Hanoi to Phong Nha Dong Hoi: Complete Guide

Not only known for its long coastline with many stunning white sandy beaches or the beautiful rice terraces on the great mountain, Vietnam is also famous for its magnificent limestone caves. In Quang Binh province of Central Vietnam, there is a huge limestone cave system with glittering stalagmite and stalactite that is very famous all over the world. And Phong Nha cave is one of the most famous caves in that complex.

If you are interested in discovering this cave and wondering how to get to Phong Nha from Hanoi, this topic will give you all detailed information to figure out the best transportation to travel. Let’s see what these vehicles are.

Distance from Hanoi to Phong Nha, Dong Hoi

As the country’s capital, the city of Hanoi is a great place to start your journey around Vietnam. To come to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, people normally travel to Dong Hoi town in Quang Binh province first since either the train station, airport and bus station are all here. The shortest distance by road from Hanoi to Dong Hoi is around 500km, and it takes around 50km from Dong Hoi to Phong Nha cave. 

Best ways to travel from Hanoi to Phong Nha, Dong Hoi

There are 3 sorts of transportations you can consider to come to Phong Nha from Hanoi as well: train, aeroplane and bus. Let's learn detail below.

Bus

Even though Dong Hoi is not so famous like other cities in Central Vietnam such as Hue, Hoi An or Danang, this is the starting point for exploring the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, where the stunning Phong Nha cave is located. From Hanoi, most tourists choose to travel to Dong Hoi city first to stay overnight, and the bus is the cheapest means of transportation to travel in Vietnam. 

There are regular seat buses, and sleeper buses options for you to consider. But with such a long distance of travelling, the sleeper bus is always a preferable choice. It costs you only 13-15 USD for a sleeper bus ticket.

In fact, you can take a bus directly from Hanoi to Phong Nha cave. There are a few different companies who operate this route and their schedules suggest that travel times will be somewhere between 9 to 10.5 hours. Timings vary because some of the companies will take more stops than others, or stop for longer.

Overnight train

Since the closest train station to come from Hanoi to Phong Nha cave is at Dong Hoi city, if you want to visit Phong Nha cave by train, you have to travel to Dong Hoi first. The advantage with traveling by train is that there are many different options to choose from. There’s a good variety of seats and cabins available, and many trains depart throughout the day and evening, however, we recommend you to choose the sleeper berth type. There are also two different starting points from Hanoi: the main Hanoi Railway Station, and Giap Bat Railway Station. 

Normally, tourists would choose Hanoi Railway Station as the starting point because it’s more popular and convenient with a lot of English speaking staff to give support and directions. One way train ticket from Hanoi Railway Station to Dong Hoi costs about 12-30 USD, and it takes about 10.5 hours travelling.

Trains to Dong Hoi from Giap Bat tend to take a little longer – roughly an hour to an hour and a half longer from this station, however, ticket prices are usually quite a bit less than on trains from Hanoi Railway Station, so bear this in mind if travelling on a budget.

Flight

The final, and the fastest way to get from Hanoi to Phong Nha is by air. When covering such a large distance, catching a flight to Dong Hoi does make sense. There are 3 airlines flying the route from Hanoi to Dong Hoi: Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet air and Bamboo Airways. Actual flying time is only around an hour, so even when adding in the time it takes to get to and from the airport at either end and do all the necessary waiting in line at the airport, you’re still going to arrive in Dong Hoi much faster than you would if traveling by bus or by train. 

Depending on your travelling time, the time you book for your flight and your ticket class, the ticket price will range from 45 USD or above. That is quite an affordable price for a fast and convenient type of transportation. 

Tips to transfer from Hanoi to Phong Nha, Dong Hoi

- Never leave home without reliable travel insurance and a passport

- Prepare mosquito repellents and necessary medicines for flu, cramp or diarrhoea…

- Reserve an amount of food and drink if you travel by bus or train because the travelling time is very long, and perhaps you will be hungry.

- Always keep the most important personal documents with you, make some copies of these documents and divide money into many pockets then hide them in different places. No one wants a bad situation, but if it happens, you already have your backup.

- If you travel from Hanoi to Phong Nha by bus, don’t forget to get off the bus at any stop-over and try as many local cuisines as you want. These foods are so mouth-watering.

You have just reviewed some best kinds of transportation from Hanoi to Dong Hoi, hope you could find a suitable one for your travel. If you are looking for Phong Nha tour please do not hesitate to contact BestPrice Travel. We surely will bring you an unforgettable memory.

Hue Pham

Image source: Internet