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Ninh Binh is known as the Halong Bay on Land and when you arrive you can see why! Particularly around June (when we were here) Ninh Binh and its surrounds are lush, green, hot and beautiful with touches of bright yellow and dramatic limestone cliffs adding to the endless gorgeous rice fields and rivers. It reminded me a lot of rural Bali (but better!). It’s a great place for endless outdoor adventures.
GENERAL INFO
Getting there and away:
Ninh Binh is an easy hop skip and a jump from Hanoi. The best way to get here is via train and it only takes 2-3 hours from Hanoi Old Town to Ninh Binh. All the good stuff in Ninh Binh is somewhat rural so you will then need to get a taxi to Tam Coc or the nearby area that you are staying in but your accomodation will be able to arrange pickup for you for approximately 200,000 VND.
From Ninh Binh we visited Halong Bay. There are no trains in this direction but you can catch a bus or organise private transport. If you are on your own or in a couple your cruise may offer the best price for a car (bear in mind you will likely be sharing with others) but for a group you should book through your accomodation or through Ninh Binh Tourist Center.
Accommodation:
We decided to stay right in Tam Coc as then we could walk to get food, cash, beers etc. easily. There are plenty of places to stay here but we stayed at Tam Coc Marina Villa which is very centrally located; newly built; has some nice places to relax and recover and has very attentive helpful staff.
Food:
Tam Coc town has plenty of cheap local options for food – all local food in Vietnam is pretty great but most of these don’t stand out in any way. We did really enjoy a meal at Father Cooking – on the corner of the main road just across from the Tam Coc Wharf.
Getting around:
The attractions around Ninh Binh are quite spread out and therefore its best to hire a car and driver to get to most of them. Ninh Binh Tourist Center can arrange this for you in advance for a reasonable price.
For the closer locations, you can also hire bicycles. Tam Coc town itself is easily walkable.
Top Tip:
Allow for some downtime here in Ninh Binh. All the activities are exhausting – either physically demanding or out in the sunshine for long hours. I would limit to 2 locations/activities a day so that you don’t wear yourself out!
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Trang An Landscape Complex
Trang An Landscape Complex is a scenic boat trip that goes through limestone caves and past temples (you can get out of the boat and explore). The trip takes 2-3 hours and costs 250,000 VND per person (children under 1 metre free). There are 3 different routes – I suggest taking Route 3 as this goes through the longest cave and also past the very beautiful temple on the water. Be aware if you are claustrophobic that the cave height can get very low and you need to lie almost flat to avoid hitting your head in some points.
Before you head out on the boats there is a snack shop if you need food, cold drinks or coffee. Tam Coc Wharf also has boat tours but Trang An is much better.
Hang Mua (Lying Dragon Mountain)
Hang Mua is a steep mountain with a beautiful view of the surrounding area including the scenic river system and the ancient capital. The hike is challenging (especially in the heat of the day) so it is best attempted in the early morning. Also you should wear proper walking shoes and take plenty of water with you but be aware there is no toilet located at the top (there is a small shop part way up that sells ice-creams and drinks). Taking the left fork on your way up leads to a stone dragon statue. The other path has great views too so do both if you can.
You should also allow time for a bit of a wander around before or after: the complex has lots of photo opportunities and cute things to look at. There is also a cave at the bottom of the mountain that you can explore inside. Hang Mua costs 100,000 VND to enter and parking is free.
Tam Coc Town
Tam Coc town has touristy small town vibes but is nice to have a little wander around , particularly if there is a celebration going on. You can go shopping (make sure to bargain) or watch the colourful boats leave from Tam Coc Wharf. At night see if you can spot the Gaudy party buses – they are hilarious!
Bai Dinh Pagoda
Bai Dinh Pagoda is the largest pagoda complex in Vietnam. It combines an ancient and new complex and it takes about 30 minutes to walk from one end of the complex to the other (after taking an electric car to the entrance). Its free to visit Bai Dinh Pagoda but the electric car costs 30,000 VND per person. There is some incorrect information online about there being a vegetarian restaurant inside the complex. There are a couple of places where you can get cold drinks but no Restaurant. Don’t get stuck wandering around in the middle of the day heat starving with a toddler and unable to find food.
Thang Nham Bird Park
This is a slightly more off the beaten track destination and was definitely not busy when we went there. It’s best to come here in the late afternoon. Nothing is signposted so it can be quite confusing to find the boat to the birds – allow yourself time). After purchasing tickets you walk along a long flat bridge and then on your left is a short boat trip through a cave. After getting of the boat you can continue to the right of the bridge onto a little island which has lots of gorgeous photo spots. The main attraction is another boat journey to see all the birds return to their nests at dusk. Entry costs 120,000 VND per person (includes both boat tours and the entrance fee). We loved it here – it was relaxed and beautiful.
Next time I am here I would like to visit Van Long Nature Reserve. This is a much quieter place for boat rides (and is a bit of a journey from Tam Coc). The boat rides here are really cheap; only last about 1 hour and you have an opportunity to see the endangered langur monkey that is found in this area. Let me know what you thought of this place if you have been and any other must sees for Ninh Binh.
Erika xx
THE ONLY ERIKA IN THE VILLAGE 