1 / 5 - 2 reviews
How to get there
3 hours by train from Hue
When to go
From February to August
Minimum stay
A few hours
Dong Hoi (Vietnam)
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Flickr cc Hệ Trần Văn
Practical information on Dong Hoi
Reviews of Dong Hoi
Dong Hoi, is the stopover town for going to Vietnam's famous Phong Nha Ke Bang national park. It is full of all sorts of hotels and is popular with Vietnamese holidaymakers.
My suggestion:
Leave town as quickly as possible!
My review
During my trip to Vietnam I arrived by train and, frankly, Dong Hoi, wasn't very pretty at first sight. It was difficult to make ourselves understood by anyone but we got there and, a couple of steps from the station, a local rented us some motorbikes for a few days. I had the impression of a town I didn't like, stifling heat and exhausting bustle. The fishing port didn't have much charm until the end of the day when little bars opened up for the local Vietnamese.
We wanted to swim but the water was dirty and the environment polluted. The cafes selling seafood weren't very cheap but what can I say, it was delicious! There are a lot of hotels being built and the facilities aren't improving the area.
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Claire GUERIN
Dong Hoi is an untouristy seaside town that is also the closest town to the famous caves and river cruises of Phang Nha Ke Bang national park.
My suggestion:
Be careful with the local inhabitants. We didn't have a single friendly meeting and were treated like walking wallets. There are so many more beautiful things to see in Vietnam that it's not worth stopping here.
My review
I really don't have good memories of Dong Hoi. When we arrived there on the night bus at 4 a.m., the taxi drivers demanded a fortune to take us the 1.5 km to the centre of town... The town isn't particularly pretty and has no real charm, even the seaside isn't very attractive.
You have to bargain for everything in Dong Hoi, even getting on the bus! Although there are fixed prices for going to Huê and other big towns, they refuse to take you unless you pay an extortionate extra amount! We rented scooters for a relatively normal price, but that were really badly maintained, to get to Phang Nha Ke Bang park, which is very beautiful but you have to pay for everything there as well...
The only upside is that you learn how to be patient and not to be taken for a ride!
The downside is the attitude of the locals.
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Flickr cc Hệ Trần Văn
189 travelers' photos
