Floating in the turquoise water of Halong Bay, Dau Go cave not only attracts many domestic and international by its beautiful nature, but it also possesses a magnificent, unspoiled cave called Dau Go Cave.

Location and Transportation:

Dau Go Cave is situated in the same name island, which is only 6 kilometers far from the famous Bai Chay Harbor. Sitting next to Thien Cung Cave – another cave that also receives a lot of widespread attention, Dau Go Cave distinguishes itself by it time-honored and antique beauty.

To get to Dau Go Cave, visitors will have to take a boat trip or join a cruise. Most of the cruises will let you spend 45 minutes after exploring the whole cave.

BOOK A CRUISE TRIP TO VISIT DAU GO CAVE

The entrance of Dau Go Cave. Photo: Internet

The Legendary Name:

According to locals as well as tourist documents, the name Dau Go Cave has three main explanations:

Tourists taking photos in front of Dau Go Cave. Photo: Internet

  • The first explanation comes from a historic event that happened in the 13th century when the Mongolian army tried to invade Dai Viet (Vietnam’s name back then). The famous Tran dynasty’s Supreme Commander Tran Hung Dao secretly ordered his soldiers to prepare wooden stakes to destroy the enemy’s ships. And before those wooden stakes were transported to Bach Dang river, they were hidden in this cave. Therefore, it was named Giau Go Cave (Hidden Wood Cave). Later on, the cave was renamed into Dau Go cave (Wood Head cave).
  • The second theory was emanated from local stories. The stories stated that due to the bow shape of the cave, many fishermen chose it to be the shelter when they faced big storms. After the storms were over, they came back home and left behind may wood pieces. That’s why people called it Dau Go Cave.
  • The third name is based on the shape of the island on that Dau Go cave located. From far away, the island looks like a giant timber tree.

The cave’s details:

The beauty of Dau Go Cave. Photo: internet

The same as Thien Cung Cave, Dau Go cave is predicted to be formed in the late Pleistocene epoch which is 2 million years ago. Its distance from the sea level is about 27 meters, with the door’s height is approximately 12 meters and the door’s width is nearly 17 meters. The total acreage of Dau Go cave is more than 5000 meters square.

Due to its formation age, Dau Go cave has become a natural complex of ancient architectures with many stalactites and stalagmites which were formed by the karst process in a long period.

From a far distance, the cave entrance has a jellyfish shape with 90 stairs. If Thien Cung cave is famous for its modern feeling, then Dau Go Cave mesmerizes visitors by the stillness and ancient beauty. Based on its geological structure, the cave is divided into 3 areas:

WOW…

  • The first area’s shape is curved with many stalactites and stalagmites in the shape of familiar animals like lions, elephants, tigers, etc. In addition, due to the width of the entrance and the humidity of the cave, the flora and fauna system are strongly developed with multiple plants such as mosses and ferns. This is also a unique point of Dau Go Cave.
  • Going through a narrow entrance that connects the first compartment with the second one, visitors can witness a magnificent picture. Despite the lack of lights, the picture of rocky islands combined with stalagmites brings back a harmonious and mysterious ambiance that intrigues every traveler when they come here.
  • Last but not least, the final area possesses beautiful enormous stone collars and a freshwater pond which were believed as the place where beautiful fairies lived.

Historic events:

Not only related to the Mongolian invasion, but Dau Go cave also witnessed many historic events. In 1918, Khai Dinh king and Paul Doumer, a French Governor, visited the cave. Being amazed by Dau Go cave, Khai Dinh king wrote a poem, which was carved on the left side of the cave, to admire the beauty of it. In 1962, President Ho Chi Minh also had a trip to Dau Go cave and belauded this natural heritage.

Nowadays, Dau Go cave has owned a strong position in visitor’s hearts and continuingly join the top most visited destinations when people visit Halong. To be known as “Grotte des Merveilles” (Cave of Wonders) according to the book Merveille du Monde (Wonders of the World), Dau Go cave is a must visited destination when you’re on a Halong Tour!!