Phong Nha River House

Yen took the time to arrange a cave tour for me while she was unwell, communicating over WhatsApp. One of the English-speaking girls was very helpful, though she wasn’t around because of a health issue. I appreciated Yen’s help. The river view is nice and the hosts are friendly. I had a corner room with a side window overlooking the river. It was clean and okay, but had a strange smell, and the bed smelled sweaty. I couldn’t tell whether it was the sheets or blanket. The soundproofing was poor, as I could hear people in the next room even whispering. Service otherwise felt below par. Meal pricing was misleading: I was quoted 50,000 Dong per meal, but the final bill was a little more than double that. The place is quite far from everything, about a 15-20 minute bike ride to town for food. The free bikes they lend out were very rusty and had brakes that didn’t work. They need to improve the place and service.

We kept adding nights after we arrived, and the mountain view room made it hard to leave. From the room and some terraces, you can look over the river towards the mountains. It’s a lovely place to just be, with a fantastic location and very welcoming, helpful people. One of the original and best run homestays in the area. The breakfasts were excellent, the room was great, and the hospitality was the best we encountered in Vietnam. They can arrange cave tours easily. It’s outside town, but they have bikes to use, and town is 10 minutes away. Phong Nha is expensive, but Riverhouse cost much less than bunks in the big hostels in town and was very good value.

We booked at the last minute during our three-week honeymoon in Vietnam. Our room looked out over the river and the jungle beyond, and the place was quiet and secluded. The WiFi worked really well. The service was excellent. The girls offered lots of breakfast choices, free bicycles, and help arranging tours. They even bought us a cake with candles to congratulate us. Thanks again, girls. Joe & Becky x

Breakfast was the highlight. We chose from several options the day before, then it was freshly made and served on the terrace beside the river. They also let us use bicycles for free, which was really handy for getting around town. We stayed one night after our 3 Day-Caving tour. Everything met our expectations and felt worth the price, with clean rooms and comfortable beds.