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Ramble Out Yonder: Phong Nha, Viet Nam

Published On: 18/11/2013

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Phong Nha was a welcome escape from the cities. Known for its National Park, and more specifically its system of caves, it was a must. The town itself is small and somewhat forgettable. Just a strip of road with buildings on both sides. It hasn’t been hit hard by the tourists yet, so while we were there, our hostel (Easy Tiger) was the most happening place in town....in fact, it was the only place in town with anything happening.

Paradise Cave

We signed up for an all day tour to see Paradise Cave and Hang Toi (Dark Cave). Paradise Cave is impressive in size (30km long). For the first km there are stairs and wood walkways, making it accessible to anyone who wants to check it out. Hang Toi Cave is a wet cave and was a little bit more of a commitment. We kayaked across a river to the mouth of the cave and then, adorned in neon orange lifejackets and hard hats with lights attached, we swam in. We spent the afternoon walking in two feet of mud down small passages into the cave. It might not have been quite as visually appealing at Paradise Cave, but it was definitely a more....organic experience. For the swim back to the mouth of the cave our tour guide had all of us turn off our headlamps to get the real experience. It felt real.

The next day we rented bikes from the dark ages and set off for the infamous "Pub With Cold Beer". Riding through the country was a completely different experience than being in the town with all the other tourists. Kids popped out from all over the place and ran next to our bikes yelling "HIIII!" and giving us high fives. Everyone waved as we passed. Even all the adults had smiles for us.

Dark Cave

The ride itself started off pretty well. I mean, the bike I was riding could be compared to my first bike at age 6....and might be just as old, but the roads were basically totally flat, and there was almost no traffic to speak of, other than the occasional cow. An hour in though and we were facing hills, the roads turned into trails with conditions that any mountain biker would love.....on a mountain bike, and even a moderately dramatic river crossing. The point is we were hardcore, and by the time we got to the restaurant, we had earned our beers through and through.

When I say restaurant what I mean is someones house. An awesome Vietnamese family lives there, and if you can brave the waters getting there, they have cold beer, home grown roasted peanuts, veggies from their garden, eggs from their chickens, and their specialty; a chicken butchered to order. Naturally, we ordered everything. While we waited one of the daughters became comfortable with us basically immediately. We shared our roasted peanuts, played a little soccer, and she even took a little spin on my much to big for her bike. In the meantime we caught glances of the mom in the back of the house prepping our meal. She even held up the still live chicken for us to see as a way of saying "this is happening, this is where chicken comes from".

It might have taken an hour and a half (understandably), but it was well worth the wait. The freshest chicken I’ve ever had. Amazing meal, beautiful family. One of my favorite days of the trip so far.