City: Quang Ninh Province
Top Things to do in Quang Ninh Province
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What to do and see in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam: The Best Caverns & Caves
Quảng Ninh (Vietnamese: [kwa᷉ːŋ niŋ] ( listen)) is a province along the northeastern coast of Vietnam. The province is home to Hạ Long Bay, a World Heritage Site. The provincial capital is Hạ Long. Nearly 80% of the province is mountainous with abundant land, forest water and mineral resources. Nearly 90% of coal output in the country is extracted in this province. Hạ Long Bay has 1,969 islands, out of which 989 have been given names. The province covers an area of 6,102.4 square kilometres and as of 2014 it had a population of 1,185,200 people.
Restaurants in Quang Ninh Province
1. Sung Sot Cave
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,815 reviews
Situated in the centre of the UNESCO-declared World Heritage area, the Sung Sôt or Surprise Grotto is on Bo Hòn Island, and is one of the finest and widest grottoes of Ha Long Bay.Ascending to the grotto, the way is covered by trees and foliage, and consists of great paved stone blocks.Inside, it is partitioned into two chambers; the first one being similar to a wide theatre hall. Many stalactites hang from the high ceiling, with numerous possible forms and shapes.
Reviewed By livingtheqlife - Colorado Springs, United States
Of the many fascinating places that we visited during our Halong Bay tour, seeing Sung Sot or Surprise Cave was certainly unique. There are many caves throughout the region, although most of the other ones that we visited were on the water. Surprise Cave is completely different as it is more of what we would consider to be a cavern with large ceilings, stalagmites, and stalactites. It is another very popular location, so the earlier in the day that you can arrive, the better off you will be. From our cruise ship, we took a small boat to the docks at Bo Hon Island where Sung Sot Cave is located. In order to get to the entrance of the cave, you must climb the approximately 50 stairs that rise high above the bay. The walls of the mountain is covered in plants and trees, but even so the entrance of the cave is visible from the docks below. Before you enter the mouth of the cave, you are rewarded with wonderful views of the bay below and all of the other ships that are there to visit the island. As you start to explore Surprise Cave, the first chamber that you enter is known as the “Waiting Room” with multicolored lights and a variety of stalagmites and stalactites. It is probably known as the waiting room because that is exactly what it is as different tour groups wait for their turn to enter the narrow passageway that takes you to the second chamber. The ceiling of the cave has unique, swirling patterns from the water that created the large caverns hundreds of years earlier. It is an opportunity for your tour guide to give a brief history of the cave and to get an appreciation of the beautiful rock formations. The second chamber, called the “Serene Castle”, is even larger and more impressive. There is a path that leads you around the various different formations, many of which that have been given different names because of things that they resemble. The most popular is one that looks like a turtle, which is a revered symbol, so people leave offerings as a blessing in order to receive long life. As you finally make your way out of Sung Sot Cave’s exit, you are once again greeted with wonderful views of Halong Bay. We visited Bo Hon Island on the final day of our Halong Bay tour and it only took us about two hours to walk through the interior of Surprise Cave. With the amazing geological features, it is certainly worth having to deal with the crowds in order to see the cave.
2. Dau Go Cave
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 715 reviews
Reviewed By Yangyanggg
The cave was amazingly well preserved. The people in my tour was very well behaved and did abide by the rules. We grouped together with others and trekked the whole cave. The view at the TOP was worth the climb. The steps wasn’t particularly steep.
3. Tien Ong Cave
4. Dong Thien Cung
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 564 reviews
Reviewed By DRW44 - Salisbury, United Kingdom
We went on a 4-hour cruise around Ha Long Bay, including lunch, organised as part of a Viking river cruise. Towards the end of the cruise, we visited the equally amazing Golden Cave complex - massive caves with all the stalectites, stalegmites and wonderful rock formations you could wish for. Definitely not disabled friendly but good, firm steps throughout. It could be the highlight of the holiday but, as it's only day 2, only time will tell.
