From Caves To Farmland – Mountain Biking In Phong Nha

Our experience from one of the great new activities in the region – Mountain biking in Phong Nha.

Mountain Bike Tour Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Biking

“Stay to the right, or you will sink.” A sound bit of advice that I was determined to follow. I pedalled furiously towards the flooded trail, aiming to the right in the hopes of avoiding a sudden disappearance into the muddy abyss.

Hugging the edge of the dirt track so closely that the overhanging shrubs scraped against my skin, all eyes were on me as I tried my hardest to reach the other side of the puddle without becoming bogged.

As my front wheel quickly sunk deeper into the water, I knew the task was almost impossible. Quickly my front hub was submersed, and my feet were soon to follow.

Resistance increased and my legs burned as I battled the slop. Only a few more rotations and I would hopefully be out of the treacherous situation…

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Fields Mountain Biking In Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Bike Tour

Mountain Biking In Phong Nha

The Quang Binh province in Central Vietnam is quickly developing the reputation as the adventure capital of Southeast Asia.

Gargantuan limestone caverns beg exploration beneath the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

Hordes of tourists are flocking to the area to venture inside these ancient caves. Now more exciting activities are available for those searching for more pursuits on the surface.

One such experience is mountain biking in Phong Nha, which offers a mix of tough off-road trails, rural surroundings, historic sights and enchanting scenery.

The man behind the Phong Nha Adventure Cycling company is Shi, a Vietnamese legend from a neighbouring village who leads the mountain bike tours in Phong Nha.

Although he is now based in Hue, he spends a great deal of time taking adventurous travellers through the best off-road terrain in the region.

I had heard a lot about his mountain bike tours, so when the opportunity came up to check out the Ho Chi Minh Trails with him, I was pumped.

Jazza Shi Fields Mountain Biking In Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Bike Tour
Jazza and Private Shi.

Our small group met at the Easy Tiger Hostel, where Private Shi (as he is known) measured us up and matched our sizes to the correct mountain bikes.

Shi deliberately kept the briefing short, slyly mentioning that it was “only” 40km of off-roading we would have to tackle.

My legs began quivering with trepidation as I suddenly realised that the only bike I had been on in the last few months is one with a 110cc motor in it. This was going to be a long day.

Knowing that we would need some energy for the day’s undertaking, we rode out to Ho Khanh’s Homestay for one of his famous chocolate coffees.

Ho Khanh is the man who discovered Hang Son Doong – the world’s largest cave – back in 1991 while he was illegally logging in the jungle.

Now he is the lead porter for Oxalis, the company that runs tours to Hang Son Doong, while assisting the British Cave Research Association in exploring new caverns in the region.

Feeling the buzz from meeting the local legend, and the strong caffeine hit, we rode south and boarded a thin timber boat used to transport passengers, motorbikes, and this time mountain bikes, across the Son River.

Shi regaled us with anecdotes of some of the more peculiar happenings during the Vietnam/American War; some tragic, some hilarious.

Reaching the other side, we rode through a small village to a chorus of “hellos” from the scores of children playing games outside their houses.

Madam Tham Fields Mountain Biking In Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Bike Tour
This is Madam Tham. During the Vietnam/American War, a US jet was shot down just outside of town, with an American solider managing to eject and parachute his way to safety. When he landed, he apparently ditched his equipment in a field. Madam Tham and a group of villagers found the equipment and started analysing it. Madam Tham was holding the parachute when a strong gust of wind came through, sending the parachute high into the sky – with Madam Tham still holding on! She managed to survive her brief foray into human flight, and is now known throughout the region as Phong Nha’s first ever pilot! She has since traded aerial acrobatics for aquatic endeavours, and you can find her transporting passengers and scooters across the Son River in town.

We exited the community, rode through vacant peanut fields and merged with one of the original Ho Chi Minh Trails.

Used to transport supplies from the North to the South during the war, these trails were known as one of the greatest military engineering achievements of the 20th century.

Now they are utilised by farmers and villagers as access roads. For over 3km we pedalled our way through sludge and soil, fording large puddles and dodging jagged rocks.

Roadside craters were solemn reminders of the devastating bombings that took place here only a generation ago.

Once we emerged from the historic trails, we rode our mountain bikes through vast pastures encompassed by the typical karst scenery that Phong Nha is known for.

Local farmers and buffalo worked the fields in much the same way that they have for centuries. While the rest of the world develops rapidly, here in Quang Binh many things remain unchanged.

Shi Farmers Mountain Biking In Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Bike Tour
Shi explaining the topography of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, and how local farmers work the land.

Eventually Shi directed us onto the famous Ho Chi Minh Highway West. We followed its (thankfully) flat surface as it ran parallel to the Chay River, past Hang Toi, or the “Dark Cave” as it is known in English.

Our lunch stop was at the Nuoc Mooc Eco Trail, where an underground river springs up to the surface. The origin of this carving waterway is unknown, but many local men believe it begins across the border in Laos.

The nature reserve is a pleasant place to kick back and relax in nature, and that is exactly what we did while our lunch was served to us right next to the river.

After we hungrily wolfed down our delicious Vietnamese spread, including freshwater shrimp caught that morning from the river, we had an hour to explore Nuoc Mooc.

Wandering along the lush jungle on two feet was a welcome respite from being on two wheels.

Nuoc Mooc Eco Trail Mountain Biking In Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Bike Tour
A private swimming hole at Nuoc Mooc Eco Trail.

Stomachs filled and legs slightly recovered, we mounted the bikes and beelined our way back towards Phong Nha. The refreshing pavement wasn’t to last though, as Shi veered us back onto a dirt path weaving through another village.

The buildings suddenly vanished, as did our trail, and we ended up riding across grassed paddocks and through narrow gum trees. If it weren’t for Shi’s capable navigation skills, we surely would have believed we were lost.

Soon we pulled up next to a slit in the limestone cliffs. This was the fabled “Wine Cave”, which the locals used as a makeshift distillery to create a potent home-brew during the war.

Phong Nha continues to deliver surprising and fascinating history around every corner. We scrambled up some rocks for better vistas, before setting off again.

Wine Cave Mountain Biking In Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Bike Tour
Beautiful view from high up in the “Wine Cave”.

Daylight hours dwindling, the twilight sky transformed into a vibrant painting, sunbeams cracking through breaks in the clouds.

The barren earth’s brown shades grew deeper as the sun lowered towards the mountain peaks.

We rode our bikes through rustic hamlets, and crossed the Son and Chay Rivers once more on the way back to Phong Nha town.

Skies Mountain Biking In Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Bike Tour
Beautiful skies over the farmlands while mountain biking in Phong Nha.

Arriving in town we dismounted the mountain bikes and cheered in unison. Despite the exhausted legs, the day’s tour had been incredible.

Private Shi had done a remarkable job of imparting as much local knowledge as possible. In his own words, “More than the CIA will ever tell you.”

While the grandeur of the massive caves hiding amongst the jungles of the national park attracts thousands of visitors, the farmlands in the neighbouring area remain relatively untouched.

The mountain biking in Phong Nha took us deep into the heart of it and left us longing to venture back out on two wheels to relive the experience.

Just don’t forget to keep pedalling when you find yourself crank deep in the swallowing mud…

Jazza Mountain Biking In Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Bike Tour
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How To Book Your Mountain Bike Tour In Phong Nha

Tourist numbers to the Quang Binh province are booming, and as such facilities and activities are being established almost daily.

The mountain biking in Phong Nha is still relatively new, and will no doubt grow in popularity as more and more people start coming to town.

Unfortunately a lot of travellers arrive in Phong Nha with a limited amount of time, meaning by the time they hear about some of the other attractions on offer, it is too late.

Make sure you do your research before coming, have a few days up your sleeve and consider jumping on a mountain biking tour.

It’s also important to come prepared with the right gear and clothing. Wear comfortable activewear and good mountain biking shoes.

Your bike and helmet are provided, of course, but wearing decent clothes and shoes makes a big difference in terms of comfort during your tour.

If you are interested in mountain biking in Phong Nha on one of Private Shi’s tours as one of your things to do in Vietnam, you can book it through his website, or by contacting him by email or phone:

Alternatively you can book the mountain biking in Phong Nha at the following places in town:

Need accommodation in Phong Nha? Book here with Booking.com

Mountain Biking In Phong Nha Vietnam Things To Do Bike Tour
Private Shi at Nuoc Mooc Eco Trail.
Alesha and Jarryd

Alesha and Jarryd

Hey! We are Alesha and Jarryd, the award-winning writers and professional photographers behind this blog. We have been travelling the world together since 2008, with a passion for adventure travel and sustainable tourism. Through our stories and images we promote exciting off-the-beaten-path destinations and fascinating cultures as we go. As one of the world's leading travel journalists, our content and adventures have been featured by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, CNN, BBC, Forbes, Business Insider, Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, Channel 7, Channel 10, ABC, The Guardian, and plenty other publications. Follow our journey in real time on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

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18 thoughts on “From Caves To Farmland – Mountain Biking In Phong Nha”

  1. Nice and beauty place! Nice trip ! Thanks for your sharing! I will travel here next time!

  2. Good post fellas!!

    • Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

    • Thank you so much

  3. very interesting

    • It is an amazing place. 🙂

  4. I always referred differently to Vietnamese and thought that my feet would not be there. but thanks to you my opinion has changed colossally. I’m not what I want, but I will go there and I want to go on my mountain bike to try it in a new environment.

    • Glad you enjoyed the article. Vietnam is a beautiful place and the people are so lovely. Have a great time and enjoy mountain biking.

  5. We’re glad that you enjoy your experience in Vietnam! You can always come to our country at any time, we always welcome foreign visitors to come and admire the spectacular scenery here in Vietnam, there are many more things for you to discover in this country!
    From a Vietnamese with love!!!!

    • Thank you so much Hieu. Vietnam is our favourite country. We will definitely be back one day. 🙂

  6. One of the most breathtaking mountain biking I ever had In Phong Nha! I was stunned after seeing some remarkable development of this province only in few a years . Honestly speaking, this an awesome place by historically and geographically. For a classic mountain rider it’s a great for riding through ancient caves, off-road trails, rural surroundings, historic sights and enchanting scenery. Besides the wonderful environment, the people of Phong Nha is friendly and food is really tasty. Overall a great experience I had!

  7. Wow, You have greatly explained about Phong Nha. It’s a great place to visit. I love this place with your writing though i didn’t visit this place yet. Your writing is awesome you can nicely explained your experience and share this. Such a great feeling by here that.

  8. Phong Nha is a wonderful place for mountain biking. I really enjoyed reading about that place and those images clearly expressing how exciting it’s actually to do biking on that place. Looking forward to book my trip, thanks for letting know about the procedure regarding booking.

  9. Look wonderful

  10. Fantastic experience through breathtaking landscapes. If you want to dive into the beauty of Vietnamese culture, eat great food, swim in pristine waters, and see what lies off the beaten path, then this mountain bike tour In Phong Nha is for you.
    From Vietnam with love !!

    • Couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Thanks Tuan 🙂

  11. Wonderful! Phong Nha is a nice place to visit. The people here are so friendly. I have been here several year ago by joining a tour like this. And now i still remember exactly what pour the air be at every morning. This is the heaven of VietNam.

    • Phong Nha was our favourite place in all of Vietnam! Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well. Thanks for reading, Delmar 🙂

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