Caving in Vietnam

Best time by region

Each cell counts the places in this list marked as worth visiting in that month (the best months on each location page). Darker means more of the region's places agree.

Caving by region15 places

North Vietnam (8)

Destination guides Cao Bang, Cat Ba, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh · North Vietnam guide →

Cave

Am Tiên Cave

Ninh Bình

Am Tiên Cave - nicknamed 'Tuyệt Tình Cốc' after its wuxia-film-like scenery - is a dragon-mouth-shaped grotto above a jade-green lake in the Hoa Lư valley, reached by around 200-250 stone steps, with a dark history as an execution ground under Đinh Tiên Hoàng and a later connection to Queen Dương Vân Nga's Buddhist retreat.

Jan - Apr, Sep - Nov→

Bay

Bai Tu Long Bay

Quang Ninh

Bái Tử Long Bay - Ha Long's quieter neighbour to the northeast - shares the same UNESCO karst landscape with 600+ islands but far fewer cruise boats. Named for the legend of dragon children landing to protect Vietnam. Ha Long Bay the way it was before mass tourism.

Mar - May, Sep - Oct→

Bay

Ha Long Bay

Quang Ninh

Ha Long Bay - Vietnam's most iconic landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - is 1,553 square kilometres of emerald water, nearly 2,000 limestone karst islands, sea caves, and floating villages in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Mar - Apr, Sep - Nov→

Cave

Nguom Ngao Cave

Cao Bằng

Nguom Ngao Cave - 'Tiger Cave' in the Tày language - is one of northern Vietnam's finest cave experiences: a system with three entrances, surveyed at over 2km and explorable in full along a roughly 3.3km guided route, with dense stalactite and stalagmite formations and near-total silence, just 3km from Bản Giốc Waterfall.

Year-round→

Photo coming soon

Cave

Sung Sot Cave

Quang Ninh

Sung Sot Cave (Surprise Cave) - the largest limestone grotto in Ha Long Bay at nearly 12,200 sq metres - hides two vast cathedral chambers, stalactite formations tied to the legend of Thánh Gióng, and a panoramic viewpoint, all on Bồ Hòn Island. Named by a French scientist in 1901.

Apr - Jun, Oct - Dec→

Cave

Thien Cung Cave

Quang Ninh

Thien Cung Cave - the Heavenly Palace Cave of Ha Long Bay - is a large cave divided into three main chambers on Dau Go Island, officially opened to visitors in 1998, known for dense stalactite formations tied to the Dragon King legend and some of the most heavily-coloured cave lighting in the bay.

Oct - Apr→

River

Trang An

Ninh Bình

Trang An is Vietnam's only UNESCO dual World Heritage Site (natural and cultural, 2014) - a labyrinth of karst peaks, jade rivers, and ancient caves navigated by wooden rowboat. Known as 'Ha Long Bay on land' and a filming location for Kong: Skull Island (2017).

Jan - Jun, Sep - Nov→

Cave

Trung Trang Cave

Hải Phòng

Trung Trang Cave is the largest accessible cave on Cát Bà Island - a 300-metre limestone grotto inside the national park with exceptional stalactite and stalagmite formations, a bat colony, and a history stretching from local legend to wartime military use.

Apr - Sep→

Central Vietnam (6)

Destination guides Da Nang, Phong Nha - Ke Bang · Central Vietnam guide →

Photo coming soon

Cave

Dark Cave

Quảng Bình

Dark Cave is Phong Nha's most adventurous experience - a zip line over the Chày River, kayaking into a pitch-black cave, swimming through underground passages, and a mineral mud bath inside the cave chamber, all packaged into one of Vietnam's best adventure activities.

Mar - Jul→

Cave

Hang En Cave

Quảng Bình

Hang En is the third largest natural cave in the world - 3km from Sơn Đoòng, accessible by 2-day 1-night trek through jungle and Bru-Vân Kiều village, with a night camping on a white sandbar inside the cave under a 145m ceiling. The accessible alternative to Sơn Đoòng.

Dec - Aug→

Mountain

Marble Mountains (Ngũ Hành Sơn)

Đà Nẵng

Ngũ Hành Sơn (Marble Mountains) in Đà Nẵng is a cluster of five marble and limestone peaks with caves, Buddhist shrines, ancient Cham sanctuaries, and sweeping sea views - most famously the Huyền Không Cave where sunlight shafts through a collapsed ceiling onto Buddhist altars below.

Mar - Sep→

Cave

Paradise Cave

Quảng Bình

Paradise Cave (Động Thiên Đường) is one of Asia's longest dry caves at 31.4km - the 'underground palace' discovered in 2005 by a local man following cool air from a rock crevice, opened to visitors in 2010. A 1km wooden boardwalk leads through chambers up to 100m high, with stalactite formations resembling Buddhist figures and Champa towers.

Apr - Aug→

Cave

Phong Nha Cave

Quảng Bình

Phong Nha Cave is the oldest cave in the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng UNESCO World Heritage Site - a 7.7km limestone grotto with an underground river, navigated by wooden boat through chambers of stalactites, with the Son River flowing turquoise below.

Mar - Aug→

Cave

Son Doong Cave

Quảng Bình

Son Doong is the largest cave in the world - big enough to contain a 40-story skyscraper, with its own weather system, jungle, and river inside. Access is by expedition only, with a strict annual quota making it one of the most exclusive natural experiences on earth. All tours run exclusively through Oxalis Adventure.

Jan - Aug→

South Vietnam (1)

South Vietnam guide →

Mountain

Minh Đạm Mountain

Ba Ria - Vung Tau

Minh Đạm Mountain is a 355m, 8km-long forested range in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu with three sides facing the sea, over 300 caves, and a resistance base recognised as a National Historical Relic in 1993. Named for two soldiers who died defending it in 1948, it offers forest trekking, cave exploration, and coastal views near Long Hải beach.

Nov - May→

Browse other experiences

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• Trekking74 places→
• Camping45 places→
• Snorkeling21 places→
• Kayaking23 places→
• Food32 places→
• Culture57 places→
• History82 places→
• Photography181 places→
• Markets11 places→
• Nightlife9 places→
• Walking Tours29 places→
• Cycling31 places→
• Boat Tours42 places→
• Cable Cars9 places→
• Homestays11 places→
• Wildlife33 places→
• Motorcycling32 places→
• Shopping5 places→