Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng has more than 400 known caves, but you only need to know six. This widget picks the right one for your fitness, budget, and the time you actually have — and explains the Sơn Đoòng lottery and the Oxalis monopoly that defines the booking reality.
Phong Nha is sold by every Quảng Bình tourism operator as "the cave country", but the six visitor caves vary wildly in effort. Paradise Cave is a 1 km dry walk, boardwalks, anyone. Phong Nha Cave is a boat-only wet cave, also easy. Dark Cave is mud-bath + zipline, half-day. Mooc Spring is swimming + a 600 m easy nature trail. Tú Làn is a real 3-day jungle trek with river crossings and wild caves. Hang Én is a 1-night jungle + cave expedition where "Kong: Skull Island" was filmed. Sơn Đoòng is the world's largest cave, a 4-night expedition costing $3,000+, run only by Oxalis, with a lottery application — it's a different country.
This widget picks by fitness and budget, gives the operator and current price, and explains the lead time you need. The Oxalis monopoly on multi-day expeditions (Tú Làn, Hang Én, Sơn Đoòng) is real: no other company is licensed to run them, and the prices are essentially fixed.
Adventure level, budget and fitness. The widget gives you the cave, operator, duration, cost and booking lead time.
Pick this cave
Paradise Cave
Dry cave, boardwalks, biggest chamber in the system. 1 km walk.
Operator + price
Jungle Boss / Phong Nha Discovery
Day-trip ~$15–25; includes transport, guide, lunch.
Duration
Half-day
Booking lead time
1–2 days
The one trap
Guided tour is mandatory — no self-guided visits.
The cave row picks one destination. For "easy day-trip" we usually recommend Paradise Cave over Phong Nha Cave — both are easy, but Paradise is bigger, drier (no boat), and has a more impressive chamber. Phong Nha Cave is the boat ride one, which is nice if you've never done a river cave but otherwise gets crowded from 10am.
The operator row matters more than the cave name. Oxalis holds the operating licence for Tú Làn, Hang Én, and Sơn Đoòng — no one else can legally run those trips. For day caves (Paradise, Phong Nha, Dark), there are 4–5 competing operators (Jungle Boss, Phong Nha Discovery, Oxalis Family Tour, Buffalo Tours). Prices are similar; quality varies on the guide.
Sơn Đoòng explained. $3,000+ per person, 4 nights / 3 days inside the cave, limited to ~1,000 visitors per year. You apply via the Oxalis website lottery 8–14 months ahead — applications open in September for the next calendar year. Successful applicants get a confirmation email and 30 days to pay 50% deposit. Cancellation refunds only if Oxalis resells your slot.
Hang Én vs Tú Làn. Hang Én is the "1-night jungle + cave" trip (~$700, suitable for moderate fitness). Tú Làn is the "3-day wild cave expedition" (~$850, requires high fitness and comfort with swimming through river passages). Both are Oxalis-only.
Reading the budget. Figures are 2026 reference per-person rates from the official operators. Add 30–50% if you book through a Đồng Hới hotel concierge instead of directly. The day-trip prices include transport from Phong Nha town, guide, lunch and entrance.
Agencies will quote a "self-guided" boat for Phong Nha Cave (the river one). It's illegal to disembark inside without an authorised guide. The "self-guided" trip only lets you ride to the entrance and back; the actual cave walking requires a guide.
Dark Cave (mud bath + zipline) closes unpredictably after heavy rain — the road floods and the operator cancels for safety. Don't book it on day 1 of a 2-day Phong Nha trip; leave it for day 2 with a backup.
Some Đồng Hới travel agents advertise "Tú Làn 3-day" at half the Oxalis price. It's a scam — they're running an easier day trek to a different cave. Book Tú Làn only via the Oxalis website.
The Sơn Đoòng lottery usually closes in November for the next calendar year. Apply in September–October or you wait another 12 months. Oxalis is the only place to apply.
For Paradise, Phong Nha and Dark Cave day-trips, yes — there are usually openings. For Tú Làn, Hang Én, and Sơn Đoòng, no — Oxalis slots fill 1–6 months ahead. Day-of walk-ins pay the same; you just don't get first pick on time slots.
The cave entrance and boardwalks are accessible only with a guide/operator — there is no independent entry. The cheapest option is the Jungle Boss or Phong Nha Discovery group tour (~150,000 VND plus transport).
Phong Nha town itself (25 km from the caves) has Easy Tiger, Phong Nha Farmstay, and a dozen guesthouses from $10–60/night. Đồng Hới is the nearest city (50 km east) with more hotels and the airport/train station. Most tours pick up from Phong Nha town, some from Đồng Hới.
Feb–May is dry season, ideal for all caves. Jun–Aug afternoon showers can flood Dark Cave and the road. Sep–Nov is typhoon-prone — multi-day expeditions get cancelled if the rivers rise. Dec–Jan is cool, mostly dry, fewer tourists.
Phong Nha Cave Tier is a Vietnam Compass standalone tool. It exists because the Phong Nha tourism market is dominated by a single operator (Oxalis) for multi-day expeditions and a confusing cluster of agencies for day-trips — and because Sơn Đoòng is so famous that most travellers arrive thinking they can "do" it on a 3-day Quảng Bình stop, when it really requires 8–14 months of lottery planning.
Limitations. The widget picks based on fitness, budget and time. Cave closures due to weather are not predictable and should be checked with the operator 24 hours before. Sơn Đoòng pricing is the published 2026 rate and does not include the optional helicopter upgrade (~$2,400 round-trip).
Data collection. None. This tool is a single HTML file. The widget runs entirely in your browser — no values entered are sent to any server, logged, or stored.
Google AdSense. If ad slots are enabled on Vietnam Compass in the future, Google AdSense may set cookies or read existing cookies to deliver personalised or non-personalised ads. Opt out at adssettings.google.com, aboutads.info (US), or youronlinechoices.eu (EU/EEA).
Third-party cookies. AdSense and its partners may set cookies when serving ads. We do not control which cookies those partners set. Refer to Google's ads policy for details.
EEA / UK consent. If you are in the EEA or UK, advertising will only be served after consent is captured per Google's EU user consent policy.
Embedded resources. This page loads Tailwind CSS CDN and Font Awesome 6.5.1 CDN only. Both are cookieless.
For reference only. All content — cave difficulty, operator names, 2026 pricing, lead times — is for general informational purposes and is not professional travel, safety or fitness advice.
Prices change. Operator rates adjust annually. Confirm directly with the operator before paying.
No liability. Vietnam Compass is not responsible for losses arising from reliance on this tool.
Last updated: 2026-10-07.