Dau Go Cave

The wildness of Dau Go cave is also a hidden beauty of Ha Long, not sophisticated, completely natural, suitable for nature lovers. Halong Bay tours to visit these spectacular caves.

A glorious history after the “Dau Go” cave

With regard to the name Dau Go Cave, there are three different explanations. According to the first theory, in a war against Mongol invaders in the 13th century by Tran King, Dau Go Cave was a place where woodpiles were hidden by Vietnam soldiers to build a battlefield to destroy the enemy’s ships. Thereby, Dau Go Cave was initially named as Giau Go Cave (Hidden Wood Cave) to commemorate of the merits of Tran King. Later on, the Cave was called Dau Go Cave (Wooden Stakes).

The second theory explains that Dau Go Cave has a bow shape; therefore, this is a sheltered area. In stormy days, fishermen often gathered here to avoid the severe weather. In the time they lived here, they repaired their boats and left many wood pieces. Since then, the name Dau Go was formed. The final theory tells that due to lying in an island having the shape of a giant timber tree, Dau Go Cave was named after the shape of this island.

The beauty of Dau Go Cave is so impressive that a book Merveille de Monde (Wonders of the World) published by a French author in 1938 (specialized in introducing the world-famous scenic spots) called the Cave as Grotte des (Cave of Wonders).

Dau Go Cave left travelers in Halong Bay tours with a good impression

Dau Go Cave has the width of 5,000 m2. The cave door is 17 meters wide and 12 meters high. The cave is located at the height of 27m above the sea level. It was created approximately two million years ago in Pleistocene having the same age as Thien Cung Cave. The Cave has a complex of ancient architecture. It exudes the ancient and unspoiled beauty with many stone pillars and stalagmites.

Due to having the widely opened entrance, the cave has high humidity, therefore, the flora and fauna are quite diverse, especially, mosses, ferns, and timber trees. Also thanks to the strong development of the flora and fauna, the cave entrance has the blue color with the shape of the jellyfish. The dome of Dau Go Cave has 25 meters in height with hundreds of giant stalactites hanging down like a weird waterfall. This is a distinct feature of Dau Go in comparison to other caves in Halong Bay.

Dau Go Cave is divided into three areas. The first one has a system of stalactites with many familiar images such as lions, pythons, turtles, fighting cocks, etc. The second area has Dau Go has a spectacular picture of rocky islands. In the third area, many giant stone pillars were created by nature. At the end of the Cave, there is a freshwater lake. Looking up to the dome of the cave, there are strange shapes depending on the imagination of each person. Some say that these are the images of elephants, other tell these shapes are images of deers and lions. 95 years ago, in 1918, Khai Dinh King and a French Governor Albert Pierre Saraut on a trip to Halong Bay visited Dau Go Cave. Being surprised by the fairytale beauty of the Creator, Khai Dinh King wrote a poem praising the beauty of Halong Bay and Dau Go Cave. Then, a stele engraved the poem was erected in the left side of the Cave.

Being known as Cave of Wonders with majestic beauty and the historical values, nowadays, Dau Go Cave is one of Halong attractions, which has welcomed not only Vietnamese people but also international tourists, especially French, American, and European travelers visiting each day.

If the Thien Cung cave is subtle and modern, the Dau Go cave is majestic and very massive. The Merveille de Monde of France published in 1938 called Dau Go cave in Halong Bay, Grotte des Merveilles (cave of wonders). That is absolutely correct.