Duck Stop in Phong Nha

Welcome to another Travel Tuesday! We’re taking a break from Son Doong Cave to talk about an adorable fun little stop over in Phong Nha — Duck Stop!

If you’ve been following me since my medical school days, you probably know that I used to live on a farm/cat rescue. You might also know about the pet ducks we got that I named after The Land Before Time dinosaurs (Littlefoot, Petri, Ducky, Chomper).

Me with Littlefoot!

So when we were looking for things to do on our “rest day” before our upcoming cave tours + came across Duck Stop, how could we not go!?

Duck Stop in Phong Nha

Duck Stop is a family farm located in Bong Lai Valley in Phong Nha. The owner at Phong Nha Friendly Home (the homestay where we spent the night) gave us a ride over, and we were greeted by one of the staff there.

Cost: 100k VND (~$4 USD)
Hours: 8am – 7pm
Duration: Expect to spend ~1-2 hours here!
Location: 17.604442, 106.3631075 (“Duck Stop” is a searchable location on Google Maps)

He gave us roasted peanuts that with a peppercorn + salt with chili powder and garlic while he explained what the “Duck Stop experience” would entail.

“Have you ever had an army of feathered followers flock to you for their daily feed? Have you ever wondered what it feels like to have a bunch of hungry beaks nibbling seed from you. Probably not, it may just be your best day ever or your worse day ever.”

We were given rice hats to wear + sandals to change into + taken over to another part of the farm where we got to do the daily feeding for the ducks and be a “duck leader” (they are quite food-motivated).

Prior to coming here, I’d read about a “duck massage” and had wondered what the hecks this entailed. (My pet ducks had obviously never done anything of the sort.) In case you ever plan to go here and happen to want to save that as a surprise, just skip the next paragraph and start reading again after a food photo shows up!

We were advised to put our feet together on the floor with the soles of our feet facing each other. Then they put duck food that in the space between our feet. You’ll be totally fine for this part if you’re not ticklish… Unfortunately, none of us were this genetically blessed. We were reduced to tears in laughter. Definitely an experience. (If you don’t like being tickled, that probably accounts for the “worst day of your life” from above.)

There’s an area for you to wash off your hands/feet afterward before you head back to the dining area.

Next up = food! We had banh xeo  (savory Vietnamese crispy pancakes made of rice flour, water, and turmeric powder.) There’s a pork or vegetarian option (no ducks!). We added cucumbers, carrots + sauce before rolling them up in rice paper. Drink options include bottled water, coke, or a beer.

(The charge is for the food/drinks — the farm experience is for funsies, but it was well worth it!)

• Have you ever gotten to hold a duck?
• What “random” places have you stopped by to check out while traveling?