Tien Ong Cave
Tien Ong Cave
4.5
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4.5
44 reviews
Excellent
23
Very good
15
Average
3
Poor
3
Terrible
0
Mehul Kirit Shah
Mumbai, India105 contributions
Dec 2017 • Friends
It is around 20 kilometres far from the city centre of Ha Long. Although it is less well known, it possesses pristine landscapes and a system of thousands years old stalagmites and stalactites. It is also a cradle of ancient Vietnamese people. Its entrance is 50 metres wide and 14 metres high that leads to a massive area inside around 1,000 square metres. The cave has a dome above with the height of 10 metres, while its bottom is approximately 5 metres higher than the water surface. Archaeologists have discovered fossils of bones of terrestrial animals, pieces of pottery and shells, and ancient tools such as stone axe, and stone knife, and etcetera. Discovered objects may tell existence of lives in the cave dated 10,000 to 8,000 years BC ago, during the Hoa Binh and Bac Son era.
Written 4 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brilliant Pottery
Palm Beach, FL41 contributions
Oct 2019
Wow such a natural wonder. The cave shows the stalagmites, and the formation over thousands of years.
Written 13 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bridget M
Northumberland National Park, UK100 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
Certainly interesting though it’s important to wear better foot wear than flip flops, but just having been out on the Bay in a kayak, at the time did not think about this! Have been told it can get very busy but on the day of visit was only our party of a dozen.
Written 12 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan C
Melbourne, Australia200 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
My husband and I went to this cave on a 2 day cruise of Halong Bay in a Bhaya Cruises Junk. I suffer from claustrophobia and was worried about going into a cave. After going a tender we walked up some steps to this very accessible open cave so I was able to really enjoy this visit.
Written 10 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Midorosan
Hong Kong144 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
This cave was discovered in 1993 by a local fisherman, he advised his local government and they spent the next five years turning it into a memorable tourist destination.
The way up from the quay is easy enough involving a fair number of steps but at 80 I managed just fine and it was certainly worth the effort.
All of the work that has been done such as the steps, the lighting, the walkways in fact everything is tio the highest standard to ensure complete safety and enjoyment. The lighting is good enough for most cameras and my iPhone had no difficulty taking the most amazing pictures some of which looked like Chinese paintings.
Pay attention to all the signs and take care in the areas where water has dripped as they may be slippery otherwise enjoy this amazing wonder.
The way up from the quay is easy enough involving a fair number of steps but at 80 I managed just fine and it was certainly worth the effort.
All of the work that has been done such as the steps, the lighting, the walkways in fact everything is tio the highest standard to ensure complete safety and enjoyment. The lighting is good enough for most cameras and my iPhone had no difficulty taking the most amazing pictures some of which looked like Chinese paintings.
Pay attention to all the signs and take care in the areas where water has dripped as they may be slippery otherwise enjoy this amazing wonder.
Written 6 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul T
Cockburn, Australia43 contributions
June 2018 • Friends
This cave is a nice sojourn from the boat although I am not quite sure why so many people rave about it. To be honest, I thought some of the artefacts rather spurious (especially the 2500 year old metal fishing hooks) and the well-placed piles of shells. I have looked online and the history seems solid but they seem to have made a attempt to sexy it up a bit. I was disappointed.
Written 15 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheExplorerFamily
Somerset, NJ7,155 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
Halong Bay wasn’t the only attraction on our cruise itinerary. Some of the karsts themselves, although impressive from the outside, also have magnificent caves inside. One such island called the “Cai Tai Island” houses this massive 10,764 square foot cave. The entrance is shaped like a frog’s mouth (which can be best seen from the little tender as you are approaching it). The cavernous space inside is divided into two almost - equal chambers by a huge stone pillar. They have lit this up for a dramatic special effect.
The place was only opened for tourists in 2010. It is not yet a popular destination compared to the others, so it was much less crowded. Not all Junks include this stop, but our Jasmine Cruise did. We were given 20 minutes to explore the cave. Since we were the only ones there, that time was more than sufficient.
The stalactites and stalagmites inside were beautiful, and very comparable to other lovely ones we have seen in more famous caves around the world. Some formed unusual shapes – pointed out by the tour guide as a peacock and an ancient old male fairy called Tien Ong (Hence the name given to the cave). The place is nicely lit up inside, and the walkway felt safe.
Apart from its natural beauty, archaeologists have unearthed many artifacts here – a room where the floors were covered with shells that were remnants of food consumed by the original inhabitants of this Bay, from the Hoa Binh Culture dating back to 10,000 years ago. Wow! They have also discovered ancient hunting tools, human bones, and prehistoric fossils of terrestrial animals. A lot of these finds are preserved in glass cases and displayed in the outside section of the cave in a mini-Museum. Many labels are in English, which was really nice for us tourists.
Absolutely worth a visit.
The place was only opened for tourists in 2010. It is not yet a popular destination compared to the others, so it was much less crowded. Not all Junks include this stop, but our Jasmine Cruise did. We were given 20 minutes to explore the cave. Since we were the only ones there, that time was more than sufficient.
The stalactites and stalagmites inside were beautiful, and very comparable to other lovely ones we have seen in more famous caves around the world. Some formed unusual shapes – pointed out by the tour guide as a peacock and an ancient old male fairy called Tien Ong (Hence the name given to the cave). The place is nicely lit up inside, and the walkway felt safe.
Apart from its natural beauty, archaeologists have unearthed many artifacts here – a room where the floors were covered with shells that were remnants of food consumed by the original inhabitants of this Bay, from the Hoa Binh Culture dating back to 10,000 years ago. Wow! They have also discovered ancient hunting tools, human bones, and prehistoric fossils of terrestrial animals. A lot of these finds are preserved in glass cases and displayed in the outside section of the cave in a mini-Museum. Many labels are in English, which was really nice for us tourists.
Absolutely worth a visit.
Written 23 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katie T
9 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
From the outside this looks busy and overcrowded like most of the places around Ha Long Bay, however as a geography studEnt, this was fascinating for me, the caves were huge & there was room after room. Really cool, would defo recommend a visit. there were hundreds of Chinese tourists who would literally shove past you and push you but other than that it was brilliant
Written 26 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vietnor2016
Sandnes, Norway153 contributions
Mar 2018 • Solo
The cave was quite interesting. Many beautiful formations and shapes. Our guide was knowledgeable on all parts of the cave and could explain the formations as we walked. Was a few other tours so got a bit crowded but not uncomfortable.
Written 23 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MarcusHurley
Calne, UK10,579 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
These caves were interesting but we spent far too long here for me. There are some standard stalagtites and mites and it is well illuminated with good pathways. There is a display at the front explaining the geology and archeology of the area. It is interesting and pretty but, for me, not worth an hour of my time.
Written 2 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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