What's on in Phong Nha (Son Doong), Vietnam through the year

Busy — Tết, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Opening

  Cave expedition season

  1 Jan – 31 AugTrail seasonBook early

  Permits for the big multi-day caves run from January to August only, and the single operator licensed for Son Doong sells the whole season out well ahead. After August the rivers close them. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Tết

  15 Jan – 28 Feb · usuallyLunar New YearClosures

  The village goes quiet in a different way: homestays stay open for foreigners but the family kitchens and most of the motorbike hire shut for three or four days. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Tết, Tết Nguyên đán break in Vietnam

• Season

  Late-year dry window

  15 Feb – 30 Apr · usuallyDry season

  Cool, mostly clear and before the Lao wind arrives — the easiest weeks for the Bong Lai valley and the long approaches on foot.

Still on: Cave expedition season (1 Jan – 31 Aug), Tết (15 Jan – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Cave expedition season (1 Jan – 31 Aug), Late-year dry window (15 Feb – 30 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Cave expedition season (1 Jan – 31 Aug), Late-year dry window (15 Feb – 30 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Gió Lào, the hot dry wind

  15 May – 15 Aug · usuallyWind seasonRisk

  A foehn wind comes over the range from Laos and bakes the Quang Binh plain for weeks. Underground it makes no difference at all, which is rather the point of coming here.

Still on: Cave expedition season (1 Jan – 31 Aug)

Busy — Summer break in Vietnam, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Cave expedition season (1 Jan – 31 Aug), Gió Lào, the hot dry wind (15 May – 15 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer break in Vietnam, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Cave expedition season (1 Jan – 31 Aug), Gió Lào, the hot dry wind (15 May – 15 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer break in Vietnam, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Cave expedition season (1 Jan – 31 Aug), Gió Lào, the hot dry wind (15 May – 15 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer break in Vietnam, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Closure

  Flood closures in the caves

  1 Sep – 15 Dec · usuallyRisk

  The wet months put the Son and Chay rivers up through the show caves and the big expeditions stop entirely. Phong Nha cave and the road along the valley close for days at a time. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Flood closures in the caves (1 Sep – 15 Dec (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Flood closures in the caves (1 Sep – 15 Dec (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Flood closures in the caves (1 Sep – 15 Dec (usually))