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Sung Sot Cave

Sung Sot Cave

Sung Sot Cave
4.5
About
Situated in the centre of the UNESCO-declared World Heritage area, the Sung Sôt or Surprise Grotto is on Bo Hòn Island, and is one of the finest and widest grottoes of Ha Long Bay.Ascending to the grotto, the way is covered by trees and foliage, and consists of great paved stone blocks.Inside, it is partitioned into two chambers; the first one being similar to a wide theatre hall. Many stalactites hang from the high ceiling, with numerous possible forms and shapes.
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  • alex s
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Booked our great trip with HALONG BAY CRUISE HUNTERS cruise agent
    James and his team arranged for us a great cruise trip to Halong bay included: Sung sot cave, Ti top island and kayaking in Luon cave. Also, transfers included as promised,. they also arranged private car from Hanoi outskirt to airport with small fee and all were great. thank for a great trip.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 2 November 2023
  • ozpix
    Australia511 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lots of stairs, but worth it.
    Visited these caves as part of a boat day tour of Ha long bay. The caves are huge and amazing. You have to walk in the one direction through them and as there are so many boatloads of people visiting, you feel a bit rushed walking through them. There are a lot of steps up and down and very tiring in the heat, but well worth it.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 27 December 2023
  • mayccm2018
    Hong Kong, China1,226 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth to visit
    Sung Sot Cave that was beautiful and huge was limestone cave. Visited this cave as part of day tour of Ha long bay. Not difficult to enter and take sightseeing through good path. We delighted to explore Sung Sot Cave that is the World natural heritage and admired stunning stalagmites and stalactites. Worth to visit.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 16 January 2024
  • BrakiWorldTraveler
    Belgrade, Serbia20,004 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must stop on any Halong Bay cruise
    The Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave is really impressive - pretty long with terrific stalagmites and stalactites. It was discovered by French archaeologists, after what entrances and passageways were enlarged, cave secured and open to public. It is a must stop on every Halong Bay cruise. As you might imagine this brings huge crowds, but that's understandable for a popular spot anywhere. I don't advise people with mobility issues and elderly to visit as the terrain is uneven, with narrow passages and involves climbing stairs both downhill and uphill.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 11 February 2024
  • Dimitris L
    Sydney, Australia51,977 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stunning cave
    Sung Sot cave in Halong Bay is a stunning place to visit. We had an absolutely stunning experience. The cave is amazingly vast and could hold thousands of people inside. It is huge and visitors can walk through it quite easily, with care, and having to negotiate a number of steps going up and down. However we never felt any sense of fear or concern about safety. There are many stalagmites and stalactites and countless rock formations inside the cave. This is a sight no one would want to miss.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 22 May 2024
  • Foth Sarmento
    Hamburg, Germany2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Exploring in Style
    Opting for a two-night stay allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the beauty of the surroundings. The welcome lunch upon arrival was truly exceptional, setting the tone for the entire journey. We were treated to two memorable excursions during our stay, each offering unique insights into the region's cultural and natural treasures.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 27 June 2024
  • Yvonne S
    32 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A good end point stop to visit before the long turnaround back to the dock
    At first Tom was little impressed with the simple grotto and passages, and THEN the cave opened into a beautiful MASSIVE area. The bay’s caves had stone formations like what we recently visited on our trip to Slovenia, but this one is artificially polluted with color lights. Giving this cave a 4.4 rating. Oh I possibly forgot to give you the range of Tom’s hinge ratings = 0->5.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 1 July 2024
  • David T
    Dubai, United Arab Emirates111 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Exploring the Wonders of Sung Sot Cave: A Perfect Finale to Our Ha Long Bay Cruise
    Sung Sot Cave, or 'Surprising Cave,' was the perfect ending to our Ha Long Bay cruise. It has three stunning chambers filled with incredible stalactite and stalagmite formations that resemble dragons, Buddhas, and more. The views are breathtaking! Make sure to bring a big bottle of water to stay hydrated!
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 18 August 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,892 reviews
Excellent
945
Very good
660
Average
228
Poor
42
Terrible
17

LuizDutraNeto
Rio de Janeiro, RJ8,567 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
This is a unique experience ... A small junk boat and the misty "Halong Bay", with its deep calm waters, intriguing limestones formations and, all of a sudden, we landed at "Bo Hon Island" for visiting "Sung Sot Cave". This is the biggest and most famous cave in "Halong Bay". After a short climb, we reached its entrance chamber, which leads into passages and other beautiful huge chambers with scenic lighting. No visit to "Halong Bay" would be complete without experiencing at least one of its innumerable caves - and "Sung Sot Cave" is really impressive. "Sung Sot Cave" means the "Amazing Cave" or the "Surprising Cave". Unmissable! Be ready for crowds in certain periods of the year. Enjoy!
Written 16 November 2020
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.

digitalroc
Calgary, Canada2,139 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
Hang Sung Sot Cave is located on Bo Hon Island and is Halong Bay’s largest cave. Discovered in 1901 by the French, today it is part of most tour groups itineraries, including the group I was on. We made a visit here first thing in the morning, along with a dozen other boats and countless people. I have seen many caves, this one is quiet average in grandness, however still worth the effort.
Written 17 January 2020
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.

Johnfrisbee
Christchurch, UK2,632 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
Our one-hour visit to these island caves was a real treat, part of our Ha Long Bay Heritage cruise on Jasmin.
Using Jasmin's tender, we landed on the concrete quay, then with our ship's guide, spent our time in the caves, and learning about them.
As ever, local, expert knowledge makes all the difference, and the guide's commentary and answers to our questions really made the little visit so fascinating. Loved it.
Wear comfy shoes, such as trainers.
Bring water. The temperature is a little cooler inside than outside.
Written 1 January 2020
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.

amanda5805
Duncan, Canada7,481 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
Our guide warned us the first 2 smaller cave areas would be very crowded and to just keep moving to the third section how it is much large and people could be more spread out. He was right getting even into the caves were horribly crowded and so much pushing and shoving until you get into the 3 sections. I'm glad I went threw but I would never go again. it was amazing to see and walk threw. There was well lit paths and lots of stairs. There are tall so you do not have to worry about squatting down. If you get claustrophobic I wouldn't suggest going into the caves if there is a huge line up outside because it will be even worse once you are in the caves. If it is a quiet day you will have a better change.
Written 30 May 2020
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.

bas0921
Charlotte, NC782 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
Skip this! Way too crowded with tourists! Unable to enjoy the sight due to an overabundance of other tourists! I get that certain spots are crowded (it was high season), but there are SO MANY other caves on this planet that don't pack you in and move you along.. no real time for good photos or photos without many other people in them or getting bumped or getting moved along by the people working there.. Save your money for other things in Vietnam!
Written 19 January 2020
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.

Lauren
United Kingdom703 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2019
Stopped here as part of a two day cruise of Halong Bay. The caves themselves are lovely and quite interesting to visit. However, they are packed full with tourists, and at points bottleneck, so it can be difficult to get through. Some tourists were also being very rude and pushing through when I visited, which really took away from the experience.
Written 25 February 2020
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.

Canicus
Asia628 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
Surprising Cave? nah.....Exhilarating and Amazing Cave is more like it!
Went to the caves as part of of a day tour with a local tour company.
We went to Luon caves for Kayaking, went to Titop island.
All were not too interesting... :(
Now Surprising Cave (Hang Sửng Sốt) was the highlight of the trip!
The cave was discovered by the French in 1901 and they named it Grotte des Surprises.

The cave was BEAUTIFUL and cooling after the many hours spent in the sun! The stalactites and stalagmites was a sight to behold and we spent almost an hour wandering the cave and admiring the formations.

Would have loved to spend more time here but was limited to 60 mins as this was the last destination on our itinerary.

A must see if you ever go to Halong Bay!

Would have loved to spend more time there.
Written 17 June 2022
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.

Scott G
Los Angeles, CA538 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Solo
This cave was huge and awesome, definitely worth spending some of your Halong Bay time inside for! The main spire-like stalagmite is very cool, making the whole thing feel like an Indiana Jones movie set. High praise from me, since Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite movie of all time! The cave is well lit and has a good path. It takes a bit of effort throughout, there is some elevation gain at the start just to get up to and inside it as well. The island the cave is on has a gift shop, and snacks and drinks. A very cool stopover!
Written 31 July 2023
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.

Foth Sarmento
Hamburg, Germany2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Opting for a two-night stay allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the beauty of the surroundings. The welcome lunch upon arrival was truly exceptional, setting the tone for the entire journey. We were treated to two memorable excursions during our stay, each offering unique insights into the region's cultural and natural treasures.
Written 28 June 2024
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.

Dimitris L
Sydney, Australia51,977 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
Sung Sot cave in Halong Bay is a stunning place to visit. We had an absolutely stunning experience. The cave is amazingly vast and could hold thousands of people inside. It is huge and visitors can walk through it quite easily, with care, and having to negotiate a number of steps going up and down. However we never felt any sense of fear or concern about safety. There are many stalagmites and stalactites and countless rock formations inside the cave. This is a sight no one would want to miss.
Written 22 May 2024
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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SUNG SOT CAVE (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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