Once war-torn, now sublime, Vietnam is long, lovely and languorous.
21.07.2023 - 08:31 / roughguides.com
Planning a trip to Vietnam and keen to explore some of its most spectacular scenery? A little north of the 17th parallel – the demarcation where Vietnam was once divided into north and south – lies Phong Nha-Ke Bang: 885 square kilometres of unspoilt jungle, caves and underground rivers squeezed between the Laos border and South China Sea.
The UNESCO-listed national park hit the headlines in 2009, when its colossal Hang Son Doong (Son Doong Cave) was discovered to be the largest in the world, and again this year, when the rugged terrain was used as a location for Hollywood blockbuster Kong: Skull Island. But the region is changing fast, with improving transport links bringing in more tourists than ever.
Here’s why you should go now, plus everything you need to know to plan your trip:
The stunning 400-million-year-old limestone karst landscape is littered with caves and underground rivers – and every year more are being discovered, surveyed and opened to the public. At more than 5km long, and comfortably able to fit a New York City block within its expanse, Son Doong Cave is the best known.
If you have a spare US$3000 you can try and bag a place on the five-day expedition that Oxalis organise to its remote location. There’s also talk of a planned cable car that will ferry thousands of people to the entrance. This will detract from the feeling of discovering a lost world, though, so if that’s what you’re hankering after, best visit sooner rather than later.
With a little less cash and advanced planning, you can visit beautiful Phong Nha Cave, which is closest to Phong Nha town and only accessible by dragon boat from the little jetty here. Dark Cave (Hang Toi) involves a zip line, a muddy exploration, a cold swim and a short kayak trip, while Paradise Cave is a huge dry cavern with a deceptively tiny entrance. The latter has mind-blowing stalactite and stalagmite formations, which can be viewed from a boardwalk. Other caverns, such as Hang Va and Hang En, require some demanding trekking.
Cave entrance in Son Doong Cave © Vietnam Stock Images/Shutterstock
Phong Nha’s incredible biodiversity includes globally threatened large-antlered muntjacs, langurs, macaques and Asian black bears, not to mention hundreds of species of birds, reptiles and amphibians. Only a fraction of the park is open to tourists, but it’s free to enter – you only pay for the specific attractions – and phenomenal views open across the rugged landscape from the 65km loop via Highway 20 and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The botanical gardens are 12km from town and you can explore on foot, scrambling down to Gio Waterfall for a dip.
There’s also the entrance of the Eight Ladies’ Cave to visit. Here, a temple honours the eight young locals who, in 1972,
Once war-torn, now sublime, Vietnam is long, lovely and languorous.
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