which one is worth it for me right now you may ask?
well op if your priority is maximum bang for minimal stress and you want to actually relax before your bus to Ninh Binh, do Paradise plus Dark Cave day one, rent a motorbike day two and explore the countryside, local trails and little caves at your own speed. You get the iconic stuff and chill day to recover and pack without panicking about missing a multi day expedition.
but if you are reallhy itching for a once in a lifetime cave tour and you can push your bus or rearrange plans and have the cash and stamina, then book Tu Lan and go full Indiana Jones 
ah danke schon broke backpacker!!
I wanna do the full 4 day 3 night tour of phong nha (Tu lan wild cave explorer) but then I would have to skip other parts of town. decisions decisions!
still thinking. will update you guys whatever I do and will write a thread with my pictures soon after 
