Besides the incredible landscape of Halong Bay, the caves here contribute to creating more activities and tourist destinations.
Vietnamdrive selects the top seven beautiful caves in Halong to introduce you to explore while spending time on this bay.
1. Sung Sot Cave
Sung Sot Cave (Surprised Cave) is on Bo Hon Island, in the central area of the World Heritage Site of Ha Long (Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam). This is one of the most beautiful caves in Ha Long Bay, surrounded by many rocky islands with unique shapes that cannot be found anywhere else.
The way to Sung Sot cave is under the forest canopy and craggy stone steps. From the pier, climb about 50 steep stone steps and then go down to the cave entrance with a height of about 25 m.
Sung Sot Cave is about 10,000 m2 wide with thousands of stalagmites and stalactites. Inside the cave is a system of paved paths from the entrance to the exit with a length of more than 500 m.
On both sides of the aisle are low light poles, used as signposts to indicate the way, and decoration and lighting. The lighting system is decorated elegantly, enhancing the beauty of the cave.
In 1993, Sung Sot Cave welcomed the first tourists. The beautiful stalactite columns attract plenty of tourists. On the way to Sung Sot cave, you can see a corner of Ha Long Bay from above.
Today, Sung Sot Cave is a favorite stopover for many domestic and international tourists to visit and explore the cave during the holidays in Halong Bay.
If you want to discover this cave, you can book a daily tour starting for the pier of Ha Long Bay with a 6-hour cruise or overnight tours on the bay with a 2-day or 3-day itinerary.
>> Please see more details on how to visit Sung Sot Cave.
2. Dau Go Cave
Dau Go Cave (Wood Cave) is one of the most beautiful caves in Vietnam, located on Dau Go Island in Ha Long Bay, about 6 km from Bai Chay tourist port.
The entire cave area is about 5,000 m2, and the mouth of the cave is 17 m wide and 12 m high. Dau Go Cave is situated at an altitude of 27 m above sea level, estimated to be more than 2 million years old.
Famous for being an ancient cave over 2 million years old, and Dau Go Cave is known for its wild and mysterious beauty. Besides, it has soaring stone pillars and small stalagmites with various shapes.
The central part of the cave has an arch style like the natural dome of the theater, making the pure sound able to spread and reverberate. That is one of the reasons why, in recent years, on the occasion of the Ha Long Tourism Festival, people hold concerts in the Dau Go Cave, creating a very poetic and monumental scene.
When a show happens in the cave, a wooden stage will be set up for the orchestra, and the space here is enough for about 200 spectators, making Dau Go Cave a unique concert hall in Vietnam. The cave has a natural sound structure, enough to replace a concert hall without the support of an amplification system.
To visit the Dau Go Cave, you can join a 4-hour tour when you stay at hotels in Ha Long City. Many luxury cruise ships organize 2-day or 3-day tours to explore the bay, including a visit to Dau Go Cave, which is very convenient to choose from.
3. Hang Trong and Hang Trinh Nu
Hang Trong and Hang Trinh Nu (Male Cave and Virgin Cave) are two familiar names for domestic and international tourists traveling to Ha Long.
These caves are on the Bo Hon Island, 15km south of Bai Chay. The beauty of this cave is carved with the legendary love story of a romantic couple.
>>> See more of the interesting legends of Halong Bay.
Male Cave and Virgin Cave come together on Ha Long Bay. Coming here, you will see the scenery of attractive stalactite caves formed tens of millions of years ago with enchanting and majestic beauty.
These two caves face each other, about 700-800m apart. However, the positions of the cave entrances of the two caves turn in two different directions.
Entering the virgin cave, right in the center is a stone statue of a girl lying down with long hair. It’s like the image of a girl waiting to look out into the distance for love. Therefore, this place becomes a symbol of eternal love, a place to promise and swear love.
Opposite the Virgin Cave, the Male Cave (or Boy Cave) has a wide entrance. In particular, right in front of the cave is a stone statue of a boy facing the Virgin Cave. Nature endows this cave with a lovely beauty. Inside the cave, on the ceiling, are clusters of silver-white stalactites hanging down.
Coming to the Male Cave, you will see its charm through the light from outside. Listen and feel the unique sounds of the wind blowing into the rocks, bouncing back to the cave walls. All are like the music from the natural drum sound.
4. Luon Cave
Luon Cave is in the Bo Hon mountain area on Ha Long Bay, about 15 km northeast of Tuan Chau International Port of Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province.
People call it Luon Cave because “Luồn” means going under it. Also, the cave is close to the water’s surface, creating an area like a tunnel about 60 m long and 3-4 m high. So, when visiting the cave, the guests have to go under it.
According to Ha Long Bay Management Board, in the Luon cave area, there are about 50 wild golden monkeys living on rocky mountains.
To help tourists visit Luon Cave, the Management Board sets up a service station with 50 bamboo boats and 100 kayaks. On crowded days, this station welcomes about 5,000 visitors.
In particular, when visiting the cave on high tide days, you have to stoop on a bamboo boat going through the cave.
When going through this short cave, a fairy scene opens up. A large space appears and is surrounded by rocky mountains – it looks like a big lake in the sea.
On the cliff is a group of golden monkeys playing, and a few are friendly with tourists. However, be careful with your camera and carry-on bags to avoid these naughty monkeys taking them away.
Luon Cave is on the tourist route where most cruises in Ha Long stop to explore. However, when booking a 2-day or 3-day tour of the bay, you should also ask the agent to ensure the program covers Luon Cave.
5. Thien Cung Cave
On the northern side of Dau Go Island, about 4 km from Tuan Chau International Cruise Port, discovered in 1993, Thien Cung Cave (Heaven Cave) has a system of bright, shimmering, fanciful white stalactites like a magnificent palace of heaven.
After overcoming the craggy cliffs and entering the cave entrance, you will be surprised by the beautiful scenery, like an elaborate art museum created by nature.
Colorful clusters of stalactites, blocks with interesting shapes on the cave walls, such as fairies dancing and singing, and streams of light interspersed with clear four-season water, all create a splendid scene for this unique cave.
In addition to the artificial lights, the cave has natural light streams from above due to open rock positions as skylights, creating beautiful golden light beams. Along with the murmuring sound of the streams flowing from the mountain, these are pleasing to the eyes and ears.
Thien Cung Cave has 3 distinct compartments:
- The first compartment is distinguished by the beauty of natural embossed carvings on the rock surface, creating massive landscape paintings but equally soft and delicate.
- The second part has four large stone pillars and stalactites, simulating all shapes of creatures. They are highlighted under layers of shimmering lights.
- The third part looks like a fairyland when there are sparkling stalactites and a murmuring stream, creating a dreamy sky.
Thien Cung Cave and Dau Go Cave are located on Dau Go Island, so after visiting Thien Cung Cave, do not miss exploring Dau Go Cave right next to each other.
We recommended visiting these caves with a Ha Long tour to have a tour guide and detailed schedule to avoid unnecessary problems.
When entering the cave, you can bring water to prevent thirst and use mosquito repellent if any.
6. Tam Cung Cave
Tam Cung Cave is located in the center of Ha Long Bay, 5km northeast of Sung Sot Cave. The cave has 3 compartments, wriggling through each rock crevice, and many stalactites with beautiful and vivid figures of people, flowers, and animals.
Tam Cung Cave belongs to May Den Island, an island with steep cliffs and lush forests. This cave is almost separate from other islands. Thus, you have to use a boat or a canoe arranged by a travel agent to visit it.
In the three parts of Tam Cung cave, stalactites create various natural shapes like a fairy, a lion, a seal, and a statue of a water god.
Entering the first part, you can listen to strange sounds like the sound of a T’rung or a holy stone instrument. And then, you will suddenly meet a god statue, who is leaning on a climbing stick, his white beard fluttering in the wind.
From the first to the second area on a small way and bumpy steps, this place is like a living natural museum, with many shapes made of stalactite.
Typically, in the center of the second section is a dreamy stream with fresh water all year round. On both sides of the cave are stone curtains hanging from the ceiling, that all seem to be shaking and moving with your steps.
Coming to the inner part, you will see a monumental relief on which carved elaborate shapes, layers by layers, in a balanced and harmonious way. Also, other shapes look like beautiful flowers and bamboo sticks, which decorate more natural stone curtains. Or you can find gentle elephants sleeping.
7. Bo Nau Cave
Bo Nau Cave, also called Pelican Cave in English, is a tourist attraction in Ha Long Bay’s Sightseeing Route 2, about 13km from Tuan Chau port, equivalent to 1 hour and 30 minutes by boat.
According to local fishermen, the cave used to be a place to avoid the cold of the Pelicans (Bồ Nông in Vietnamese) flying from the North, so people often call it Bo Nong Cave and then read it as Bo Nau.
The cave has a relatively large area, divided into two compartments of about 1,000 m2, and 300 m2 wider than Hang Trong Cave. Bo Nau is still pristine because it has not been renovated and exploited much.
The area at the mouth of the cave is a short sandy beach that can only be accessed by kayak or small boat. Also, it is a very wild place, so it is not convenient for tourists to visit. Thus, most cruise ships do not lead guests to this place unless a few overnight cruises.
Stepping into the cave, you will see a stone column forming by stalactites hanging down from the cave ceiling to the ground, making a majestic scene. It is as if the whole cave is supported and maintained by this stone column for thousands of years.
Bo Nau Cave has been one of the earliest well-known caves on Ha Long Bay since the 1950s. You can get a beautiful photo that covers the scene of the Bo Nau cave entrance and stalactites hanging down. In the distance are undulating mountains on the sea surface and the image of sails.
While visiting Halong Bay, you may not miss the attractive caves. Most luxury cruise journeys during a 1-night or 2-night itinerary include one cave or more. You should book one of the cruises to explore the bay and cave.
It’s better to book with a travel company for safety if you intend to visit the cave and spend the night on the bay. Organizing the trip yourself is not recommended.
If you already stay in a hotel or resort in Halong City, you can select a half-day or full-day tour to explore the bay and caves. You need to check carefully to ensure the ticket route includes the cave you want to visit.
