Phong Nha-Ke Bang comes to life off screen

12:06 AM |
Travel Vietnam Blog
Travel by boat to visit Phong Nha Cave - Photo by An Bui

In cinema terms, Vietnam is the superstar of Southeast Asia. Endless war movies and the odd love film have beamed images of its beautiful scenery and jungle vistas to television screens and cinemas across the globe.

Before we’d even set foot in the country, my boyfriend and I had very clear expectations about what we would see. Naive as we were, our preconceptions could not have been more wrong …..until we went to Phong Nha-Ke Bang, the national park which borders Laos.

It was there that much of the hand to hand jungle combat made famous in films such as Platoon actually took place. For the first time, the scenery we passed corresponded with all the movies we knew - rivers and jungles and dense vegetation, as well as rice paddies, villages and traditional rural life.

There is much in the area for those that are interested in finding out about the American War and local tour operators run trips to many sites in which key battles took place. Significant sections of the famous Ho Chi Minh trail are located in the park, and it is possible to visit the nearby Vinh Moc tunnels, the Ben Hai River Museum, and the Hien Luong Riverbank where the former demilitarized zone was officially set.

But Phong Nha is more than the sum of its war connections. Due to its biodiversity, unique beauty and geodiversity, the national park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. Hidden in the depths of the mountains is the spectacular Son Doong (the world’s largest cave, discovered in 2005). If that doesn’t satisfy your caveman instincts, pop into Phong Nha cave which contains hundreds of beautiful stalactites and stalagmites as well as the world’s longest underground river.

The trickiest thing about the area is getting there. Be warned: it is remote, but worth the journey, and the cheapest option is a six hour haul by local bus from Danang. Our bus ride entailed an ongoing game of musical chairs while passengers and their luggage (including a motorbike) were shuffled around the available space. We slept at the Phong Nha farmstay, a little utopia with a swimming pool at the end of a rice paddy, and spent happy evenings there meeting other travelers and trying local dishes.

My favorite day was actually the least activity packed – I simply went for a walk with some new friends along the local roads. I’ll forever chuckle over the excitement we caused when we walked past a school – all the children burst through the gate and surrounded us, laughing and demanding to have their photos taken. Their enthusiasm and warm welcome, in the midst of the beautiful national park, is one of my happiest memories from our travels in Vietnam.


By Lorraine Simpson
Source The Saigon Times.vn
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Phong Nha Cave, Quang Binh

8:11 AM |

Travel Vietnam Blog
Phong Nha Cave, Quang Binh - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Phong Nha Cave, Quang Binh - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Phong Nha Cave, Quang Binh - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Phong Nha Cave, Quang Binh - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Phong Nha Cave, Quang Binh - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Phong Nha Cave, Quang Binh - Photo by An Bui


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Luy Thay is jewel of Quang Binh

7:51 AM |
Vietnam Travel Agents
Luy Thay is jewel of Quang Binh

Tourists often come to Dong Hoi District in Quang Binh Province for one reason – the magnificent Luy Thay (Master Rampart) on the Nhat Le River. Due to its commanding presence and interesting past, Luy Thay remains arguably the most important attraction in this part of the country. Its rich history covers over 400 years, including what historians have called the 50-year civil war between Trinh and Nguyen families, the two armies that ruled the north and south of the country between 1558 and 1777.

This huge embankment, 34-kilometer long and consisting of three ramparts, the Truong Duc, Tran Ninh (or Dau Mau) and Truong Sa, was built in 1630 under the rule of Dao Duy Tu (1572-1634), a famous high-ranking mandarin of the Nguyen lords. It took four years to complete the system. Made of layered clay and stones, and six meters high and six meters wide at the bottom, the structure was intended to strengthen the capital defense system.

This structure is one of the biggest rampart works of the feudal dynasties in Vietnam. Wars and farther time have taken their toll, and the impressive defense system that once protected the Nguyen lords’ reign from the attacks of the Trinh lords can now only be seen along the Nhat Le River. The 12-kilometer long Tran Ninh rampart is one of the few vestiges of the Luy Thay.

 Another section can be found in the center of Dong Hoi Town, marked by Quang Binh Quan, one of the three gates built along the Truong Sa rampart. Now on Tran Phu Street, the gate was first strengthened with stones in 1825 by King Minh Mang, the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). It was repaired again in 1961 but was almost completely destroyed by U.S. bombs during the American War.

 In 1994, the Quang Binh Quan section, which is 8.4 meters long and two meters high, was restored and recognized as a national relic. Coming to the rampart, tourists should take a trek to Nhat Le Lighthouse to take in the panoramic view of the Nhat Le River, witnessing the riverside life of locals and fishermen.


 Source SGT
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