Quang Binh, now part of Quang Tri province
Tours in Phong Nha
Phong Nha is the best caving destination in Asia and one of the best in the world, which is a strange thing to be able to say about a small town in Quang Tri province. The national park holds Son Doong, the largest cave on earth by volume, along with several of the largest others, and almost all of them can only be entered with the one operator licensed to run that particular route. That licensing quirk is the single most important thing to understand before booking: you are not choosing between companies competing on the same cave, you are choosing which cave you want.
Every tour, cheapest first
11 tripsEvery cave here is licensed to one operator, so the company named on each card is a fact of the cave, not a competing offer for the same trip.
Jungle Boss
Tra Ang Excursion
1DThe cheapest way into a real Phong Nha cave: a short walk off the Ho Chi Minh trail, then a swim into the dark with a rope to follow.
The cheapest guided cave in Phong Nha, and the only one that takes children from age 7.
Jungle Boss
Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley Jungle Trek
1DThe best single day in Phong Nha if you only have one: a war-history cave, a swim in an emerald lake, and 600 metres of river cave to finish.
The only day tour with pickup from Dong Hoi included, so it works without staying in Phong Nha.
Jungle Boss
Ma Da Valley Jungle Camping
2D1NThe gentlest way to sleep in the jungle here: the same caves as the day trek, plus a night camped on the sand at Ma Da Lake and cliff jumps if you want them.
The only overnight here with no rope work at all, and the lowest age limit of any camping trip.
Jungle Boss
Victory Cave Expedition
2D1NThe newest cave open to visitors in Phong Nha, surveyed in June 2026 and already running: two rappels into a chamber floored with rare cave pearls.
The newest cave open to visitors in Phong Nha, surveyed in June 2026 and running within weeks.
Jungle Boss
Hang Pygmy Exploration
2D1NSleep inside the world's fourth largest cave, after 3.5 kilometres underground through Hang Over and a rope descent into the chamber.
The shortest route to sleeping inside the world’s fourth largest cave.
Oxalis Adventure
Hang En Cave Adventure
2D1NTrek through jungle and river crossings to one of the largest cave chambers on earth, and camp on its sand beach beside a turquoise lake.
A night camped inside one of the largest cave chambers on earth, at the Son Doong expedition's own first campsite, for about a ninth of its price.
Oxalis Adventure
Hang Tien Exploration
4D3NFour days in the Tu Lan system near Tan Hoa: four caves, ladder descents on harnesses, cave swims, and two nights camped beside jade green lakes.
The largest dry cave of the Tu Lan system, in a different valley 70 km from Phong Nha that no other tour here touches.
Jungle Boss
Hung Thoong Exploration
3D2NFour caves in three days across a system opened in 2023, including a swim through Tron cave and a zipline over a sinkhole.
The only trip with a kilometre-long swim through a flooded cave, and a zipline over a sinkhole.
Jungle Boss
Tiger Cave Series Adventure
3D2NThree connected caves and nearly seven kilometres underground, camping at the edge of the Kong Collapse sinkhole without doing the full expedition.
The only way to camp at the edge of Kong Collapse without committing to the five day expedition.
Jungle Boss
Kong Collapse Top Adventure
5D4NA 100 metre rope descent into the deepest sinkhole in Vietnam, over five days, with a medical check before you are allowed to book.
The only tour that descends the 100 metres to the floor of Vietnam’s deepest sinkhole.
Oxalis Adventure
Son Doong Cave Expedition
6D5NSix days to the largest cave on earth: jungle trek in via Hang En, three nights camped inside Son Doong, out over the 90 m Great Wall of Vietnam.
The largest known cave in the world, and this is the only tour licensed to enter it: roughly 1,000 permits a year, one operator.
Discount code
Discount coupon for the Jungle Boss tours above. Enter it at the payment step on their site for 5% off.
Side by side on price
Every tour here, cheapest first. Bars use a compressed scale so the shorter trips stay readable next to the expeditions.
- Tra Ang Excursion$30
- Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley Jungle Trek$75
- Ma Da Valley Jungle Camping$200
- Victory Cave Expedition$295
- Hang Pygmy Exploration$305
- Hang En Cave Adventure$340
- Hang Tien Exploration$420
- Hung Thoong Exploration$460
- Tiger Cave Series Adventure$480
- Kong Collapse Top Adventure$1,345
- Son Doong Cave Expedition$3,060
Approximate figures, per person; the operator bills in VND. Cheapest is 800,000 VND (about $30), dearest is 79,500,000 VND (about $3,060).
Phong Nha without a tour
Buy a ticket, turn up, walk in. These are the caves and spots you can do on your own by motorbike or taxi, and most people spend more days on these than on the guided trips. Full guide with prices and opening hours.
Paradise Cave (Thien Duong)
250kA kilometre of boardwalk through the most spectacular chamber you can reach without a guide. Start here if you only do one.
250,000 VND, buggy 60,000 one way or 100,000 return
Phong Nha Cave
150kEntered by boat along an underground river from the town itself. The boat is priced per boat, so join a group if you are a pair.
150,000 VND plus the boat, roughly 550,000 to 750,000 per boat shared by up to 12
Dark Cave (Hang Toi)
450kZipline over the river, a swim into the cave, a natural mud bath and kayaking. The most fun most families have here.
450,000 VND full package, cheaper options from 150,000
Mooc Spring
80kClear spring-fed pools with walkways and kayaks, on the same road loop as the Dark Cave.
80,000 VND, activities package 180,000
Phong Nha Botanic Garden
40kForest trails, a lake and the Gio waterfall, about 30 m. The cheapest ticket in the park.
40,000 VND
The Duck Stop
A family farm where you feed a mob of ducks, walk a water buffalo and eat lunch. Absurd, and consistently the thing people remember.
Around 100,000 VND, confirm on arrival
Bong Lai Valley
A back road of farm bars and restaurants: the Pub With Cold Beer, the Duck Stop and others strung along one valley. Best by rented motorbike in an afternoon.
Free to ride through, pay per stop
What Phong Nha is actually good for
Caves you can walk into for the price of a coffee
Paradise Cave costs 250,000 VND and gives you a kilometre of boardwalk through a chamber that could hold a cathedral. Phong Nha Cave is 150,000 VND plus a shared boat and you enter it by river. Neither needs a guide or a tour, and plenty of people are satisfied with just these two.
Caves that require an expedition
Beyond the ticketed caves, the park's real systems are permit controlled: Hang Pygmy, Hung Thoong, Tiger Cave, Kong Collapse and Son Doong. These need a licensed operator, cost between 7,900,000 and 79,500,000 VND, and involve trekking, swimming and rope work over one to six days.
A cave discovered this year
Hang Thang, marketed as Victory Cave, was surveyed with the park board in June 2026 and opened to visitors within weeks. It runs about 3,000 metres, has chambers over 100 metres wide, and its floor holds thousands of cave pearls, which only survive where nobody has walked.
The Dark Cave, which is a genuine adventure park
Hang Toi is a ticketed site rather than a tour, with a zipline over the river, a swim into the cave mouth, a natural mud bath and kayaking. The full package runs 450,000 VND and it is the most fun most families have here.
A landscape that is not only caves
The Botanic Garden at 40,000 VND has forest trails and the Gio waterfall. Mooc Spring is 80,000 VND to enter with an activities package at 180,000 VND covering kayaks and swimming. The valley itself, karst towers above rice fields along the Son river, is worth an afternoon on a motorbike.
When to go
February to August, with March and April the sweet spot: dry, clear and not yet at peak heat. May to September gets very hot. From September to November the park floods, sometimes closing tourism entirely, and the expedition caves shut. Son Doong runs January to August only.
Getting there
Dong Hoi is the gateway, with an airport and a main line train station about 45 km away, roughly 45 to 90 minutes by road. Trains reach Dong Hoi from Hue in about 3 hours, Da Nang in 4 to 5, and Hanoi in around 10. Sleeper buses run direct to Phong Nha from Hue, Hanoi and Ninh Binh.
What it costs
A budget traveller manages on 400,000 to 700,000 VND a day for a hostel bed, local food and a couple of cave tickets. The guided expeditions sit in a different bracket entirely and are usually the single largest line in a Vietnam trip budget.
Worth knowing first
- The ticketed caves and the expedition caves are different products with different operators. Nobody sells a package covering both.
- Flooding between September and November is real and can close the park at short notice. Travel insurance and flexible dates matter more here than elsewhere in Vietnam.
- Minimum ages on the guided tours run from 7 to 16 depending on the route, so a family cannot assume everyone can join the same trip.
- Phong Nha town is small. Book tours before you arrive in the March to August window, especially for the multi-day expeditions with groups capped at 10 to 15.
Phong Nha questions people actually ask
How many days do I need in Phong Nha?
Two days covers the ticketed caves comfortably: Paradise and Phong Nha caves on one day, Dark Cave and Mooc Spring on another. Three days lets you add a guided day tour into a wild cave. If you want an overnight expedition like Hang Pygmy or Hung Thoong, budget four days including arrival and departure.
Do I need a tour, or can I see Phong Nha independently?
Both work. Paradise Cave, Phong Nha Cave, Dark Cave, Mooc Spring and the Botanic Garden are all ticketed sites you can reach by rented motorbike for well under 1,000,000 VND all in. A guided tour is only required for the wild caves, which are permit controlled and cannot be entered alone.
Which cave tour is best value?
The Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley day trek at 1,950,000 VND gives you a war-history cave, a swim in a clear lake and 600 metres through a river cave in one day, with pickup from Dong Hoi included. For an overnight, Ma Da Valley camping at 5,175,000 VND is the gentlest way to sleep in the jungle here.
Can I visit Son Doong?
Only with Oxalis, the sole licensed operator, at about 79,500,000 VND for a multi-day expedition, with roughly 1,000 permits a year and a January to August season. Availability has been running years ahead. If Son Doong is not realistic, Hang Pygmy and Hung Thoong are the closest experiences in scale and both are bookable now.
Elsewhere in Vietnam
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