Quang Binh travel guide
Quang Binh locates in the Center of Vietnam, far about 500km from Hanoi and 180km from Hue. Quang Binh is longer famous for Phong Nha Cave – the world heritage site recognized by UNESCO. Nowadays, Quang Binh is widely well-known by Son Doong Cave – the new and biggest cave in the world. If you are planning your holiday in Quang Binh, let us show you some useful travel guides below:
How to get Quang Binh:
From Hanoi, there are three ways to get Quang Binh, by flight, by train and by car. Motorbike is not recommended because the road is too far and dangerous.
From Ho Chi Minh, you should travel by plane or train only because the distance is too far to drive.
On the other hand, from Hue, Hoi An or Danang, you can get Quang Binh by bus or motorbike because the distance is not far and the road is easy to go.
If you don’t have more time, you should get Quang Binh by plane, arrive Dong Hoi Airport in Quang Binh via Vietnam Airline, Vietjet or Jetstar. From the airport, you can take a taxi to get Dong Hoi city (just far about 5 km).
Best time to visit Quang Binh:
Quang Binh has the monsoon-tropical weather and experiences two seasons: the wet and dry season. The wet season begins in September and lasts until March; it’s wet and rains heavily on Sep, Oct and Nov. On the other hand, dry season starts from April and lasts until August with the hottest temperatures from June to August. As Quang Binh is famous for many caves, so you should visit the destination in dry season. Therefore, from Apr – Aug is the best time to visit Quang Binh.
Things to do and see in Quang Binh:
Visiting caves: Traveling to Quang Binh, tourists should not miss top caves below:
Phong Nha – Tien Son cave: Phong Nha Cave belongs to the system of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. To get the cave, you have to rent a boat with the cost of 350,000 VND for 14 people. The entrance fee of Phong Nha Cave is 150,000 VND, Tien Son Cave is 80,000 VND. The cave is one of the wonder of the world (UNESCO) with 7,729 metres long and contains 14 grottoes with many stalactites.
Son Doong Cave: the cave is recently discovered and recognized as the biggest cave in the world with 5 km long, 200 meters wide and 150 meters high. There is only a travel agent allowed to organize tour here – Oxalis. The duration of the tour is 7 days, the cost is 3000$/Person. This is a very hard trekking tour so you are required to have a very good health and experience.
Hang En: Hang En is the 3rd largest cave in the world belonging to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. Hang En has a total length of 1,645 m across the mountains with 3 gates. It takes 2 days to visit Hang En - one of the spectacular caves in the world rated by US National Geographic Magazine (USA).
Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave: Dubbed as the "underground palace", Paradise cave is one of the most magnificent wonders of the world. The cave also belongs to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park formed since 350 - 400 million years ago. The entrance fee to visit the cave is 250,000 VND. To get the gate of Paradise cave, you have to climb to the mountain about 15 - 25 minutes then enter the cave by a wooden ladder. The tourists normally visit the first 1.5 km of the cave, to visit the deeper part of the cave (7km more), you have to pay more. However, you should make sure you have enough healthy and prepare carefully to take part in this hard trekking tour.
Tu Lan Cave system: the cave system locates in Tan Hoa village, Minh Hoa district, Quang Binh province and far 70km from Phong Nha cave. The system has 8 caves including Tu Lan cave, Song cave, Uoi cave, Chuot cave, Hung Ton cave, Kim cave, Ken cave, and To Mo cave. The cave still remains the pristine beauty lying among the valleys and forests.
Hang Toi (dark cave): Hang Toi was discovered early by the local and it used to use as a shelter to avoid bomb from American soldiers during the war. The cave has the horizontal length of 5.558 m, depth of 80 m, 50 m high.
Other attractions:
Nhat Le Beach: This is one of the most beautiful beaches of Vietnam. The beach is far about 2 km from Dong Hoi City with white sand and blue beach. The seafood here is also very fresh and delicious.
Bai Da Nhay: If you visit Quang Binh, don’t miss Bai Da Nhay with pristine beach and many stones with strange shapes. Along the highway 1A from Dong Hoi city to the North about 25 km, Bai Da Nhay is a mountain next to the beautiful beach. It’s a great place for swimming and taking photos.
Suoi Nuoc Moc (Nuoc Mooc Spring Eco Trail): Nuoc Moc locates on the way to Paradise Cave from Dong Hoi City. The ticket is 80,000 VND /person. Hidden under the jungle canopy covering the limestone mountain cliffs, Nuoc Mooc spring as a blue clear gem brings cool air for pristine jungle. After visiting the magnificent caves in Quang Binh, enjoying ecotourism Nuoc Mooc spring will be a great idea.
Quang Phu Hillock: visiting the hillock is also a good idea when exploring Quang Binh. Many photographers list Quang Phu Hillock as the best place to take photos in this province.
Where to stay in Quang Binh?
Traveling to Quang Binh, you should stay at hotels in Dong Hoi city which are near Nhat Le beach such as: Muong Thanh Nhat Le Hotel (4 star), Sunspa Resort (5 star), Sunshine Hotel (3 star), etc. Or you can stay at Chaylap Farmstay if you want to explore deeply the beauty of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park without transferring a lot.