Since tourism to the Phong Nha Region in Central Vietnam is still in its early stages of development, you will find that it requires a bit more planning to get here.  I’ve listed some options in order of lowest to highest cost, and also my thoughts on each.  Let me know if you have any questions/comments to add.

Motorbike – So, if you’re up for a real adventure, this is the way to go.  We’ve put this on our ‘To Do’ list for the next time we’re back in Vietnam.  If you’re interested, I found a good blog post with details on how to motorbike Vietnam on the Ho Chi Minh Highway.  Just a note of caution…  We met a few people along the way who were motorbiking across the country, and you’ll need to do some pre-planning with regards to where you will stop to rest for the night.  Because you’ll be visiting rural areas that are undeveloped, you may be turned away as a foreigner.  Also, read up on scams as there are some popular ones being used, at least in the cities.  You can email me for more details.

Bus –

(a) Local Bus – Local buses are cheapest, but are not very nice.  The Dong Hoi bus station is located at 150 Tran Hung Dao (at the intersection of Tran Hung Dao and Nguyen Huu Canh).  Currently, a bus ride between Hue and Son Trach costs 150,000 VND.  You can ask the driver to drop you off at or near your destination.  Just ensure you have it written in Vietnamese.
*Note: Ensure you buy your bus tickets from the ticket office/counter.  If not, you will likely be asked to pay a much higher fee by the driver.  And while you’re being swindled, you’ll likely get yelled at as well.  If you’re uncomfortable, back out and get off the bus.

(b) Minibus between Phong Nha & Hue with Tour – There is a daily bus traveling door-to-door between Hue Backpackers Hostel and Phong Nha Farmstay, which costs 500,000 VND.  This bus passes through the DMZ and makes stops at the Vinh Moc Tunnels & Ben Hai River Museum.  This ride takes 5.5 hours and currently departs Phong Nha Farmstay at 7 AM.

(c) Bus Companies – If you choose this option, please carefully read reviews on whoever you decide on.  There are many companies and it’s not necessarily cheaper.  Here are a few that are popular:  Sinh Cafe Open Tour, Mai Linh, and Boomerang Bus.  At the time of research, there were no terrible reviews against these companies.  There are just a lot of stories about tourists being scammed so I would recommend that you avoid this option if possible.  The trains are just a bit pricier, but at least you know what you’ll be getting.

Train – I think this is the best option whether you are coming from the North or South.  Train travel is reliable, but timing may be off depending on whether or not there are delays.  We departed Hanoi on time and arrived 1 hour late in Dong Hoi.  Our 2 soft sleeper tickets from Hanoi to Dong Hoi cost us 1,680,000 VND.  Depending on your budget, you can choose from hard/soft seats and hard/soft sleepers.  The only difference between a hard and soft sleeper is a 2″ mattress pad.  When you arrive at Dong Hoi Train Station, you can hire a taxi to take you into town, or pre-arrange something with whoever you are staying with.  It is about 50km to Son Trach Village (close to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park), and 35km to Phong Nha Farmstay.

Air – If you are traveling direct to central Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) or Hanoi (HAN), it would be most time-efficient if you flew directly into Dong Hoi (VDH) Airport.  For example, it is only 1 hour 40 min to fly from Hanoi to Dong Hoi.  Currently, Vietnam Airlines operates flights to/from Dong Hoi daily.  And if your timing is right, you can find tickets comparable to soft sleeper train prices.  The airport itself is located 6km north of Dong Hoi.  You can take a taxi into town from here or pre-arrange a pick-up.

Now that you are here, read about what you can do.