We left Hue after spending two nights in the city and got a very long bus north to a small town called Phong Nha. The bus was super uncomfortable which made arriving greatly anticipated. We checked into our hotel for the next 2nights, and met up with a friend for a drink at a nearby hostel called Easy Tiger. This seemed to be the place everyone went to, with the large outdoor seating area, karaoke and free beer between 6-7pm, it’s a no brainer to attract backpackers. Phong Nha was much cooler than previous locations we had visited and we found this was a welcome change. For the first time in months I was wearing leggings and a fleece again. The surrounding area is absolutely beautiful, with a big river and green mountains either side, we were keen to explore the area. The Easy Tiger hostel provided a morning talk for all visitors, regarding the surrounding area’s attractions, activities and how to get about.
The main attractions included caves, boat trips, the duck stop and the national park. We signed up as part of a bigger group of 10, to go on a boat trip which involved visiting two caves. The caves we visited were Phong Nha cave and Tien Son. The boats working on the river providing daily tours, are run by local families who benefit financially from the tourism. A rota system has been implemented which ensures every family in the area get an equal opportunity to provide service for the tourists. After about 30-40mins on the boat, we arrived down river at Phong Nha Cave. During our morning talk we had been informed that during the war in Vietnam, northern Vietnamese forces had used the caves in the area to hide supplies as well as their armies and families. The US forces had found it very difficult to attack these Vietnamese forces because of the secrecy of the cave location and the natural defences the cave provided. However you can still see today orange scorch marks on the outer rock face above the cave, where US rockets supposedly struck. Another reminder of the war here is two large craters formed by shells, which have now been converted into fish farms by the local farmers. This part of Vietnam was the mostly bombed during the period of the war, therefore we were warned not stray from paths or roads, as UXO (unexploded ordnance) was very likely to still be present. The caves themselves were very impressive. Phong Nha cave we entered by boat, disembarked at a small beach and then walked through the network of tunnels towards the exit. The second cave, involved climbing around 400steps to reach the entrance. The viewpoint from the top was well worth the effort. After the cave and boat tour, we headed back towards town and enjoyed some food and drinks back at Easy Tiger with other backpackers we had met.
On our final day in Phong Nha we planned to go to the Duck Stop and to the botanical gardens within the national park. We contemplated renting some motorbikes to visit these sites but instead settled on hiring a driver as it better suited our schedule before getting the night bus later that day. The Duck Stop is a strange place to visit but was incredibly funny. It’s basically a small farm outside of town, were they have around 150 white ducks that tourists can pay to come and see. They don’t eat the ducks but just look after them. The owner of the farm grows peppercorns and sells his produce annually. When we arrived we changed our shoes into jelly sandals and were given traditional Vietnamese hats to wear before entering the duck enclosure. We got to feed the ducks by hand, become the duck leader (you run around the enclosure with the food bowl), receive a foot massage from the ducks and finally make a wish by throwing a duck into the air over a pond. It was a bizarre and hilarious experience. Who knew ducks nibbling for food that had been sprinkled over your feet could be so fun. There was also an opportunity to ride a water buffalo called Donald Trump, but we passed on that offer. After the ducks, we were shown around the farm and then washed off thoroughly before enjoying fresh spring rolls. By the time we drove to the national park to visit the botanical gardens it was mid afternoon. We spent about 2hours walking forest paths and scaling boulders by a waterfall. I even spotted a snake Luke had managed to step right over the top of, though thankfully it was tiny. We headed back to town to catch our bus towards Tam Coc, a town just outside Ninh Binh.
Gone Travelling 
Leave a comment