Nearly 300km from Da Nang to the north, Quang Binh is the intersection of many cultural flows and features the North Central region, a locality with many ethnic groups, so cultural traditions are quite windy rich and diverse folk cultural treasures. Rarely anywhere in Vietnam concentrates as many advantages in tourism as in Quang Binh. The area is not large, but Quang Binh tourism is endowed with forests, seas, rivers, and many natural landscapes. Many historical and cultural relics and beautiful landscapes such as Ngang Pass, Ly Hoa Pass, the legendary road of Ho Chi Minh; especially World Natural Heritage, Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park with hundreds of caves, Phong Nha Cave, Tien Son Cave, Thien Duong Cave,… with many mysteries, in which, Son Doong Cave is the largest cave in the world.
Table of Contents
General introduction about Quang Binh
Quang Binh (the old names of this area include: Bo Chinh, Tan Binh, Lam Binh, Tien Binh, Tay Binh) is a coastal province in the North Central region of Vietnam. It is located in the narrowest place in the East-West direction of Vietnam’s S-shaped strip of land (50 km along the shortest line from the Laos border to the East Sea). This province borders Ha Tinh to the North with Hoanh Son Mountain Range as the natural boundary; bordering Quang Tri to the South; bordering the East Sea to the East; the west is Kham Muon province and the Southwest is the Savannakhet province of Laos with the Truong Son mountain range as the natural border.
During the Northern colonial period, the area today is Quang Binh with some period belonging to Tuong Lam District, some period belonging to Nhat Nam district. In 192, Quang Binh was located in the territory of Lâm Ấp. In 758, Lam Ap was renamed Chiem Thanh, Quang Binh was located on two continents: Chau Bo Chinh and Chau Dia Ly. This area belonged to Dai Viet after the 1069 Viet Chiem War. Ly Thuong Kiet was the one who identified and laid the first foundation of the complete Quang Binh land in the territory of Dai Viet. During the Trinh-Nguyen conflict, the country was divided at the Gianh River in Quang Binh Province. Dong Hoi became an important outpost of Lord Nguyen to Dong Hoi’s citadel. Presently, Quang Binh has 1 city, 1 town, and 6 district-level administrative units.
Quang Binh Strip is like a beautiful picture, with forests and seas with many beautiful natural landscapes, famous landscapes: Ngang Pass, Ly Hoa Pass, Nhat Le Beach Gate, Da Nhay beach, Hac Hai lagoon Heaven Gate,… and Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park is recognized as World Natural Heritage sites, and are also recognized as a national tourism area of Vietnam. Quang Binh has a long stretch of beautiful beaches with white sand, blue seawater, but due to unclear planning and poor traffic, it has not yet promoted its potential.
In January 2009, Los Angeles Times selected Dong Hoi and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the list of 29 destinations 2009. In 2014, along with Son Doong Cave, Quang Binh was The New York Times. voted as the most attractive destination in Asia. Quang Binh is also voted by many famous newspapers as one of the attractive and cheap destinations.
When should travel to Quang Binh?
Quang Binh is located in the tropical monsoon region and is always affected by the climate of the North and the South. It is divided into two distinct seasons:
- The rainy season is from September to March of the following year, of which the most rain is from September-11.
- The dry season is from April to August, with the highest temperature months from June, July, and August.
Advice: The best time to go to Quang Binh is around April-May, this time it doesn’t rain too much, but it is not too hot. If you like water activities, you can go completely around June to July. The hot weather with high temperatures at this time and struggling in the cool water will be great.
The end of the year from September to November is usually the time when the storm begins to gradually move into the Central of Vietnam. If you travel to Quang Binh at this time, you should pay attention to the weather forecast to ensure safety.
Guide to Quang Binh
By Private vehicles
For those who want to cross Vietnam, the personal means are relatively suitable. About 500km from Hanoi and about 1200km from Saigon, Quang Binh will always be a great choice in your long journey. From where you start, you just need to follow Highway 1A to move. If you run from Hanoi, it will take 2 days and you can be in Quang Binh. Whereas it will take longer depending on the number of stops on the itinerary that you choose if starting from Saigon.
By Public transport
By plane
Currently, if you want to go to Quang Binh by plane, you can travel from one of the three cities: Hanoi, Saigon, and Hai Phong. From Hanoi, there are daily flights to Dong Hoi of Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet. From Saigon, flights of Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar, and Vietjet will take you to Dong Hoi after about 90 minutes of flight. From Hai Phong, only Jetstar with 3 flights a week between two directions Hai Phong – Dong Hoi (currently suspended from October 2017).
By Train
Quang Binh Railway Traffic has a North-South railway running through the province for a total of 174.5 km (the longest in the country) with 19 stations of which Dong Hoi station is one of the 8 main stations of the country and Dong Le station has Thong Nhat train stops to pick up and drop off passengers.
From Hanoi and Saigon to Dong Hoi, there are currently Thong Nhat North-South trains. The trains to Da Nang run through with many time options for you to decide. If you want to board the train at night and arrive in Dong Hoi in the morning, you can choose the SE3 train from Hanoi at 19:30 and arrive in Dong Hoi at 5:20 pm. Or the SE19 train from Hanoi at 20:10, and arrive at Dong Hoi at 6:00. The most reasonable is the 6 am (SE7) trip will arrive in Dong Hoi at about 16:30, just matching hotel check-in time. For the afternoon from Saigon, you can choose the SE6 train from Saigon at 9:00 and arrive in Dong Hoi at 8:27, the SE12 train from Saigon at 7:55, and Dong Hoi at 9:26.
By road
Quang Binh is a traffic hub, located in the middle and narrowest place of Vietnam with a distance of less than 50 km from the edge of the East Sea to the Vietnam-Laos border. Road traffic has Highway 1A 122 km long, Ho Chi Minh Road East branch 200 km long and West branch 197 km long, Highway 12A, Highway 12C, National Highway 9B, National Highway 15A. Currently, to go to Quang Binh by sleeper bus, you can choose several operators with direct routes to Dong Hoi, or use open bus routes running through some other tourist destinations along the central region of Vietnam and stopped at Quang Binh.
Travel in Quang Binh
By Motorcycle
The most comfortable means of traveling in Quang Binh is probably a motorbike. if you do not mind the sunshine of the Central region, a motorbike is the most mobile means for you to move around Dong Hoi. Let’s take a chance to explore places tourism and food in Dong Hoi in your own way. With more remote locations such as Suoi Moc, Phong Nha Cave,… you can use public transport or book a short tour, riding a motorbike to such remote locations is probably not very suitable.
By Electric Car
In Dong Hoi, there is currently a tram service to take guests around the city quite well. With the price of about 200,000 VND-250,000 VND. If you go few people (2-3 people), the team will take you around the sights in Dong Hoi such as Nhat Le Beach, Nhat Le Bridge, Bao Ninh Beach, Dong Hoi Ancient Citadel, Quang Binh Quan, and Tuong Dai Me Suot. In these locations, the car goes slowly so that you can comfortably take pictures. For those who travel in large groups, families with young children, this type of vehicle are quite reasonable. Trams are usually parked outside hotels along Truong Phap Street, or if your hotel is not available, you can get a phone number from any tram on the road.
By bus
The bus network in Quang Binh is still quite small with only 3 active routes. But in these 3 routes, there is a route running directly from Dong Hoi to Phong Nha Ke Bang so you can travel alone and need cheap transportation. In addition to renting a motorbike, you can also use this bus route to move into the center of the Phong Nha area. Bus route symbol B4 departs from Dong Hoi and stops at Phong Nha, the first one departs at 5:30, the last one at 17:30. In Dong Hoi City, you can catch a car on Truong Phap, Nguyen Du, or Nhat Le 1 Bridge.
By Taxi
For families with young children, the elderly, or unable to travel by motorbike, the means of transport while traveling in Dong Hoi City and tourist attractions in Quang Binh may be taxis. Some taxi companies currently operating in Quang Binh are as follows:
- Mai Linh Taxi 0232 3858585
- Taxi Dong Hoi 0232 3841841
- Taxi Xuyen Viet 0232 3848484
- Taxi Quang Binh 0232 3676767
- Taxi Tien Sa 0232 3797979
Car rental Dong Hoi – Phong Nha
From the center of Dong Hoi City to Phong Nha is about 40km, for those who cannot ride motorbikes and buses, especially families with young children and quite a lot of stuff. Renting a 4-seater bus from Dong Hoi to Phong Nha will probably be the most optimal option. The price of a 4-seater car rental Dong Hoi – Phong Nha has many levels, take a watch taxi for more than 500,000 VND, or rent a private car from travel companies at about 600,000 VND – 900,000 VND. If the price can be agreed with a driver, some taxi prices are only about 400,000 VND for one way.
Staying in Quang Binh
In recent years, along with the growth of tourism in Quang Binh, accommodation facilities in the province are increasingly focusing on construction, especially the system of private hotels, besides are some homestay and farm stay (mainly concentrated in the Phong Nha area).
Hotel / Resort
Currently, Quang Binh has nearly 300 accommodation establishments, including 1 hotel with 5-star standard, 2 4-star hotels, 3 3-star hotels, 22 2-star hotels, and 28 hotels with 1 star. Along with that is a lot of hotels that are not rated but are always ready to serve tourists. The majority of these hotels are concentrated in Dong Hoi City, where most visitors arrive first when they arrive in Quang Binh.
Hostel
The majority of the accommodation in Quang Binh is the budget motels. There are a lot of cheap motels spread out and scattered throughout the province. These motels are often invested in a business by households, the scale may not be as large as some hotels, but can also fully meet the basic requirements that any visitor needs.
Homestay
In developed tourist areas such as Phong Nha or Dong Hoi City, homestays establishments are growing rapidly, adapting to the needs of individual customers, “backpackers”,… If you want a cheap trip, especially with a small number of people, choosing a homestay is one of the most suitable options.
Tourist attractions in Quang Binh
Quang Binh is a locality with many advantages, potentials and rich in tourism development resources leading in Vietnam, especially Quang Binh own a World Natural Heritage, Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. It is the “Kingdom of the cave” with a system of more than 300 large and small caves with the world’s leading value. Besides, Quang Binh has a coastline of 116 km with many beautiful beaches and many unique seafood dishes along with historical relics, typical cultural heritages, friendly and hardworking Quang Binh people, and hospitable.
Dong Hoi City area
Nhat Le Bridge
The bridge connects Dong Hoi City Center with Bao Ninh Peninsula on the other side. Although the bridge is nothing special, it is the joy of the people of Dong Hoi once because the difficulty of traveling between the banks of the Nhat Le River has been eliminated.
Nhat Le Beach
Located in the heart of Dong Hoi City, Nhat Le Beach is a picture of a fairy with the most romantic lyrical beauty among the long stretches of coastline in Quang Binh Province.
Nhat Le Beach is bestowed with white sand and clear blue sea water, still unspoiled. Nhat Le Beach has long been famous for its cloudy sky, windy, and salty sea air. Nhat Le Beach stretches a white sand color, when the weather is cool, the beach is clean as a new mattress, smooth and iridescent sand can comfortably ride a bicycle or play soccer.
Bao Ninh Beach
Bao Ninh Beach is located on a peninsula commune located in the east of Dong Hoi City, connected to Dong Hoi city by the beautiful Nhat Le Bridge. The East borders on the East Sea, the West borders Nhat Le River, the North borders Nhat Le estuary, the South runs directly to Quang Ninh.
In the journey to discover Dong Hoi, visitors will be fascinated by the quiet, peaceful space of the wild, gentle sky on Bao Ninh Beach, stretching along the Nhat Le River in a peaceful setting. the fairy is in deep sleep. You will be immersed in the open nature, indulging in the tranquility of the wind and waves, the green coconut palms lying close to the small houses of Bao Ninh fishing village, watching the children play. On the beach, every afternoon or walking around the sea in the early morning, watching the dawn, fleets of fishermen come ashore after a long night of fishing.
Quang Binh Quan
Quang Binh Quan is a language gate on the North-South natural street (Ha street) belonging to the Master rampart system, dating back to the time of the Trinh Nguyen conflict, in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province. The Masters (King Thieu Tri of the Nguyen Dynasty passed through this majestic Master Lords system, admiring the merits of the ancestors who maintained the Southern realm, and gave this fortress the new name “The Great North of the North”). The ancient citadel built by Lord Nguyen in 1631 was an important defense line in the Trinh Nguyen War, Quang Binh Quan has now been restored.
Quang Binh Quan (also known as Ha Gate) is an ancient architectural work. Due to changes in history and time, Quang Binh Quan has been severely damaged. In 1961, restored and remodeled almost original. By 1965, it was almost destroyed by the American bomb. Currently, Quang Binh Quan has been restored to its original state. Visitors going North to South, passing through Quang Binh province will admire Quang Binh Quan, an architectural relic of historical and artistic value, has entered poetry.
Ancient Citadel of Dong Hoi
Dong Hoi Citadel was constructed from the 16th year of Gia Long (1812) in the land (Nguyen Anh officially entered Phu Xuan citadel on June 15, 1802, to be crowned emperor with the reign of Gia Long). The citadel was built on the old land of Lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen to build Tran Ninh fortress (Dao Duy Tu rampart 1631) and Dong Hai post-1774. Eight years after Gia Long’s death, Minh Mang took the throne, he asked a doctor French mandarins to redesign the Dong Hoi citadel and rebuilt with bricks (1824) in the style of ice, military ramparts, the citadel with beautiful architecture, the shape of a star fruit zone, 4 large zones, 4 small zones, 4 small zones in the direction. Southwest – Northeast, and Northwest – Southeast. Circumference becomes 465 staff (1,860m), high 1 staff (4m). The wall is 1m35 wide, the wall is 2m thick. The main face of the citadel turns to the west. The citadel has 3 large gates, North – South – East, with 8 roofs on the gate. The gate of the citadel built in the style of three-way-way out by a brick bridge also built a lovely arch.
Outside the citadel, about 5 – 6m away from the sincerity is a 7-meter-wide (28m) moat, now remaining about 15-20m. The inner surface of the embankment was added with a thickness of 3 staff (12m). Most of this sub-soil has been flattened, leaving very few traces. Wall made of bricks, mortar with molasses mixed with sand (not plastered). Brick with high calcination, big brick (mallet brick) has two types: 0.3m x 0.3m x 0.06m and 0.28 x 0.14 x 0.06. The pods are gazebo and are direct headquarters when fights take place. In 1842, Thieu Tri was enthroned for two years, he went to the North of Dong Hai patrol and ordered the Minister of Public Affairs and the local militia to repair the old citadel and strongholds to be stronger.
The Eastern Citadel, 3 gates, and two south-north bridges were completely collapsed due to the war, the eastern bridge remained but not as intact as it was originally. This Citadel is still 1,087m with 15 sections of star-shaped teeth. The remaining two-thirds of the southern citadel remains relatively intact.
Tượng Đài Mẹ Suốt
During the war, Mẹ Suốt rowed a boat that took the soldiers across the river and also served as a communication line between Dong Hoi and Bao Ninh. On October 11, 1968, She died. In 1980, to commemorate the merits of the heroic mother of the hometown, Quang Binh built the monument to Mẹ Suốt, located in the center of the wharf.
Quang Binh Museum
Quang Binh Museum has a total area of 2,500 m², of which the 3-story gallery with an area of 2,000 m is a place to display more than 15,000 pictures and artifacts related to Quang Binh culture of many periods including stone, drums, bronze, weapons, bronze wares, ceramic statues,… Here you can learn a lot more interesting things about the land and people of Quang Binh.
Bau Tro
Bau Tro is the name of a freshwater lake located among the coastal dunes, northeast of Dong Hoi City. This place since ancient times, primitive people have resided around the lake. Traces of the ancients have sunk in the sand. Today, Bau Troi is being strictly protected because it is not only an archaeological site, a famous landscape but also a source of water for a rich population.
Tam Toa Church
Tam Toa Church is a Catholic church located on Nguyen Du street, Dong My ward, Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh Province, Tam Toa, Nguon Son District, Vinh Diocese. (From 2005 onwards, Tam Toa belongs to Hue Archdiocese) Built in 1886 with Portuguese architectural style, this was once considered to be one of the most beautiful churches in Vietnam, although today it is They are only ruins since they were mostly destroyed in the war.
Quang Phu Sand Dunes
About 8km from the city center, Quang Phu sandhill has the wild and majestic beauty of several tens of meters high dunes. Dunes are located close to the coast and are suitable for many recreational activities on the sand.
Bo Trach
Phong Nha National Park Area
The Phong Nha area is probably the reason that most tourists come to Quang Binh. With the system of underground caves always at the top of the world in many criteria, this will be a destination that can impress any visitor.
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Phong Nha Cave
Of all the caves of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Phong Nha is the most convenient cave for tourists to visit. After a 30-minute cruise on the Son River, tourists will be taken to the Phong Nha cave entrance. With a length of nearly 8 km, Phong Nha is one of the longest water caves in the world, this is also the cave with the only underground river in Vietnam being exploited for tourism.
Tien Son Cave
Tien Son Cave or Dry Cave is a famous beautiful cave in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang area. The entrance to Tien Son cave is about 1,000 m from Phong Nha cave entrance, about 200 meters above sea level. Tien Son cave is 980 m long. From the cave entrance to about 400 m there is a pool about 10 m deep, and then the underground rock cave continues nearly 500 m long, quite dangerous so visitors are not allowed to come to this area but only visit the distance. 400 m from the entrance of the cave. This cave was discovered in 1935, at first, residents called this cave Tien, due to its mystical beauty. Later, Tien Son Cave was called Dry Cave, to distinguish it from Phong Nha cave as a water cave. Tien Son Cave is a place where there are majestic stalactites and stalagmites like in Phong Nha cave, but with its own characteristic, the sounds emanating from the stone slabs and stone pillars when knocked resound like gongs and gongs. drumbeat. According to scientists from the Royal British Cave Association, Tien Son Cave has formed tens of millions of years ago, when a stream of water flowed through the hollowed mountain, eroding Ke Bang limestone mountain. Then, due to the geological tectonics of this mountain mass was either raised or lowered, the rocks collapsed, blocking the flow to create the Tien Son cave above. The part with an underground river flowing through creates Phong Nha Cave. Although Phong Nha cave and Tien Son cave are adjacent to each other, the cave is not connected.
Paradise Cave (Thien Duong Cave)
Thien Duong Cave was discovered in 2005 by the Royal British Cave Association and determined that this cave has a total length of 31 km. Due to the beauty of the cave, they named this cave Paradise. Thien Duong is considered to be a bigger and longer cave than Phong Nha cave. This is a dry cave with no underground river flowing through like Phong Nha Cave. In Thien Duong Cave, there are many magical stalactites and stalagmites. Most of the earthquake foundation is flexible, quite flat, so it is convenient for sightseeing and exploration. While the summer temperature outside is 36-37 ° C, the temperature in Paradise Cave is always 20-21 ° C.
Mooc Spring
Located in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, the Mooc Spring eco-tourism route is an impressive tour of the newly discovered area. This ecotourism route passes through a dense forest of limestone forests, along the tiny streams of Mooc Stream and the Chay River. Guests can relax and enjoy relaxing moments while immersing themselves in the wonderfully cool water of the stream, trying out water games, or kayaking with friends.
Tickets to the springs of Mooc have 2 types of 80,000 VND and 180,000 VND. With tickets of 80,000 VND, you can only enter the Ghenh Chup area. This area is not invested in any entertainment infrastructure and it takes money to rent firecrackers, resting places. The ticket is 180,000 VND to go to the Ghenh Meo area, this is the area you still see in the photo with a natural swimming pool (6m deep), suspension bridge for jumping, kayaking to paddle. However, the number of boats is quite small, only about 10 and their management does not have any responsibility for you to enter but do not have boats to play with. The team that is quick and fast, the team has a boat, the team that comes after the boat does not have to sit and watch or jump on the suspension bridge to swim.
Chay River – Dark Cave
The Chay River – Toi Cave eco-tourism area has been put into operation by Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park since 2011. The form of tourism combined with yachts to explore the nature of the river and visit mysterious caves makes visitors feel lost in the wilderness amidst the beauty of the natural world.
Chay River originates from the same limestone mountains in the ancient limestone mountains in Phong Nha – Ke Bang, with a length of about 10km. The journey to explore the Chay River – Dark Cave tour usually starts from the pier at the Tro Muong ranger station (Phuc Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province).
After rowing the boat to explore the Chay River in the blazing summer sun, visitors will feel a change in temperature as the boat approaches the entrance of the Dark cave. This Cave is a branch of the Phong Nha cave system, surveyed by explorers of the Royal British Cave Association in 1990 and 1992. Like many caves in the Phong Nha – Ke Bang area, the cave Evening is both a water cave and a dry cave with a total length of 5,258 meters and a height of 80 meters.
Song Chay – Hang Dark tourist area has many games and is much more spacious than Suoi Nuoc Mooc, kayaking, zipline, swimming on the river, mud bath, and exploring Dark Cave. The package admission ticket is 450,000 VND.
OZO Park
Ozo Park with a system of adventure games in Phong Nha – Ke Bang area. This is one of the parks in the forest that has enough tree games for visitors to challenge such as aerial rope climbing, walking in circles, walking on horizontal wooden bars, spiderman,… There is also a 250m long zipline ride,… games that require health and courage.
Son Doong cave
Son Doong cave in Tan Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province, Vietnam is considered the largest natural cave in the world. This cave is located in the Phong Nha – Ke Bang cave complex. Son Doong Cave is part of an underground system connecting more than 150 other caves in Vietnam near the border with Laos. The cave was discovered by a Quang Binh resident, Ho Khanh in the 90s, but it was not until about 2009 when the Hoang Gia Anh Cave Association returned to explore that Ho Khanh and cave experts officially found it. see and announce Son Doong cave.
Currently, to participate in exploring Son Do you need to join the tour through Oxalis company with a cost of $ 3000 with guaranteed fitness, there is no way for you to go to Son Doong by yourself.
Rao Thuong Hang En
Rao Thuong, also known as the Doong stream, originates from the top of U Bo mountain and some small streams in the Truong Son range. This stream is not deep and has many alluvial grounds. The spring water is cool and very clear, allowing visitors to observe the swarm of fish swimming. The two sides of the stream are limestone mountains interwoven with thin forests stretching out to the eye. Tourists go along the Rao Thuong stream until they meet the diving waters of the stream (the position where when the stream flows here, it suddenly falls to the ground and does not see any more flow) to reach En Cave.
The cave is named En because many swallows are living here. Hang En has become familiar to the indigenous people for a long time because it was the residence of the Arem people thousands of years ago. In the past, when the Arem people were still living in En Cave. Every year, during the swallowing season, the Arem people often climbed up the cliffs and ceiling of the cave to catch young swallows for food. Now, although the Arem people have moved to settle near 20 Quyet Thang Street, on the full moon day of the lunar year, they return to En cave to hold a swallow festival to give thanks to the forest god and mountain god.
Da Nhay Beach
The rocks here are scattered on the shore, during the four seasons playing with silver waves. Looking down from above, Da Nhay beach looks like a unique natural picture with many interesting shapes of rocky mountains. The big rock looks like a lying buffalo, an elephant is dressed, and the small rocks look like a toad jumping on the waves. Depending on the rise and fall of the water seasonally, visitors coming here will surely be surprised with the color change of each stone.
The sea at Da Nhay is also amazing. Flat beach, clear water, and smooth white sand. In the summer, visitors can cool off and feel the wind blowing from the sea. When winter comes, just walking on the flat sand and listening to the waves crashing against the cliffs is enough to make the traveler flutter.
Le Thuy
Bang Hot Spring
Located about 60 km south of Dong Hoi city, in Kim Thuy commune, Bang’s natural hot mineral spring is the only source of mineral water in Vietnam with a boiling point at the vent that reaches 105°C. With many rare and precious trace elements, Bang mineral water is refined to become a prestigious beverage in the market. In addition, the Bang mineral water mine area is an ideal location that is being invested and built into an eco-tourism and nursing and treatment area.
General Vo Nguyen Giap’s house
General Vo Nguyen Giap lived in this house until he was 13 years old and entered Quoc Hoc School in Hue, where his revolutionary career later began. The old house was built in the early 20th century but was destroyed during the war. In 1977, the Memorial House was restored right on the ground of the old house according to the original typical architecture of houses in Le Thuy village from the past with three compartments, two tiled roofs, and roofed porches. with palm leaves, door panels.
Tomb of Nguyen Huu Canh
Tomb of Thanh Mau Nguyen Huu Canh is located on a wide hill of An Ma mountain range, in Truong Thuy commune, Le Thuy district; 25km south of Le Thuy district center. With the consent of Lord Nguyen, Nguyen Huu Canh organized the largest migration in history, bringing people from Bo Chinh (Quang Binh), Quang Tri, Quang Duc, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai (Ngu Quang area) into the kingdom. destroy the wilderness to have the rich South today. Currently, on the grounds of Nguyen Huu Canh’s mausoleum in Quang Binh, there is also a very valuable stele carved in bluestone (marble) with a common design at the end of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Quang Trach
Ngang Pass
Ngang Pass is located on National Highway 1A at the border of Ky Anh town, Ha Tinh, and Quang Trach district, on the Hoanh Son mountain range. On the top of Ngang pass, there is still the “Gate of Heaven” vestige of Hoanh Son Quan gate made of bricks and stones built-in 1833, during the reign of King Minh Mang to control the passage of the pass.
Temple of the Holy Mother Lieu Hanh
Lieu Hanh Holy Mother Temple (also known as Princess Lieu Hanh Temple) is located at the foot of Deo Ngang Mountain (if you come from Ha Tinh, you will see it through the tunnel), the temple face is facing the sea. The temple has been established by people for many generations and has become a place of religious activities for the people of Quang Binh in particular and the people of the country in general.
Dao Yen Pagoda
Vung Chua – Yen island is located at the foot of Hoanh Son mountain range, about 10km southeast of Ngang Pass. From the top of Tho Son, the view towards the sea is a charming landscape of water, a peaceful and generous sea of clouds and sky. Vung Chua is surrounded by three islands, Hon La, Hon Gio, and Hon Nom (Yen Island), so this place is very windy. On stormy days, boats often come here to shelter.
According to the elderly people in Tho Son village, the name of the Temple puddle comes from the peaceful sea here as a “puddle”, hundreds of years ago, there was a very sacred pagoda, but through many mulberry pools now only also the foundation. Yen Island’s original name was Hon Nom, called according to the wind direction. Later, people called Yen Island because many swiftlets were coming here to make their nests. Yen Island is about 10ha wide, about 1km from the shore, wild beauty, like a screen emerging in the middle of the sea.
There are no people on the island, only a few workers from Nha Trang come here to set up camps to exploit oats. Nui Tho connects Su mountain to Dragon’s cape, forming a sturdy bow to the East Sea, shielding the northeast wind; Underfoot is a beach of white and yellow sand, stretching out the headlines, green trees.
After General Vo Nguyen Giap selected Chua puddle – Yen island (Quang Trach, Quang Binh) as the final resting place, this sea area became a place attracting the attention of many tourists when coming to Quang. Jar.
Tomb of General Vo Nguyen Giap
This is the resting place of General Vo Nguyen Giap after his death in 2013. When the General was brought to this area, it was still relatively deserted and deserted. Currently, the road to the General’s tomb has been completely built to serve visitors.
Landscape Duong Bich Village
Canh Duong is a rich coastal commune with a poetic landscape, next to National Highway 1A, about 10km from the grave of General Vo Nguyen Giap with nearly 375 years of establishment and development. This is the land of great people, one of the “famous incense bowls” of ancient Quang Binh.
With the unique product “mural village”, visitors will be amazed at the frescoed road starting from the To To worship temple to the coastal road. Unique 3D murals and paintings are drawn to describe the story of the formation, development, heroic traditions of the resistance war, the idyllic beauties of this rich sea village.
Here, you can also unleash “check-in”, “selfie” in unique 3D pictures, beautiful pictures, scenes that few places have. On the frescoed street, you can visit the old houses, the ancient walls made of coral stones, still with the original green mosses, experience the life of the people in this windy sea village. If you walk alone on the roads in Canh Duong, you feel like you are in a matrix but only going to the sea will you get out of this fascinating maze. And many other attractions await you in the coastal village of Canh Duong, Quang Binh province.
Minh Hoa
Tu Lan Cave
Tu Lan cave system consists of more than 10 caves, some were discovered in 1992, the rest were found recently. In 2016, the film crew from Hollywood chose Tu Lan Valley to shoot some scenes for the blockbuster movie “Kong: Skull Island“. Tu Lan is one of the places you need to book a tour through Oxalis to get here.
Mo Waterfall
Mo Waterfall is located on the Khe Ve stream in Lam Sum Village. The waterfall is about 400 meters from Ho Chi Minh Road, about 15 minutes from the walking path. Mo Waterfall has many floors, 3-5 m high, creating white silk bands. At the foot of the waterfall are lakes, including the largest lake Troc Voi. This lake is associated with the event told by the elders in Hoa Hop that on the way to Hoa Son to build the resistance capital, King Ham Nghi and his entourage passed Thac Mo. An elephant got his leg stuck in the rock, people dig holes to try to save the elephant but failed, only the dug hole remains and expands over time.
Cha Lo – Heaven’s Gate
Cha Lo – Heaven Gate historical site is located in Dan Hoa commune. This is a historical and cultural relic site located in the Ho Chi Minh trail system. Cha Lo – Heaven’s Gate with the legend of Y Leng and Thong Ma (Kua and May people) who fell in love passionately but failed to make love and as a result, “Heaven’s Gate” appeared, named for the villagers. Two natural rock formations lie on one side of a cliff, and the other side is an abyss full of thorns and cat ears.
Cha Lo Border Gate
Cha Lo Border Gate is an international border gate in the system of Vietnam – Laos border gates, located in Minh Hoa district, respectively, on the Lao side, there is Naphao border gate in Kham Muon province.
Quang Ninh
Than Dinh Mountain
From Dong Hoi city, follow Ho Chi Minh road (east branch) to the south about 20km to An Ninh commune, turn right and follow the asphalt road for about 8km, visitors will reach the foot of Than Dinh mountain. The mountain is shaped like a large straw dune, but the top is relatively flat. To reach the top of the mountain, visitors have to pass more than 1,200 stone steps with luxuriant trees growing on both sides of the road. The higher you go, the cooler and fresher the air. Climbing about two-thirds of the way, visitors will come to a large cave called Hang Pagoda. In front of the cave, to the left is the Bell cave, to the right is the Drum cave because the stalactites in the cave droop down, sound like bells and drums when knocked. The entrance of Hang Pagoda is narrow, you have to bend over to enter. Inside the cave, there are stone slabs shaped like tables and chairs, and above there are many small stones in the shape of Buddha and fairies. From the ceiling of the cave, there are countless stalactites of all shapes and sizes that look very spectacular. Continuing to climb about 300 stone steps along the mountainside, visitors will encounter Tien well with full, clear, and sweet water. Up to the top of Than Dinh mountain located at an altitude of 405m above sea level, visitors will see Kim Phong pagoda (Nonpagoda).
Khe Nước Lạnh
The cold water slot flows through Ngan Thuy commune (Le Thuy) and Truong Xuan commune (Quang Ninh) with amazing wild beauty, amidst thousands of primeval forests, fresh air, and clear blue water flowing through. Through the rock crevices, creating an unforgettable impression with visitors. Here, it will be invested to build ecological bungalows with swimming pools, tree-houses, hill-houses, restaurants, various types of water games (kayak, rafting, high wire, and zipline, and river bath), overnight campsite,…
Delicious food in Quang Binh
Quang Binh Seafood
As a coastal province, Quang Binh is also a relatively large fishing area. Visitors to Quang Binh in addition to traditional dishes can enjoy seafood right at restaurants and coastal eateries Nhat Le or Bao Ninh.
Bánh Bột Lộc Quang Binh
Compared with Bánh Bột Lộc of Hue or other localities, Quang Binh Bánh Bột Lộc makes its own mark because of the diversity in processing. It also includes cake powder shell, shrimp paste, meat, wood ear, but people create many different ways of enjoying and strangely enough, each way has its own enjoyment. If the banana leaf cake dough keeps the freshness of the banana leaves plus the chewy of the dough, the sweetness of the shrimp because the fat of the wood ear is mixed with the fat, then the cake is fried through a pan of boiling oil will steam again led by crispy aroma, stimulating the taste buds. In addition, customers can enjoy this cake which is only boiled quickly through the boiling water, sprinkled with fish sauce, spring onions, green cilantro, dried onions, and add slices of bright red chili, to be able to immerse in the “chorus” stimulates the taste buds by salty, sweet, sour, spicy,…
It also takes time when it comes to fish sauce and flour cake when it seems that each kind of cake favors its own recipe, not all housewives are sophisticated. With banana leaf Bột Lộc cake, which is a slightly sweet fish sauce, not harsh, keeping the taste of the tongue, the fried filter cake is light salty, sweet, combined with spicy chili powder, and Bánh Bột Lộc is simply simple. the mix between the sourness of lemon, the salty of fish sauce, the sweetness of sugar, and a little bit of seasoning is unique to the owner.
So when entering Quang Binh, the old-fashioned cakes are like wearing “new clothes”, processed so that they are in harmony with the local people and more importantly, keep the soul and remains of the people who make them.
Bánh Bèo Tôm Cháy
Hue is famous for its Banh Beo, Quang Binh has a dish of water fern, which is arranged on a plate in smooth white circles, wiped on a bit of onion fat, shrimp lice, and crispy pork skin. The cake dough is soft and smooth but still has a certain toughness, the shrimp are carefully selected, the fish sauce bowl is mixed with just enough salt, the spicy chili lingers on the tip of the tongue when just tasted.
Bánh Cuốn Ruốc Tôm
Quang Binh Rolls are not like Hanoi Rolls. It is also rice flour that is coated with no fillings, and sprinkled on a plate is shrimp paste. The rolled cake is rolled into rice paper with chili, sliced cucumbers, sliced fig, herbs, and dipped with broth.
Nem Lụi Nướng Sả
This is the favorite food of Dong Hoi people. The ingredients for this spring roll are quite simple, including pureed pork with skin and pork fat. Mix well the mixture of meat and spices including seasoning seeds, pepper powder, minced onions, garlic, then skillfully cover the prepared meat around the sticks made from lemongrass stalks so that they are evenly round.
The owner of the restaurant will bring the stick to the charcoal stove to bake, until the meat turns a light yellow color, giving off a sweet aroma that can be invited to guests.
Delicious or bad spring rolls depend a lot on the sauce. Unlike the usual dipping sauce, the sauce has its own secret, usually, a thick mixture made from peanuts, meat, and pureed liver with a characteristic brown color and a very rich flavor. Food with spring rolls includes raw vegetables, cucumber, banana,… sandwiched with thin rice paper.
Banh Khoai
Banh Khoai is the best when it is finished and the smoke is still rising. The wedge tastes very well. You will feel the warmth mixed with the aroma of the cake, the coolness of raw vegetables, the greasy taste of shrimp, the meat, and the rich flavor of the dipping sauce.
Ốc Chiên
Roasted snail is a strange way to cook even for those who love to eat snails. Coming to Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province, you should not miss this unique snack. The suggested address is Aunt Thai Fried Snail, the first place to create a famous recipe that some restaurants later put on the menu.
There are two types of snail in the restaurant, namely snail and spiral, and are often distinguished by customers as a big snail and a small snail. However, the snail is more expensive. The snails are boiled and then bring the tilapia to the hot oil pan, wait for the snails to start to infuse spices, then drop coconut, pineapple, chili, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves on top, stir well until the whole snail has. beautiful golden color. Snail cooked evenly inside, biting into the snail meat feels lumpy, the taste is very rich thanks to the snail’s tail is pre-marinated and cooked.
Lẩu Cá Khoai
Cá Khoa Hotpot is the number one specialty of Quang Binh province and has conquered fastidious diners. Cá Khoai to cook hot pot must definitely be the freshest fish, thickest meat. The fish are cleaned in the intestines, head removed, and the tail can be left whole or cut into pieces as desired, then seasoned with a little seasoning such as salt, pepper, or chili, and the compressed tree is chopped. Cá Khoa Hotpot broth has common ingredients such as tomatoes, tamarind juice, star fruit juice, sauerkraut, bamboo shoots, mushrooms,… When the hotpot water is boiled, then dip the fish in until it is ripe, take it out immediately, enjoy while remaining hot so that the sweetness of the fish is intact and the meat of the fish is not crushed or fishy.
Cháo Canh
The dish may sound like porridge at first glance, but this is how the Quang Binh people order powdered rice cake soup or rice flour. Cháo Canh has a yellowish broth, which is a combination of fish, shrimp, and lean meat. Snakehead fish after boiling will be peeled meat, stir-fried, seasoned with spices, and then put in a pot of boiling soup to make it bold. Shredded broccoli is also served to reduce the sensation. Soup porridge shops are found throughout Quang Binh, from markets, sidewalk shops to restaurants.
Bánh Canh Chả Cá
You may have enjoyed Bánh Canh Ghẹ, Bánh Canh Cua, Bánh Canh Sườn,… in many places, but not everywhere. Therefore, do not miss the opportunity to visit the street near Dong Phu market when visiting Dong Hoi city and inquire about the simple morning porridge shop with this specialty. This freshwater fish is crushed with rich, indispensable spices, squeezed into pieces to taste, put into a bowl of bone broth, each long strand of bread blends into the waves, looking very stimulating.
Chắt Chắt Bánh Tráng
Chắt Chắt Bánh Tráng is a type of mussel in an estuary. This dish is made and enjoyed similar to Hue’s rice paper mussel. That is the deep-fried meat on a pan, seasoning with spices, scallions, sprinkled with little herbs on top. When eating, using rice paper to scoop, it is simple but delicious. Chắt Chắt Bánh Tráng is also fried with young jackfruit leaves, which are variations of this folk dish.
Bánh Mì Kẹp Bột Lộc
In Quang Binh, a unique dish is Bánh Mì Kẹp Bột Lộc. The powdered pellets of shrimp and green bean paste were quickly put into the bread by the owner and filled with spicy sauce. This dish is bought by many curious visitors when coming to Dong Hoi market. The Bột Lộcdough is moderately tough, the shrimp are rich, the green bean paste is soft and sweet, creating a rustic but attractive dish.
Cháo Hàu
Oyster porridge was previously most famous in the area of Luong Ninh, Quan O with an oyster flavor that is said to be sweeter and meatier than elsewhere. This dish is prepared quite simply with a pot of white porridge pre-cooked. Fresh oysters will be taken out meat, washed and marinated, and put in a pot of prepared porridge. When ladle porridge into a bowl, sprinkle with a little pepper and chopped green onions.
Gỏi Cá Nghéo
If Phu Quoc has herring salad, Quang Binh has a unique crayfish salad. Crossbones are cartilaginous fish, related to the shark. Diagonal fish does not lay eggs but breeds. Lean fish meat, low fat, rough skin. Also because of the rough skin, the fish meat is quite fishy.
Before processing, the skin must be scraped off with hot water to remove the smell. The way of processing squishy fish is also quite diverse. With appetizers, you can make a fish salad. The aroma of raw vegetables adds a little concentration to the fish, making the appetizer unique and more appealing.
Quang Binh specialties bought as gifts
Khoai Deo
Sweet potato is a popular dish, familiar to people in each region, from potatoes that can be processed into many different dishes from popular to luxurious such as baked potatoes, fried potatoes, boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes, cooked potatoes. Tea, sweet potatoes, making jam,… But not everyone knows about it. That is a specialty that only Quang Binh has.
Fresh sweet potatoes, after being bought or harvested, should not be used for immediate processing. They should be allowed to wilt, but not sprout. Because the sprouted potatoes when eaten will be very poisonous. When the potatoes are less fresh, the tubers are no longer bright in color, plump, then washed and boiled.
After that, peel it, slice it thinly, then dry it in the sun so that the potato dries quickly, becomes more flexible, has a darker yellow color, and must be covered by tools. The satisfactory potato must be brown in color, when the sweet potato is eaten, it has a sweet and fragrant taste.
Bánh Gai Le Thuy
Le Thuy has long been known to many tourists for its famous traditional hemp cake. Initially, Le Thuy’s thorn cake was round like a lemon, without leaves wrapped, only used on Tet or at the death anniversary. Nowadays, Bánh Gai has been made all year round, becoming a specialty for tourists to choose as gifts when coming to Le Thuy in particular and Quang Binh in general.
Mè Xừng
For a long time, the traditional sesame candy product Mr. Ky (An Thuy commune, Le Thuy district) has been attached to and become a familiar gift of Le Thuy’s son when he was away from his hometown. Currently, this traditional confectionery product has been inherited by Mr. Tran Trung Kien, a fourth-generation grandson of the family, and has tried his best to bring it to consumers nationwide under the brand name “Sesame Hieu Kien”.
Up to this point, Mr. Ky’s traditional sesame candy product has a life span of 136 years. In addition to Mr. Ky’s traditional sesame confectionery establishment with the Uy Nam brand, there is also now there is a sesame product under the brand Hieu Kien by Tran Trung Kien, the 4th nephew of the Tran Van family who succeeded his father’s profession leave.
Tuyen Hoa Honey
Nature favorably bestows the mountainous region of Western Quang Binh with rare herbs with high nutritional and curative value, such as clay trees, tea trees, flower trees, broccoli,… Thanks Meanwhile, the honey here not only has a characteristic delicious taste, attractive smooth yellow color but also has many uses for human health.
Bao Ninh Fish Sauce
Bao Ninh commune is a coastal commune of Dong Hoi City – Quang Binh with a long tradition of making fish sauce. Bao Ninh people are proud to have many marine specialties. But they are most proud of still the fish sauce from the mackerel.
The pubic is a small finger-like fish, the whole body is a soft, lean muscle. When making fish sauce, just mixing salt only saw water dripping red and pink blood over the fish. This fish sauce is both fragrant and sweet, the color is like premium honey.
Rượu Võ Xá
Vo Xa wine is produced by the traditional methods of Vo Xa village for hundreds of years, from the time of the Nguyen Lord opening up the Southern realm, a delicate combination between the pure water of the White Cat Cave and the village rice. The countryside plus the unique fermentation formula has produced a richly aromatic wine product that no one can compare with.
Quang Binh travel schedule
In this article, Cung Phao suggests you a few itineraries to explore Quang Binh in general and Phong Nha in particular. Depending on where you live, you can choose the train/plane or bed car for the most convenient way. In this article, we recommend going by train because of the right time.
Tour 1: Hanoi – Dong Hoi – Phong Nha – Hanoi
Day 1: Hanoi – Dong Hoi
Depart from Hanoi by train, take the SE7 train at 6 am, arrive at 4:30 pm in Dong Hoi, check in at the hotel.
After checking in, rent a tram to do a round of tourist attractions in Dong Hoi. Each bus runs for more than 1 hour, ends up going back to the hotel to shower, and then eat dinner at night.
Day 2: Dong Hoi – Phong Nha – Paradise Cave – Nuoc Mooc Spring
Depart from Dong Hoi around 8 am, from here to Phong Nha center takes about 1 hour. Come about 9 am to be here. From the center of Phong Nha, follow Route 20 to Tra Ang Bridge, you will see the signpost to Thien Duong Cave, about 30 minutes, so around 9.30 will start to reach the entrance of Thien Duong cave.
Admission ticket to Thien Duong Cave is 250k for 1 person, if you want to reduce more than 1km of walking, you can skip buying tram tickets, otherwise, the round trip tram fare is 100k. From the tram stop, you need to climb about 600m to reach the cave entrance, the gentle slope, and go under the forest canopy, so it does not take too much effort. Average about 30 minutes up to the cave entrance. Thien Duong cave is quite deep, going from the single-circuit shop to the last point quickly takes about 30 minutes, so the total time from the time you start to buy tickets until you return to the entrance will take about 2 hours.
About 11:30 back to the parking lot, continue to move to Suoi Nuoc Mooc (or Song Chay – Hang Toi), these 2 places are only about 3km apart. Lunch here, note that the tourist area does not bring food, so you should only prepare water, beer .. food can be ordered here, the price is also moderate, not very expensive.
You can play here depending on the time, but usually, the time for eating and drinking is about 2-3 hours. Ending back to Phong Nha center to rest. Remember to book a hotel room in Phong Nha first.
Day 3: Discover Phong Nha – Dong Hoi – Hanoi
Get up early to make a cup of coffee and walk to the boat station to Phong Nha and Tien Son. These 2 caves are next to each other, so you can go together Exploring these two caves in the morning is done, after returning to the shore, you check out the hotel, return to Dong Hoi to rest.
From Dong Hoi, you can choose to get on the train or stay to explore a little more, trains from Dong Hoi to Hanoi can be between 15h-16h or around 9 pm.
Tour 2: Discover Phong Nha in 2.5 days
You choose trains from Hanoi and Saigon to be able to be in Dong Hoi City early in the morning is the most beautiful.
Morning departure from Dong Hoi to move to Phong Nha. Going early, you have more time to have fun. If you like to ride a motorbike, you can rent a car from Dong Hoi to bring it, otherwise, you can choose to take a bus to Phong Nha and then rent a motorbike here. There are also many motorbike rental shops in this area.
Day 1: Dong Hoi – Phong Nha Cave – Tien Son Cave – Nuoc Mooc Spring
From Dong Hoi city to Phong Nha, go to the boat station to buy tickets to 2 Phong Nha and Tien Son caves. Phong Nha ticket is 150k, Tien Son is 80k, this 2-point boat costs 400k (if only one of the two points, the boat price is 360k) can carry about a dozen people, if you go few people you can wait for the union (wait how long do not know).
Going to the end of this second stage, it also takes about 2-3 hours, until about noon back to the boat station to rest and eat. Depending on what you want to eat, you can choose the appropriate food.
After eating and resting, go straight to Suoi Nuoc Mooc, this place is fun so we just go swimming for a few hours. It makes sense to bring some beer with light snacks.
Come back to Phong Nha at night to rest, if it is Friday night, you can visit Heritage By Night to listen to Live Music. If it’s a Saturday night, you can visit Easy Tiger which also has live music. But every evening, we should visit Easy Tiger, which is extremely fun.
Day 2: Tam Co Cave – Thien Duong Cave – Dark Cave – Song Chay
The next morning, from Phong Nha, continue to drive a motorbike to go to Road 20, to Tra Ang bridge, there will be a sign to Hang Tam Co, stop here a little bit before then return to follow the signpost to Heaven Cave. Spend about 2-3 hours here, by noon run through Hang To – Song Chay area, swim and play ziplines, the package ticket here is 450k, a bit too much but with that much service is also ok.
Overnight in Phong Nha for 1 more night.
Day 3: Trekking Phong Nha Botanic Garden
Get up early in the morning, go to the botanical garden (Phong Nha Botanic Garden). Here are some interesting trekking stages. You can choose the 2 or 3 route (stage 1 is more than 1km, too short) with about 2-4 hours. If you like, you can always choose to camp in the woods.
Afternoon finishing the journey, check out in Phong Nha and then back to Dong Hoi. From Dong Hoi, train back to Hanoi or Saigon.
Related Article: Traveling experience in Ban Gioc Waterfall that tourist should know
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