Day Trip from Phong Nha to Tân Hóa and Tú Làn Caves

70 km west of Phong Nha

Kim Phú from Phong Nha

Can’t get a place on Sơn Đoòng? Tú Làn is the cave adventure next door, and Tân Hóa’s floating houses are the night most visitors skip.

Only in Kim Phú

What Phong Nha doesn't have

Phong Nha has the giant caves and the boardwalks. 70 km further on, over the Đá Đẽo pass, are things you can't do anywhere else in the region:

Sleep in a floating house

In Tân Hóa the houses sit on oil drums and rise with the flood. UN Tourism named it a Best Tourism Village in 2023. You can spend tonight in one.

Swim through a mountain

No boardwalks and no crowds. Wade the Rào Nan, climb into the cave mouth and swim an underground river by headlamp. Visitor numbers are capped each year.

Paddle along a sunken road

In September and October about 2 km of road disappears under the water. The only way into the village is by kayak, right over the tarmac.

Stand on the Kong set

Yên Phú lake is where Kong: Skull Island built its set in 2016. No tickets and no fences, just buffalo and mountains mirrored on the water.

Meet the Rục people

Until 1959 the grandparents of the Rục still lived in rock shelters in the forest. In Yên Hợp you hear how they made fire from stone and drew water from vines.

A dinner gathered from the rocks

Pồi, corn pounded and eaten by hand; snails picked from the limestone after rain; wasp pupae. No restaurant in Phong Nha serves this; only family kitchens here do.

Don't just day-trip. You need a night in a floating house to do all of this.

Ask on WhatsApp See homestays

No border-area permit needed inside the Kim Phú tourism area (Decision 2244/QĐ-UBND, 12 June 2026).Details →

Ways to do it

Day trips or overnight

Day trip

Tú Làn caves in a day

7:00 hotel pickup in Phong Nha (Oxalis)
Wade the Rào Nan, swim an underground river
Lunch in Tân Hóa village, back in Phong Nha by evening

2,000,000 VND (~US$75) per person, Oxalis

Book with Oxalis

Day trip

Rục Mòn cave expedition

Walk through farmland and past Yên Phú lake, where the Kong: Skull Island set stood
Into the cave the Rục people once lived in, with an underground river
1 day, a through-cave route, or 2 days with a night camping in the cave

From 1,850,000 VND (~US$74) per person, Greenland Adventures

Book with Greenland About Rục Mòn →

Recommended

Stay a night in a floating house

Day 1: Tú Làn caves or a walk around Tân Hóa
Dinner with your host family, cooked from what the mountains give: pồi (pounded corn, eaten by hand), snails from the limestone, wasp pupae. Food you will not find in Phong Nha. Book a day ahead. See the dishes →
Night in a floating-house homestay
Day 2: dawn at Yên Phú lake (the Kong: Skull Island set), Rục Mòn cave, or kayaking Hung Tru in the flood season

Homestay ~US$40 per room per night (1–2 guests)

Ask on WhatsApp

Before you go

What people ask

FitnessCave tours involve wading, swimming and climbing ladders. Oxalis runs easier 1-day trips (families with children from 6) and harder multi-day expeditions.
Caves closed?Caves close in September and reopen from October; some routes may close when water is high. Check dates with Oxalis.
EnglishMost homestay hosts speak Vietnamese only. Message us on WhatsApp and we will arrange it for you.
Signal & cashPhone signal is weak in caves and some valleys. Bring cash for homestays and meals.
PermitsNot needed inside the tourism area. Legal basis.

Tân Hóa