Been to Ninh Binh?
“Have you ever been to Ninh Binh?” the front desk of our Hanoi hotel asked us.
“No I haven’t. Where’s Ninh Binh?”
The staffer shrugged. “Oh, it’s a place I recommend that everybody go if they have the chance in Vietnam.”
I’m grateful for this gentle nudge because it acquainted me with the dark horse of our Vietnam journey and altered the trajectory of our travels. Ninh Binh was not on our radar as a place to visit. But a few Google searches later, I was convinced we needed to go there. Trains and hostels were booked in short order. Two days later, off we went!
Every direction you turn in Ninh Binh looks like a scene ripped out of National Geographic. Ninh Binh is the land of treacherously steep limestone mountains jutting from the earth, centuries-ancient caves carved into stone, rivers swirling quick over the rocks, and lush rice paddies growing along the banks. There are fish in the waters; birds, dragonflies, and wild bees in the air. Water buffaloes, goats, and cows sedately chew grass along the roadsides. The scenery is simultaneously dramatic and peaceful.
Icing on the cake is that tourism in the area is catered towards DIY self-exploration type travelers (like us). It’s very easy to rent a bicycle or motorbike to drive around and take it all in by yourself. The attractions are not too far apart, and the country roads between them are scenic adventures in their own right. The roads are nice and peaceful, punctuated here and there by a traveler on two wheels (or maybe a herd of buffalo). Just bring a GoPro to record the ride, and you’re all set.
Keep scrolling for our photos and explorations!
Trang An Grottoes Boat Tour
Indisputably the highlight of our trip! I had to keep pinching myself, it was too good to be real life.
The Trang An Grottoes are an eco-reserve of 15k acres of mountains and flooded valleys. You can only visit by boat. Rivers wind through the towering limestone mountains, forming caves and natural wetlands. Between the mountain, cave, aquatic, and wetland ecosystems, this tour is a wildlife-lover’s paradise.
It is also historically and culturally significant. This region’s perilous limestone mountains and twisting rivers formed an impenetrable barrier to repel Mongolian invasions from the north. Some of the Vietnamese warlords who led the defense later retreated into the Trang An mountains for spiritual hermitage, making this region a religious center. Temples were built among the island-mountains of Trang An to worship and commemorate these leaders. These shrines, sitting by the river at the base of steep ancient mountains, are an emotionally stirring and awe-inspiring sight.
When we visited in Feb 2020, there were three boat routes offered with slightly different attractions; all three routes cost 250k VND per person and take 3 hours to complete. We dithered on which route to take, ultimately picking the route that included Dot Cave, a 1-mile cave tunnel. I had an amazing time, and I think we would’ve been just as impressed with the other routes too.
Hoa Lu Ancient Capital
Hoa Lu was the capital of Vietnam in the 10th century, pre-dating the Hue ancient capital. This city was a cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilization. In its heyday, the Hoa Lu citadel included defensive walls, palaces, temples, and shrines. Most of these structures have turned to ruin over the centuries. Today, only few vestiges of the ancient citadel remain. I nevertheless found it impressive to see the ancient gates surrounded and protected by the ancient limestone mountains.
Hang Mua
Hang Mua is technically a cave, but best known for the 500-stair hike that leads to a stone dragon on the summit. The views from the top were epic. On one side, we saw a panorama of the Ngo Dong river winding through the mountains and rice paddies. On the other side was the city of Ninh Binh off inthe distance. Of course, the biggest payoff was getting up close and personal with the stone dragon guarding the summit and the shrine of Quan Am (the Goddess of Mercy). Golden dragonflies swarmed around the mountain when we were there, lending an otherworldly mystique to this sacred place.
Funny story, Allen and I intended to hike Hang Mua pre-dawn and watch the sunrise from the summit. We actually woke up at 4:30am, pumped to do this. But little did we know, our homestay family had locked up for the night, and there was no way to get our motorbike out the gate. All dressed up with nowhere to go, we went back to sleep. We ended up going mid-day with the rest of the tourist crowd, and it was still a great experience.
Bich Dong Pagoda
Bich Dong ancient pagoda is fully nestled into the mountainside. You need to cross a river to reach the temple gate, which is overgrown with centuries-old Banyan trees. There are several pagodas inside this complex. One of the shines we visited was on top of a steep hike up the mountainside and inside a cave; the deities were protected within the cave and yet had the perfect view to overlook Ninh Binh valley. At the back of one of the temples, Allen and I scrambled up the limestone cliff (literally on all fours) for an even more amazing view of the mountain range from the summit.
Thung Nham Bird Park
The dark horse at the end of our dark horse trip ;) After two intense days, Allen and I were exhausted. We waffled about whether or not we had the energy to make it out to the Thung Nham Bird Park. I’m very glad we put on our adventure pants and went for it.
The bird sanctuary is home to over 40 bird species, some of which are endangered and only found in this bird park. The bird populations are most active at dusk, when they return from throughout Ninh Binh valley to roost here.
I’ll never forget the sunset rowboat we took to the bird sanctuary in the middle of the lake. It was magical to soak in the setting sun, the quiet splashing of the boat on the river, the chirping chatter of birds in the sanctuary, and the birds gliding overhead to return home.
In conclusion
Ninh Binh’s natural beauty stole my heart and took my breath away. It’s wild that I wasn’t even aware of this place until a fortuitous question and a serendipitous detour off the itinerary!
I guess in writing this, I hope to put Ninh Binh on YOUR radar. It’s a place I recommend that everybody go if they have the chance in Vietnam.
Pro-tips for travelers:
Travelers are better off staying in Tam Coc rather than inside Ninh Binh downtown. Tam Coc is a cute area, much more traveler-friendly (with lively restaurants, bars, and shops open late), not to mention closer to the main attractions.
Yes you can spend money on cushy resort hotels, but homestays are a solid option and a fraction of the price! The homestays are built out very much like hotels, with all the amenities and privacy. We stayed at Tam Coc Happy Home homestay, and highly recommend it.
I highly recommend renting a motorbike for getting around, as it’s much faster (and less sweaty) than bicycle. We spent $100k VND per day, and carried around small bills to pay bike parking fees (typically $10-15k VND) at each major attraction. When you pay for bike parking, make sure to collect a ticket receipt otherwise they may charge you again ;)
The streets are not brightly or consistently lit. This is dangerous if you’re on the road after sunset. I recommend accounting for the sunset times, and getting home before lights out.
