If you come to Dong Hoi, be sure to visit Paradise Cave and Phong Nha Cave, two of the largest caves in the world!
The main event during your stay in Dong Hoi is to see Paradise Cave, one of the largest in the world.
It is also registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has about 300 caves of various sizes formed over 400 million years ago, making it the oldest cave in Asia and one of the largest in the world.
There is another city in Vietnam called Hue, and you can take a day trip from Hue, but it is recommended as it can be reached in about an hour from Dong Hoi.
I booked Paradise Cave and Phong Nha Cave Day Tour on the website “
Klook“.
https://www.klook.com/ja/activity/28775-paradise-cave-phong-nha-day-tour/?spm=BookingDetail.ActivityCard&clickId=75a19eae0c
I made a reservation about a week in advance.
The cost for two adults, including cave tour fee, lunch, and transportation, was 11,814 yen (About 45USD).
They also have a Japanese website, English website, etc, which is convenient as you can pay by credit card and chat with customer service.
On the day, a pick-up bus will come to the hotel, so we wait in the hotel lobby between 7:45-8:00.
A light blue bus arrived, and a driver wearing a jacket of the same color came to pick us up.
It seemed there were people at the hotel next door who were taking the same tour, and they boarded the bus at the same time as us.
They were an elderly Canadian couple.
After this, we stopped at several other hotels, and more tour participants continued to board the bus, so it quickly filled up.
After leaving the town and speeding through the rice fields, we finally arrived at Paradise Cave.
The guide who rides with us on the bus will explain the cave in English.
Our guide was a woman named “Chocolate,” who spoke to us in a friendly manner and said, “Please call me Choco!”
Longer tour of Paradise Cave by buggy and on foot
There is an entrance fee for Paradise Cave.
Our guide, Choco, bought tickets for everyone and handed them out to us.
Since we were tourists, we were transported part of the way in a buggy, so I think it probably cost 290 VND per person.
Proceed through the spectacular entrance.
At the entrance, you will need to scan the QR code on the back of this ticket to enter.
Paradise Cave seems to be a very popular tourist spot, and there was a line at the buggy boarding area.
Choco guided us, along with other tourists from our group, to the buggies.
After a few minutes of driving through the forest, we arrived at the entrance to Paradise Cave!
But from here there was actually about 15 minutes of light mountain climbing.
This was probably why our packing list included comfortable shoes, water, a towel and a change of clothes.
Choco led us down the mountain path and then led us up the stairs.
Finally, after climbing up drenched in sweat, we reach the true entrance to Paradise Cave.
From here, we go down the stairs to enter the cave.
Let’s go inside right away.
The entrance is through a tiny hole less than two meters deep, and leads down a flight of stairs.
The inside of the cave is well maintained, and the further we went inside, the cooler it became, a stark contrast to the heat outside.
We’re still near the entrance, but the ceiling is so high that it feels like we’re looking up at the stars.
It’s a much larger space than you’d imagine from the initial entrance.
No matter where you look, you’ll be overwhelmed by the otherworldly scenery.
No one would have imagined that there were so many caves spreading out underground.
It’s like a natural limestone cave.
The way the colors blend together is exquisite, and it really makes you feel the power of nature.
Some of the sculptures were so beautiful that they almost seemed frightening.
Unfortunately, photos alone cannot do justice to the magnificence of Paradise Cave, so I recommend that you go and experience its incredible nature for yourself.
It was overwhelming.
After looking around the inside, we stopped in the rest area next to the entrance to wait for the rest of our tour group to gather.
A map of the cave was posted in the rest area.
Our guide gave us an explanation, but I was a little tired and didn’t remember much of it.
Heading to the lunch venue
Now that our tour of Paradise Cave was over, we got back on the bus and headed to the place to have lunch.
The bus was still full as usual.
However, the seats were narrow, so a cool Russian woman was occupying the two seats in the front row with her large luggage, clearly bothering the other passengers.
I was watching aimlessly, wondering what the European woman would do since she couldn’t sit down because of her luggage, when the European woman told the Russian woman in a clear tone, “If you move your luggage to the side, another person can sit, so please move your luggage.” I couldn’t help but applaud in my heart at this cool behavior, which Japanese people can’t do.
The lunch venue was a space that seemed to be a rented out restaurant, and the food was already laid out on the tables.
The tour was mostly with Westerners, and the only participants who looked clearly Asian were us and the Indian couple.
There were no other Asians there.
The food was served on large platters, so each person took some onto their own plate and ate.
I’m not a fan of the style of eating and chatting with other tour guests at the same table, but if I didn’t say anything here I’d be seen as a typical quiet Asian, so I did my best to communicate with them as I ate lunch.
There was a retired couple who were enjoying their trip around Asia, and another couple who had been traveling around Southeast Asia for months and were going to visit Taiwan before going to Japan.
The soup and this dish similar to braised pork were very delicious.
In the afternoon, take a tour of Phong Nha Cave
Our bellies are full after lunch.
We’re feeling a bit sleepy, but next we head out for a tour of Phong Nha Cave.
It seems this cave cannot be accessed by land.
We boarded a boat from the pier and took about a 20-minute boat ride to the cave.
I put on a life jacket and got on the boat.
I was lucky to be able to sit at the bow of the boat and enjoy a nice view, but after a few minutes I realized that it was a trade-off with the scorching heat.
In any case, the sunlight around noon in Vietnam is brutally hot.
We managed to avoid the heat of the sun and enjoyed the scenery around us from the boat as it cut through the wind.
After a while, we arrived at the entrance to Phong Nha Cave.
Up until this point, the boat had been powered by an engine, but from this point on, the boatman will be rowing the boat by hand.
Once inside this cave, it becomes very cool.
This is a cave with a different beauty from Paradise Cave.
The boatman was a woman.
She took off her sun mask and jacket and rowed the boat deeper into the water.
After a while, we came out onto a slightly open sandy beach.
It seemed we were getting off the boat here and walking back to where we started.
Phong Nha Cave was a great afternoon activity, as we could view the cave while on the boat the whole time.
At the end, our guide, Choco, took a photo of us, but the background was so unrealistic that it ended up looking like an AI photo.
We came out at the exit of the cave.
This Phong Nha Cave is smaller than Paradise Cave in the morning, but both the entrance and exit are wide, and the view of the water is beautiful.
If you walk along the path next to the cave, you will come to an open space with a souvenir shop area.
There are also toilets, so I drank some sugarcane juice, used the toilet, and waited for the other tour guests to return.
This was delicous!
My impressions of participating in Klook’s Paradise Cave and Phong Nha Cave day tour
It was fun!
There was a shuttle service and lunch was provided, so there was no inconvenience.
Although he wasn’t very good at English, our guide, Choco, led us around while sweating, so it felt like an excursion.
At the end, I thought that his attitude of encouraging high ratings and tips for the sites was very shrewd.
We went to Paradise Cave and Phong Nha Cave, and each cave had its own characteristics and was worth seeing.
It was very hot during the day, so a hat and sunglasses are essential.
It’s good to bring sunscreen and a towel.
Some tourists were cooling off with fans that they must have bought locally, and I thought it was nice that they didn’t take up much space.
You will really get drenched in sweat, so bring a change of clothes and take a bath and change, which will make you feel refreshed.
We arrived at the hotel around 5pm.
Finally, we gave Choco a tip and said goodbye.
I was a little disappointed that he seemed very impressed with the tip given by the Caucasian person who had gotten off before us, but not so impressed with the tip we gave him.
The tour may be a bit expensive considering local prices, but I think it’s a reasonable price considering that you can be taken to various places in a relaxed atmosphere.
I’m not a Klook shill or anything, but I thought it was a useful site.
I’m very satisfied with being able to enjoy a different way of traveling in Vietnam.
I would definitely recommend it.
★★Check tour availability for「Paradise Cave and Phong Nha Cave Day Tour」via Klook★★
