Phong Nha Cave is the cave that gave the national park its name. The park management board gives its length as 7,729 m, with many side passages large and small, and describes it as a river cave: the river runs underground through the mountain and comes out at the cave mouth, blue-green in the dry season and red in the rainy season.
In 1994 an international cave conference in Hanoi named it one of the most beautiful water caves in the world, the board says, on seven counts including the longest water cave, the highest and widest entrance and the longest and most beautiful underground river.
The visit starts at the boat landing in Phong Nha. After buying your ticket at the counter you go to the landing on the left and take a boat number. The boat runs about 30 minutes along the Son River to the cave mouth. There the engine goes off and the boat is rowed along about 1,200 m of underground river, past named rock formations such as the Buddha and the Elephants. On the way back out you leave the boat and walk two dry chambers, Hang Tien and Hang Cung Dinh, on a boardwalk. The board says to allow about two and a half hours.
Tien Son Cave on the same boat
Tien Son Cave sits halfway up the same mountain, about 100 m above Phong Nha Cave, and the same boat serves both. The board gives it a length of 980 m, but visitors only go in about 400 m, because beyond that is a drop of about 10 m and the passages past it are not open. To reach it you get off at the Phong Nha Cave landing and climb nearly 600 steps. If you want both caves, ask for the two-cave boat when you buy your tickets, and pay Tien Son's own entry on top.
Getting there
The boats leave from the tourist center in Phong Nha. The cave itself is about 4 km in a straight line from Phong Nha town, and about 36 km in a straight line from Dong Hoi railway station (34 km from Dong Hoi airport). By road the board puts it 50 km from Dong Hoi city.
Hours and fees
Both caves open every day. The board gives summer and winter hours but does not say which months count as which, so if in doubt, plan for the winter times.
| Season | Phong Nha Cave and Tien Son Cave |
|---|---|
| Summer | 07:15 to 16:30 |
| Winter | 07:30 to 15:45 |
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Phong Nha Cave entry | VND 150,000 per person |
| Tien Son Cave entry | VND 80,000 per person |
| Children under 1.3 m | Free |
| Boat, Phong Nha Cave only (return, up to 12 people) | VND 700,000 per boat |
| Boat, Phong Nha and Tien Son (return, up to 12 people) | VND 750,000 per boat |
| Guide in Vietnamese, one cave / both caves | VND 300,000 / VND 400,000 |
| Guide in English, one cave / both caves | VND 400,000 / VND 500,000 |
We read these prices on the board's pages on 18 October 2026; they match what the board showed on 14 October. The site is run by the Phong Nha-Ke Bang tourism center, hotline 0918 841 455. The board also lists a 4,500 m Phong Nha Cave route and a night visit as separate tours. Our Phong Nha Cave ticket price article works through what the boat costs per person.
Our take
Share the boat. At VND 700,000 for up to 12 people, a couple pays far more per head than a full boat does, so ask at the landing whether others are waiting. Adding Tien Son costs only VND 50,000 more for the boat plus VND 80,000 each, but it means nearly 600 steps up, so skip it if anyone in your group struggles with stairs. In the rainy season check the river before you go; our Phong Nha weather in the wet season guide covers the months to watch.
Nearby
- Paradise Cave: about 9 km in a straight line.
- Dark Cave: on the Chay River, the zipline and mud-bath cave.
- Son Doong: about 14 km in a straight line, reached only on a guided expedition.
